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Book Review
Rumours of another world: what on
earth are we missing?
Philip Yancey; Zondervan 2003. 262p
Review by Jenni van Wageningen
Yancey is firmly convinced that most people are aware of ‘rumours of
another world,’ that they yearn for something more, for a belief in a
transcending God who can fill the void in their lives. A very simple and
basic question, he tells us, separates belief and unbelief. Is the
visible world around us all there is? Those who are unsure of the answer
are in the ‘borderlands of belief’, a place between doubt and faith. So
Yancey invites these skeptics to seriously consider the possibility of a
supernatural world which coexists with our visible world.
He first of all looks at our world and what we could be missing, what
‘rumours’ it might convey. He listens to his own longings and desires,
opens his heart to the invisible world and rediscovers the natural world
from a new viewpoint. Through the beauties and intricacies of nature,
through romantic love and through classical music Yancey finds new
windows to the supernatural. He discusses simple ways he can detect the
‘rumours’ more clearly – through the nitty gritty of human relationships
and everyday tasks. In so doing Yancey glimpses the relationship that
matters most of all and says that his goal for growing older is ‘to care
less about how others view me and more about how God views me.’
As usual, Yancey’s fresh and very personal approach confronts and challenges the reader to sit up and think again about himself and the underpinnings of faith and belief.
He is ruthlessly honest in the way he scrutinises his own heart and
life. He considers the sins he wrestles with most of all - discontent,
hypocrisy, greed and pride - and sees how God is coaxing him to realize
fully what he was created to be in the first place.
Once again Yancey also draws on many well-known writers both secular and
Christian to reinforce and illustrate his ideas. He spices up his
writing with all kinds of fascinating and entertaining stories and
anecdotes from his wide travels and experiences. (I liked his story of
the Tasmanian sheep on a ‘ranch’ he visited to illustrate a point about
human freedom!)
There are some particularly powerful and unforgettable chapters such as the one on guilt and repentance. Another with the provocative title ‘Designer sex’ offers profound insights into the western psyche.
Yancey writes for those who may have had unfortunate experiences with the church, for those whose faith has been crowded out by doubts and questions. He also writes to reflect on how he would explain why and what he believes to non-Christians. And at the same time he writes for himself, to come to fresh terms with his own personal faith.
This work is Yancey’s best yet, a must-read. He covers new ground, and the quality of his writing makes for a very stimulating book. This is not to say it is always easy to immediately grasp his ideas. Perhaps at times he asks more questions than he actually answers – for there are no straightforward answers to many of the matters he raises.
The depth of his thinking and the numerous startling insights into modern life and culture as well as the human condition make this a book to savour, to dip into and use for reflection and self-examination. It is definitely not a ‘one-sitting book’ - yet it is one which will expand your mental and spiritual horizons. If you like to use a pencil to highlight interesting points as you read you may find yourself working overtime!
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