Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News?

The award-winning author takes another look at the subject almost 20 years after penning his award-winning What’s So Amazing About Grace. Opinions have shifted and Christian evangelicals, now increasingly viewed as judgmental people who don’t know all the answers, are having a harder time figuring out how to convey the “good news” in ways that don’t turn off the very people who need to hear it. Giving the impression that God is against those who don’t believe will result in the message being unheard or rejected unless Christians can learn how to act out their faith in a way that attracts rather than repels, Yancey says. The issue isn’t disagreement, but rather how one treats those who disagree. The world is thirsty for truth that can make a difference, and the author believes that Christians are capable of influencing culture, despite its embrace of atheism and fuzzy New Age philosophy, by adopting a “show” rather than “tell” method for reaching out to those in need. A section comparing points of view for the world’s major religions particularly helps give perspective. Agent: Kathryn Helmers, Creative Trust. (Oct.)