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Just Wondering : A Book of Many Questions
Best-selling author Philip Yancey writes on a diverse range of topics that touch on the fields of history, science, religion, ethics, and more in this new edition of I Was Just Wondering . These stimulating columns originally written for Christianity Today offer readers short, penetrating observations on this universe, the earth, the church, and the Christian life. Questions such Why is sex fun? Where did racist hatred come from? Why do so many Christians feel more guilty than forgiven? How do you write or talk about theology in a society that still uses the theological words, but has changed their meanings? What is God like? Why do people show great interest in "near-death experiences" but no interest in death experiences? First published in 1989, this revised and updated edition of I Was Just Wondering offers a level-headed, honest journey into questions that are just as important and challenging to readers today.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1989
21 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
Philip Yancey
299 books2,394 followersA native of Atlanta, Georgia, Philip Yancey earned graduate degrees in Communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago. He joined the staff of Campus Life Magazine in 1971, and worked there as Editor and then Publisher. He looks on those years with gratitude, because teenagers are demanding readers, and writing for them taught him a lasting principle: The reader is in control!
In 1978 Philip Yancey became a full-time writer, initially working as a journalist for such varied publications as Reader’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, National Wildlife, Christian Century and The Reformed Journal. For several years he contributed a monthly column to Christianity Today magazine, where he also served as Editor at Large.
In 2021 Philip released two new books: A Companion in Crisis and his long-awaited memoir, Where the Light Fell. Other favorites included in his more than twenty-five titles are: Where Is God When It Hurts, The Student Bible, and Disappointment with God. Philip's books have won thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have sold more than seventeen million copies, and have been published in over 50 languages. Christian bookstore managers selected The Jesus I Never Knew as the 1996 Book of the Year, and in 1998 What’s So Amazing About Grace? won the same award. His other recent books are Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image; Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World; The Question that Never Goes Away; What Good Is God?; Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?; Soul Survivor; and Reaching for the Invisible God. In 2009 a daily reader was published, compiled from excerpts of his work: Grace Notes.
The Yanceys lived in downtown Chicago for many years before moving to a very different environment in Colorado. Together they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and all the other delights of the Rocky Mountains.
Visit Philip online:
https://www.philipyancey.com
https://www.facebook.com/PhilipYancey
Catch his monthly blog:
https://bit.ly/PhilipYanceyBlog
In 1978 Philip Yancey became a full-time writer, initially working as a journalist for such varied publications as Reader’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, National Wildlife, Christian Century and The Reformed Journal. For several years he contributed a monthly column to Christianity Today magazine, where he also served as Editor at Large.
In 2021 Philip released two new books: A Companion in Crisis and his long-awaited memoir, Where the Light Fell. Other favorites included in his more than twenty-five titles are: Where Is God When It Hurts, The Student Bible, and Disappointment with God. Philip's books have won thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have sold more than seventeen million copies, and have been published in over 50 languages. Christian bookstore managers selected The Jesus I Never Knew as the 1996 Book of the Year, and in 1998 What’s So Amazing About Grace? won the same award. His other recent books are Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image; Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World; The Question that Never Goes Away; What Good Is God?; Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?; Soul Survivor; and Reaching for the Invisible God. In 2009 a daily reader was published, compiled from excerpts of his work: Grace Notes.
The Yanceys lived in downtown Chicago for many years before moving to a very different environment in Colorado. Together they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and all the other delights of the Rocky Mountains.
Visit Philip online:
https://www.philipyancey.com
https://www.facebook.com/PhilipYancey
Catch his monthly blog:
https://bit.ly/PhilipYanceyBlog
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 23, 2014
Philip Yancey more than any other author makes me think and challenges me with his words. This book presents a structured adaptation of some of Yancey's best columns from the magazine, Christianity Today, for which he writes. These forty-five essays were taken over a five year period. As you will see from the quotes below it is a book worth the read.
