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How my faith survived Philip Yancey

James Toews

From Philip Yancey’s latest book, Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived The Church, it would appear that Yancey grew up in “the church from hell”. Yancey is one of the most prolific evangelical writers today. He has written numerous Christian best-sellers and is an editor of the popular magazine Christianity Today. But the church in which he grew up might well be compared to the hate-filled Taliban mosques we are now hearing so much about. This was a church which, during the early civil rights movements in the US South, stood squarely against everything that hinted of racial integration. In fact, the church and society of Yancey’s youth was home to the Ku Klux Klan. This church and culture claimed a youthful Philip Yancey and made him a disciple. As a progressive evangelical, Yancey now recoils with horror at that church and its ability to draw him into its fold.

Soul Survivor is the story of Yancey’s spiritual journey from that church until today. The journey is told as Yancey summarizes the lives and writings of those who shaped his spiritual character – among them, Martin Luther King Jr., once the enemy of the church of his youth. Yancey is a gifted writer and voracious reader and takes us on a journey through the writings of 14 well-known authors and leaders. The genius and flaws of these 14 make for an interesting book.

The book, however, is subtly but seriously flawed. In his passion to describe the miracle of Jesus’ gospel, he has slandered the only organization that Jesus came to earth to establish: “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).

Over 2000 years, the history of the church is full of horror stories which would make even Yancey’s Klan-infested church seem tame. There have been racists, murderers, thieves, scoundrels, megalomaniacs, con artists and sundry other infamous characters who have claimed the church as their home and left their imprints on its history. It is a history that makes the most thoughtful Christians cringe.

But, for all the checkered history of the church, as we see it, Christians must never forget three things. First, the visible church was from the beginning made up of flawed individuals that failed to live up to the standards Jesus set out. Scripture never makes any attempt to hide the failings of God’s people – only to endlessly challenge them back to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The good news is that the church is open to flawed people like you and me who fail to consistently keep that simple command.

Second, while life in a group of people such as make up a church can be extremely frustrating – and may at times cause us, like Philip Yancey, to wonder whether or not our faith will survive its members – Jesus left no option for His followers except the church. There is simply no other way. A Christian without the church is a contradiction in terms.

Finally, if we are honest, we will soon realize that the miracle is not that our faith survives the church. The true miracle is that the church survives you and me – people who are naturally inclined to be racists, murderers, thieves, scoundrels, megalomaniacs and con artists.

James Toews is senior pastor of Neighbourhood Church in Nanaimo, B.C.

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Last modified April 17, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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