Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?

I've read many of his columns on the back page of Christianity Today, but this is the first book of Philip Yancey's that I have read. Though this particular book is not one of my all-time favorites, I can now understand why Yancey is so popular. In "Rumours of Another World," he tries to make a case for a world beyond the natural world which we can observe and understand. He is a great story-teller and offers many real-life examples of people whose lives offer "evidence" for the reality of a supernatural world. Though certainly an intellectual man, Yancey remains very readable. He takes some very abstract ideas and offers them to his readers in an accessible way that demonstrates his skill as a writer. He tackles weighty issues like sin and evil and doubt and deals with them honestly and carefully. My primary critique of this book is that it seemed to meander a bit lazily from idea to idea, and I wondered throughout how certain chapters and passages were connected to each other. Having read the book over the course of these past two weeks, I'm having trouble even now articulating what sort of specific impact the book has had on me. In any case, somewhat rambling as it may have been, I enjoyed "Rumours of Another World." It was an easy, quick read. I appreciate Yancey's complete candor and evident humility. I like his obvious appreciation for church history. He is a deep thinker and a gifted writer who has written a quality book about difficult ideas that will help many folks, Christians and non-Christians alike, to reflect on the implications of a supernatural world operating concurrently with the one that we more clearly observe from day to day. I'm glad that I read his musings about these big issues and am happy to recommend "Rumours" to others.

This was the first bk of Yancy's I've read and I'm anxious to read his others as I've heard this isn't even the best one. Rumours would be a good bk for anyone searching for God, yet as a Christian, I found it led to deeper thoughts about the unseen world. We often live in the doldrums of daily life not realizing there is a spiritual world that is alive and nearer than we think. His bk reads like you've sat down and read his personal(and very interesting) journal.

I highly recommend this book. Yancey doesn't try to preach but takes the reader on a discovering journey. Its written for those that are doubting & for those that aren't sure what to make of the God of the Christian Bible. Its thoughtful, intelligent and will challenge you. He explores the hard issues that aren't discussed often inside the Christian church. I find his style refreshing and I like that he's a critical thinker.The book explores issues of life, God, the supernatural, faith and Yancey makes them all connect. The best way to describe this book is that it explores the concept of the Christian God. There's more to life than what meets the eye. He also drives the fine point that there is a spiritual world co-existing with our physical world and the two impact each other. It's a book for those that want to explore the Christian faith. I highly recommend it. I've lately been going through some doubts & I'm not sure about being a Christian so its helped me a lot by reading this book. His writing is refreshing for those that want to ask the hard questions. No he doesn't give you sunday school answers! He doesn't try to preach to you either. You won't find a prayer at the end of this book. Its all about exploring the God concept and its as if he's exploring it with you. Check it out, it'll be worth your time.

Another book by an author in the CS Lewis and Francis Schaeffer tradition, Yancey is one of the main apologists of our times. Some people find him a little woolly at the edges, then the same could be said of CS Lewis, who was very much from the High Church tradition and not from an Evangelical background. But is the glass half empty or half full? For those of us for whom it is half full, it is great to see a book that gives 21st century people apologetics for the kind of questions that they are asking today. If the Apostle Paul quoted from pagan philosophers and poets on Mars Hill (see the Book of Acts) then we ought at least to understand the language people use in the 21st century - we can do so without in any way compromising our own firm beliefs as Christians. The fact is that, as the Psalmist put it, the "heavens declare the glory of God" and as we progress in the 21st century with all sorts of amazing discoveries, that truth becomes ever more evident! God really is there! We need great apologetics today since the spiritual hunger of today's lost people is as great as it ever was. Let's get going! Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (published 2003)