Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

Life has changed dramatically in the 400 years since John Donne wrote his Devotions. Yet despite the advances of the intervening centuries, we find that, like Donne, we are still subject to sickness and death. We still long for comfort. We still want to know what God is saying to us.

Author Philip Yancey has found surprisingly relevant answers to these perennial questions in the works of John Donne. Updating the great poet’s work for modern readers in his book UNDONE: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions, Yancey has given us a devotional treasure, particularly for those in the midst of trial and suffering:

God is on the side of the sufferer. And that’s so important. When I go to places like Virginia Tech or Columbine in my backyard here in Colorado or various places and talk about pain and suffering, it’s just an important point to get across. And I know that’s true because God gave us a face. God showed us what God is like in human form. – Philip Yancey

This is a conversation rich with insights into the problem of pain and the human condition, and full of comfort as we get a clearer picture of God in the face of Jesus. We hope that it encourages you deeply and that you’ll share it with others.

This is podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2024. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Philip Yancey.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:
UNDONE: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions, by Philip Yancey
Where Is God When It Hurts, by Philip Yancey
In His Image, by Philip Yancey and Paul Brand
Disappointment with God, by Philip Yancey
The Jesus I never Knew, by Philip Yancey
What’s So Amazing About Grace, by Philip Yancey
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, by John Donne
The Art of Dying, by Lydia Dugdale
Dr. Paul Brand

Related Trinity Forum Readings:
Sacred and Profane Love, the poetry of John Donne
Wrestling with God, by Simone Weil
Bulletins from Immortality: Poems by Emily Dickinson
Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

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