“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways,” said Elihu to Job. ~Job 37:5 (NIV)
We should feel dissonance; we are, after all, immortals trapped in mortal surroundings. We lack unity because long ago a gap fissured open between our mortal and immortal parts; theologians trace the fault line back to the Fall. ~Philip Yancey
The discomfiture we feel may be our most accurate human sensation; reminding us we are not quite “at home” here. ~C.S. Lewis
Jesus announced a great reversal of values in His Sermon on the Mount, elevating not the rich or attractive, but rather the poor, the persecuted, and those who mourn. ~Philip Yancey
And perhaps, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit may be our very best defense against a materialist view of mankind here on earth. ~Philip Yancey
I have more appreciation for why the Bible avoids fuzzy psychologisms and says simply to the stealer, “Steal no more,” and to the tempted, “Flee temptation.” The Bible challenges us to look upward, not inward, for counsel at moments of crisis. ~Philip Yancey
That story [Ecclesiastes] of decadence by the richest, wisest, and most talented person in the world serves as a perfect allegory for what can happen when we lose sight of the Giver whose good gifts we enjoy. ~Philip Yancey
As Ecclesiastes tells it, a wholesale devotion to pleasure will, paradoxically, lead to a state of utter despair. ~Philip Yancey
I came away from the “midnight church” impressed, but also wondering why AA meets needs in a way that the local church does not – or at least did not, for my friend. I asked him to name the one quality missing in the local church that AA had somehow provided. He stared at his cup of coffee for a long time, watching it go cold. I expected to hear a word like love or acceptance or, knowing him, perhaps anti-institutionalism. Instead, he sais softly one word: dependency. “None of us can make it on our own – isn’t that why Jesus came?” he explained. “Yet most church people give off a self-satisfied air of piety or superiority. I don’t sense them consciously leaning on God or each other.” ~Philip Yancey
Like Job’s friends, we can too easily come across as cranky or smug, not prophetic. Judgment without love makes enemies, not converts. ~Philip Yancey
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ~Luke 13:1-5 He (Jesus) seems to imply that we “bystanders” of catastrophe have as much to learn from the event as do the sufferers themselves. What should a plague teach us? Humility, for one thing. And gratitude that God has so far withheld the judgment all of us deserve. And compassion, the compassion that Jesus displayed to all who mourn and suffer. Finally, catastrophe joins together victim and bystander in a common call to repentance, by abruptly reminding us of the brevity of life. It warns us to make ourselves ready in case we are the next victim of a falling tower – or an AIDS virus. ~Philip Yancey
I have yet to find any support in the Bible for an attitude of smugness: Ah, they deserve their punishment; watch them squirm. ~Philip Yancey
Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus’ disciples – an ornery, undependable, and hopelessly flawed group of men – became drunk with the power of a gospel that offered free forgiveness to the worst sinners and traitors. Those men managed to change the world. ~Philip Yancey
A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again;” and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. ~G. K. Chesterton
As I read the Bible, it seems clear that God satisfies his “eternal appetite” by loving individual human beings. I imagine He views each halting step forward in my spiritual “walk” with the eagerness of a parent watching a child take the very first step. ~Philip Yancey
To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness – especially in the wilderness – you shall love Him. ~Frederick Buechner
“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways,” said Elihu to Job. ~Job 37:5 (NIV)
We should feel dissonance; we are, after all, immortals trapped in mortal surroundings. We lack unity because long ago a gap fissured open between our mortal and immortal parts; theologians trace the fault line back to the Fall. ~Philip Yancey
The discomfiture we feel may be our most accurate human sensation; reminding us we are not quite “at home” here. ~C.S. Lewis
Jesus announced a great reversal of values in His Sermon on the Mount, elevating not the rich or attractive, but rather the poor, the persecuted, and those who mourn. ~Philip Yancey
And perhaps, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit may be our very best defense against a materialist view of mankind here on earth. ~Philip Yancey
I have more appreciation for why the Bible avoids fuzzy psychologisms and says simply to the stealer, “Steal no more,” and to the tempted, “Flee temptation.” The Bible challenges us to look upward, not inward, for counsel at moments of crisis. ~Philip Yancey
That story [Ecclesiastes] of decadence by the richest, wisest, and most talented person in the world serves as a perfect allegory for what can happen when we lose sight of the Giver whose good gifts we enjoy. ~Philip Yancey
As Ecclesiastes tells it, a wholesale devotion to pleasure will, paradoxically, lead to a state of utter despair. ~Philip Yancey
I came away from the “midnight church” impressed, but also wondering why AA meets needs in a way that the local church does not – or at least did not, for my friend. I asked him to name the one quality missing in the local church that AA had somehow provided. He stared at his cup of coffee for a long time, watching it go cold. I expected to hear a word like love or acceptance or, knowing him, perhaps anti-institutionalism. Instead, he sais softly one word: dependency. “None of us can make it on our own – isn’t that why Jesus came?” he explained. “Yet most church people give off a self-satisfied air of piety or superiority. I don’t sense them consciously leaning on God or each other.” ~Philip Yancey
