Salt and Light
A review of "Vanishing Grace: What ever happened to the Good News" by Philip Yancey
I commenced reading this book in the evening of the day the Christian Creative Retreat 2.0 took place. CCR is an event organised by The Talent Help in Jos. At the event, I was compelled to ponder why anyone is gifted, especially as a Christian. Neken Chuwang, in his talk session at the event, highlighted three major purposes any man’s gifts serves: for the Giver’s Glory (God); to bless men; and to benefit the one who embodies the gift.
I had read the second part of this book, entitled “Grace Dispensers”, prior to the event.
In this book, Yancey sets out to point the believer to his lot as a follower of Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20; Hebrews 12:15). The believer is someone who has encountered the grace of God through Jesus, liberating him from the bondage of sin and directing his path in the way God intends for all men to walk towards eternal life. Yancey emphasises how this mandate ought to be done effectively without obscuring the gracefulness the good news contains.
“See to it that no one falls short of the Grace of God. . . . (Hebrews 12:15a, NIV)
John 4 begins with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman who came to fetch water from the well where he was resting. Against the walls set between them for an exchange, Jesus communicated Grace to a woman who, by societal standards at the time, is not positioned to receive any kind treatment from the surrounding culture. She was up for ridicule: she’s had five husbands and wasn’t married to the man she was living with at the time. Yet, as He did not condemn the adulterous woman who was to be stoned to death based on the Jewish laws (John 8:10-11), He offered hope which welled up into an outburst of Joy (vs. 28-30).
By way of comparison, the survey in the first chapter of the book on the perception of the public on religion and by extension the good news, led the author to this conclusion: ‘Often it seems, [Christians are] perceived more as guilt dispensers than as grace dispensers’ (pg. 28). The book primarily addresses this state of the public opinion, how it impacts the propagation of the good news, and suggests ways the good news can be delivered not without Grace.
In effective dispensation of Grace, Yancey analyses three channels which are potentially most effective based on historical narratives. These channels are: Pilgrims, Activists, and Artists. Excerpts from the expositions of these channels in the book affords us some understanding of the roles each of them play in the dispensation of Grace.
On Pilgrims:
‘A pilgrim is a fellow-traveller on the spiritual journey, not a professional guide. . . . Consistently, I have found, the uncommitted respond best to someone who leads from weakness rather than one who appears to have it all together’ (pg. 95 & 96).
On Activists:
‘A sceptical world judges the truth of what we say by the proof of how we live. Today’s activists may be the best evangelists. . . . The church serves not as a power centre; rather as a countercultural community–in the world but not of it–that shows others how to live the most fulfilled and meaningful life on earth. . . . In a world gone astray we should be actively demonstrating here and now God’s will for the planet’ (pg. 114, 125 & 130).
On Artists:
‘Yet in modern times, and especially for the post-Christians, the creative arts may be the most compelling path to faith. . . . Perhaps the mysterious power of art–its lasting worth as well as its echo of original Creation–can serve as a rumor of transcendence, a pointer to a grand Artist. . . . Perhaps the best way to convey the values we cherish is not to talk about them all the time, or to try to legislate them but rather to create literature and art in which they fit as firmly as embedded nails’ (pg. 132, 138 & 139).
This book serves as a reliable explanation of what really the good news of Christ is, especially for those who hold wrong preconceptions about it; it is a guide to the true call and dispensation of the Grace received by the believer in Christ Jesus; and finally, it serves the need of anyone seeking to communicate the gospel of Grace with its content glittering with the Grace it seeks to communicate.
Indeed, many suffer from misrepresentations of the true message, as the author has experienced the consequence himself; he recounts, ‘Along the way I realized that God had been misrepresented to me’*.
May I not be found guilty of misrepresenting the Grace which saves, even the wretched and hopeless soul. Christ died for all! Irrespective of tribe, culture, clan, or race, His Grace extends to all! Salt and Light, as the Lord Jesus calls the believer, must be evident in the world: Matthew 5:13-16.
*Follow this link to find the content where he made that confession: Yancey’s Piece
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Very insightful! Thank you for this review, Wungak!