Soul Survivor - Philip Yancey

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Category: non-fiction Acquired: Borrowed from SPCC church library in Nov 2007. Waaaaay overdue. Read: Dec 2007 - Feb 2008 Briefly: twelve chapter-length tributes to the "unlikely mentors" whom the author claims helped to bring him back from an ultra-legalistic upbringing in a church that just didn't grasp the concept of grace. They include Christian and non-Christian authors, pastors and public figures from the 16th century thru the present.

Comments: Yancey readers are probably familiar with his unfortunate church background, and his journey to find and embrace authentic Christianity - the story is well documented in his other books "The Jesus I Never Knew" and "What's So Amazing About Grace", among others. An autobiographical chapter in this book provides more detail, and helps to explain his search for deeper, more satisfying truths, truths that make a demonstrable difference in peoples lives.

To some extent, I think many of us are on that same odyssey, which makes this book both relevant and useful. Think of it as a primer on "people with whom every Christian should be at least somewhat familiar". For each, you get insights into their background and points of view, a smattering of quotes from their work, comments on why Yancey considers them important, and (best of all) his recommendations for further exploration.

You'll probably put these folks into categories similar to mine:

• Well-known people whose impact I generally under-appreciated:
  Everett Koop, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Ghandi, Martin Luther King.
  
• Names that sounded a little familiar, but that's all:
  GK Chesterton, John Donne, Annie Dillard, Henri Nouwen
  
• Who?
  Paul Brand, Robert Coles, Frederick Buechner, Shusaku Endo.

Thus far, I've been able to read more from one of these authors already (thanks, Betsy!), and have another half-dozen I'm eager to try. So, if you're ever looking for gift ideas for me....