Like Job’s friends, we can too easily come across as cranky or smug, not prophetic. Judgment without love makes enemies, not converts. ~Philip Yancey
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ~Luke 13:1-5 He (Jesus) seems to imply that we “bystanders” of catastrophe have as much to learn from the event as do the sufferers themselves. What should a plague teach us? Humility, for one thing. And gratitude that God has so far withheld the judgment all of us deserve. And compassion, the compassion that Jesus displayed to all who mourn and suffer. Finally, catastrophe joins together victim and bystander in a common call to repentance, by abruptly reminding us of the brevity of life. It warns us to make ourselves ready in case we are the next victim of a falling tower – or an AIDS virus. ~Philip Yancey
I have yet to find any support in the Bible for an attitude of smugness: Ah, they deserve their punishment; watch them squirm. ~Philip Yancey
Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus’ disciples – an ornery, undependable, and hopelessly flawed group of men – became drunk with the power of a gospel that offered free forgiveness to the worst sinners and traitors. Those men managed to change the world. ~Philip Yancey
A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again;” and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. ~G. K. Chesterton
As I read the Bible, it seems clear that God satisfies his “eternal appetite” by loving individual human beings. I imagine He views each halting step forward in my spiritual “walk” with the eagerness of a parent watching a child take the very first step. ~Philip Yancey
To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness – especially in the wilderness – you shall love Him. ~Frederick Buechner
May 25, 2023
This could be a great introduction to Philip Yancey. I think you can find some thoughts about any of the topics he has written about more extensively in other books, albeit here they are in short articles and gathered together. There is a lot of ground covered with the key ideas hidden in the questions before each part of the book.
Some of Yancey's books can be a bit slow, so reading this is a bit different and more snappy. You cannot get too bored before the scene changes - and you get a glimpse into who Philip Yancey is an what he thinks a lot about.
Some of Yancey's books can be a bit slow, so reading this is a bit different and more snappy. You cannot get too bored before the scene changes - and you get a glimpse into who Philip Yancey is an what he thinks a lot about.
May 30, 2023
This is a collection of the column the author wrote for Christianity Today, seemingly in the 1990s (since one of the essays mentioned AIDS). It contains his observations of nature and society which lead to many wonderings he harbors about the world and the state of mankind and the tenets of his faith. It's a collection of inspiring, sometimes heart-warming essays that would serve very appropriately as daily devotional readings. I love what he has to say. (He is one of my favorite authors, after all.)
January 9, 2022
An oldie but a goodie if you enjoy Yancey's style. I always have. He has an uncanny ability to take me with him into the places he describes. Felt like I was there with him discussing the things he wrote about. I like that he doesn't try to answer all the questions, but comes up with helpful suggestions anyway.
April 22, 2024
He leído otros títulos de Philip Yancey y siempre me ha gustado su forma de escribir que cuestiona el status quo y te hace pensar.
Este libro es una recopilación de artículos que había escrito previamente para un diario -si no recuerdo mal.
Otros títulos que leí de él me han gustado más, aunque rescaté algunas ideas.
Este libro es una recopilación de artículos que había escrito previamente para un diario -si no recuerdo mal.
Otros títulos que leí de él me han gustado más, aunque rescaté algunas ideas.
March 14, 2019
Great collection of short stories from an artistic perspective on life and faith.
July 22, 2021
Thought provoking
November 10, 2021
Didn't finish
I would never have thought I would 'two star' a Yancey book.
I would he approaches some, good questions, as a muse. It seemed quite superficial and never quite arrives.
I would never have thought I would 'two star' a Yancey book.
I would he approaches some, good questions, as a muse. It seemed quite superficial and never quite arrives.
December 26, 2023
This make me think a lot of things i never realized before. A lot of questions that still relevant to these days were ask, some answered, some left unanswered for readers to contemplate about that.
Read
January 4, 2012This was the first book for a new Bible study group with a few friends. And well it doesn't really lend itself as a helper for Bible study, it's good for current times. A lot of short stories examining situations and personal observances between these times and those of the Bible. It raises a lot of questions and comparisons which people can relate to today. It's written by a Christian author but I would not consider it a particularly Christian book. That is to say, there is analysis of facts and theories, questions and comments, observations and changes, but no where in the book does he try to force any beliefs on anyone. I would recommend it as a general religious or theological read, a book to create conversations without getting anyone upset. I might read it again. It does make me want to read more books by the author.
