Book of the Month - December

Where The Light Fell

Philip Yancey - ISBN: 978-0-593-23850-9 - 2021

Author:

Philip Yancey

Yancey has authored over 25 books in which he has wrestled with God, the Church, and fellow believers. After surviving a church background of what he now calls “toxic faith,” he ultimately came to know a God of grace and beauty. With a journalistic, story-telling style, he invites readers to accompany him as he probes the deepest mysteries of the Christian faith, and challenges readers to live as followers of Jesus.

His books have sold more than 15 million English copies and have been translated into 40 languages worldwide. Philip’s bestselling titles include What’s So Amazing About Grace? and The Jesus I Never Knew.

Philip Yancey and his wife lived in downtown Chicago before moving to the foothills of Colorado, where they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, wildlife, and many other delights of the Rocky Mountains.

Brief Synopsis:

Raised by an impoverished widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to venture out beyond the confines of their eight-foot-wide trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered a shocking secret about his father's death--a secret that began to illuminate the motivations that drove his mother to extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause.

Searching for answers, Yancey dives into his family origins, taking us on an evocative journey from the backwoods of the Bible Belt to the bustling streets of Philadelphia; from trailer parks to church sanctuaries; from family oddballs to fire-and-brimstone preachers and childhood awakenings through nature, music, and literature. In time, the weight of religious and family pressure sent both sons on opposite paths--one toward healing from the impact of what he calls a "toxic faith," the other into a self-destructive spiral.

Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post-World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear.

Insights:

“As a Southerner, coming of age for me included a dawning awareness that we were living with a story that was self-deceiving, a lie. The resulting tension planted something deep in my soul, a nagging sense of betrayal.” - pg. 109

“Nature teaches me nothing about Incarnation or the Victorious Christian Life. It does, though, awaken my desire to meet whoever is responsible for the monarch butterfly.” - pg. 236

We live day by day, scene by scene as if working on a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle with no picture on the box to guide us. Only over time does a meaningful pattern emerge. In this memoir, I have written a sort of prequel to my other books. In respect, it seems clear to me that my two life themes, which surface in all my books, are suffering and grace.” - pg 298.

Should I read it or skip it?

I think many Christians think their experience in the church doesn’t match anyone else's experience. I grew up in fundamental pentecostal churches. People marvel when I tell them my freshman year at the University was the first year women were allowed to wear slacks and not have to wear a skirt. My freshman year was in the 1990s and not the 1950s. I can relate to many situations Yancey speaks to in his book. This book is a must for those in recovery from church. Also, having grown up white in the South, I appreciated Yancey’s ability to speak to racism in the south with an insider’s perspective. Living in San Antonio and marrying into a Mexican family, I have realized my prejudices and the need for change. Recent incidents in our society have brought into specific relief the need for change. I loved Yancey’s other books for showing me Jesus, grace, and the beauty of suffering. I love this book because the mirror of his life shows me mine and the gratefulness I feel for my parents, who led me to church with a good heart but were hurt just as much as my siblings and I.