August 3, 2016
Lots of interesting questions, not as much answers and after all the book's not meant to explain things neatly. This jumble of personal musings is a great way to get to know Philip Yancey one layer down his usual books, which are also inquisitive yet focused on separate topics.
The chapters are originally written as separate articles, so be prepared to jump from one topic to another, to see some repetition of ideas and terms, and to feel that the topics are not discussed in full depth. This book feels a bit like post-mortem bundling of unfinished book drafts, but fortunately PY is alive and thriving in his service, and he might hatch more eggs in this basket of wonderings into solid books in the future.
By the way, in this book PY mentions lots of books that you might find worth reading.
The chapters are originally written as separate articles, so be prepared to jump from one topic to another, to see some repetition of ideas and terms, and to feel that the topics are not discussed in full depth. This book feels a bit like post-mortem bundling of unfinished book drafts, but fortunately PY is alive and thriving in his service, and he might hatch more eggs in this basket of wonderings into solid books in the future.
By the way, in this book PY mentions lots of books that you might find worth reading.
April 22, 2021
This is a series of articles Philip Yancey wrote, to answer some interesting questions about the Christian life. Where did racial hatred come from? What's the value of fiction? Do gorillas have mid-life crisis?
It's not the most in-depth or moving of his books; each chapter is just three or four pages long, looking at one particular question in the style of an article. But there are some good anecdotes, some thought-provoking comments, and the usual excellent writing style I've come to expect from Yancey.
Recommended.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
It's not the most in-depth or moving of his books; each chapter is just three or four pages long, looking at one particular question in the style of an article. But there are some good anecdotes, some thought-provoking comments, and the usual excellent writing style I've come to expect from Yancey.
Recommended.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
August 7, 2011
This is a deeply interesting book that seeks to present some views to questions like why do so few Christians exhibit joy? What is a Christian product? Why didn’t God answer Job’s questions? The book does not so much attempt to provide definitive answers, but rather contains short pieces/mini essays that present a point of view of these and other broad topics. Presented in a simple digestible style, this is a book that one can came back to again and gain something different based on our changing perceptions and understanding of the world.
September 29, 2007
In a collection of short essays, Yancey writes out his thoughts in an insightful, yet conversational manner. The most classic of these is his thoughts on 'The Universe and My Aquarium' where he gives a great analogy of a loving God caring for a fearful and mistrusting people through his own experience taking care of his aquarium fish. Some essays will mean more than others to each individual reader, but the book is worth reading as a whole.
April 8, 2010
Fabulous. A great read if you are looking to feel challenged. He provides a critical eye and a positive view on things that normally pass us by on a day-to-day basis. Worth reading, for sure. It is broken up by topic in short chapters, so even if you don't feel like reading it cover to cover, you can just check out a section.
January 5, 2015
Really amazing collection of columns by Philip Yancey. I was looking for a few answers, and this gave me a few, and a whole heap more questions to think on besides. Yancey has a way with words and ideas. To be fair, he did state that in the introduction.
4 and a half stars.
4 and a half stars.
May 23, 2011
A very interesting book. Definitely designed for people that like to think and challenge the world around them (and even Christianity). Therefore its not for everyone. I would be curious what non-Christians think of Yancey's efforts.
January 14, 2012
I am not one for devotionals, but this is more like a collection of magazine column (or blog) entries. I didn't expect to like it much, and while some of his opinions I disagreed with and some sections I found less interesting than others, his insights and writing are inspiring.
January 13, 2016
This was a really easy book to read. Mr. Yancey just notices a lot of things about our world that just don't make sense unless there is truly a magnificent being up there doting on us.
May 27, 2009
fun stuff
July 13, 2009
Really good. I think his strengths are more in these short episodic writings. Some very insightful chapters.
August 19, 2010
Great supplementary devotional-like reading. Each chapter is only the length of a newspaper column, just a few papers long.
Read
July 24, 2011A collection of Yancey's various columns. Great for thought and discussion but not a complete book in itself.
April 4, 2012
i want to read it again soon.
very interesting questions and points of view.
very interesting questions and points of view.
January 18, 2013
So thought provoking! Loved it!
February 22, 2014
Liked it, but towards the end felt a tad weary of his 'wondering' - too long on that style of writing-shorter would have kept my interest, just sayin'.
March 14, 2015
An encouraging collection of observations on christian living.
April 23, 2015
Outstanding, per usual. "Born Again Mathematics" is a stand-out.
February 14, 2016
Ser cristiano no es cuestión de rituales, leyes y estructuras, ser cristiano es un asunto de vitalidad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews