What's So Amazing About Grace?

This book came highly recommended by my wife and from a member of Peace Church. Yancey says that he would rather convey grace than explain it, which is why he writes with stories rather than syllogisms (Yancey 1997, 16). There are certainly a lot of stories in this book. Part one is about the sweetness of grace. Yancey tells the story of Babette, a woman who served as a housekeeper for twelve years for two sisters, Martina and Philippa. The sisters had lived difficult, graceless lives. Babette wins the lottery, and the sisters fear she will leave. But Babette spends all the money on a lavish French feast for Philippa and Martina and their guests in honor of the anniversary of their father's birth. Grace came to them in the form of a feast and in the form of a loyal friend (Yancey 1997, 19-26). Yancey tells the story of Peter Greaves, who was angry at God and life because he contracted leprosy while stationed in India. But he testifies that he experienced grace through music while at Bible college. He played piano for hours on end. He also experienced grace through the beauty of nature, as he walked through pine forests, watching dragonflies and flocks of birds. He then experienced grace by falling in love and these experiences gradually led him back to his childhood faith in Christ (Yancey 1997, 40-42). Yancey also tells a modern day version of the prodigal son story, where a teenage girl runs away from her home in Traverse City, Michigan. She heads down to Detroit, gets into drugs and prostitution to make ends meet. But she misses her family. One day, she writes her parents and tells them that she will be taking the bus home. She arrives at the Traverse City bus station at midnight. She is shocked to discover her family and about forty other relatives waiting for her, wearing party hats and saying "Welcome home!" She hugs her dad and tries to apologize, but he says "There's no time for apologies. We need to get home and celebrate. There's a big banquet waiting for you" (Yancey 1997, 49-51). That's grace. Part two deals with breaking the cycle of "ungrace." Yancey tells stories of people who lived bitter, miserable lives because they harbored anger and could not forgive (Yancey 1997, 75-81). Yancey says that we should forgive because forgiveness offers a way for us to start broken relationships over and to heal the hurts of the past (Yancey 1997, '98-99). He tells the story of Jean Valjean, the French prisoner from Les Miserables, whose life was transformed by grace (Yancey 1997, 101-2). There is also the story of Rebecca, whose clergy husband cheated on him with a woman named Julianne. She was bitter, but she phoned them one day and "I choose to forgive you." Years later, Julianne phoned Rebecca to say that the man had been doing the same thing to her and she needed someone to tell. The women got together, and Rebecca led Julianne to Christ, and they became friends (Yancey 1997, 104-6). That is grace. The rest of the book is in the same vein, pictures of grace, mixed with the occasional picture of ungrace. The researcher has already used the Les Miserables story in a recent sermon, but this book is a veritable treasure trove of grace stories that can be mined for future sermons. But taken as a whole, What's So Amazing About Grace? was one of the most enjoyable and heartwarming books on the reading plan.

This book was one of several options that I had to chose from for a class assignment. I chose it not because I particularly wanted to read it, but rather because it looked less boring than the other choices. I am so thankful that I picked What's So Amazing About Grace? to read for my class. It was absolutely inspirational. Yancy does a fantastic job of establishing his stand on the subject of grace and then backing up his claims with significant evidence. I personally am a Christian and I believe that having grace in one's life can be life-changing. Yancy, however, points out that grace, while it is the only “good” word left, is lacking in some areas of the world where we as Christians would expect it to be. The church should be the home of grace, yet it has become to many a place of judgment. One particular section of this book stuck with me. Yancy said that church should be a place we go to get cleaned up, not a place where we have to clean up before going to. Grace is so important and this book really stresses that, but it also shows how as Christians we have become recognized as ungraceful. Yancy does such an amazing job of telling his thoughts on grace without making this a difficult read. He uses stories to illustrate a point and then analyzes key sections from that story afterwards. The analysis is where the reflection happens. This reflection is what makes the book so inspirational. Yancy's analysis make the reader think about their own lives and how they could improve with the addition of grace into their daily lives. The only thing he could have done better was to strengthen his transitions between stories, yet that is so minor when compared to everything that is done so well in this book. Overall, this book is well worth reading. It is interesting and will make one think about how they could be more grace-filled in their every day life. I recommend this to everyone, but specifically Christians. It is humbling because Yancy places a lot of the blame for why Christians are viewed as ungraceful in today's society on those who call themselves 'Christians'. He says that in order to change how Christianity is viewed, we must change how Christians are viewed by the world. It is absolutely a must read.

Phillip Yancey does a phenomenal job of portraying grace in his latest thought-provoking novel “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” In this brilliantly written piece, Yancey gives the readers a powerful look into grace and “ungrace.” He elucidates the difference between the two and the impact they have on the world. Yancey demonstrates how as Christians we need to expose grace to the rest world, showing them how amazing it really is. Most of the stories he shares display “ungrace,” which in today’s world is sadly much more prevalent than grace itself. The modern day twist he puts on parables makes them much more applicable and comprehensible. Yancey challenges the reader, making them contemplate grace, causing a reflection of grace in their own lives. This book allows for individuals to evaluate their lives, reaching deeper into their faith. Through his writings Yancey teaches people how to identify grace and the proper way to express it towards others.

His writing is easy to read and yet so deep. It digs into grace, getting to the God-centered, beautiful truth. It's by no means touchy-feely, watered down, or avoids realities of sin, but addresses every aspect of grace in a thorough, well structured way. I appreciate his many references to biblical and personal examples. As someone who has grown up well "churched" I still found astounding revelations in each chapter and think it's an essential read for every believer no matter the stage of life. A read you'll go back to more than once.

So far I'm really enjoying it ,very happy I ordered it .

This is a very amazing book about Amazing Grace! Somehow despite all the knowledge we have, we still underestimate the grace of God. Yancey is a gifted writer and Praise God that Yancey's gifts are benefiting so many all over the world. Fell in love with his writing when I read - The Jesus I never Knew.

One of the first books I read on my faith journey. It was a very easy read but transformative. Grace is a word that is said so lightly sometimes without the depth of what it means for our life and the way we go through it. Definitely recommend this one!

Excellent

This book has become one of the standard texts for the Christian believer to understand what God's grace is and it's importance in our lives. The author writes from his own experience of God's grace in his life and a biblical perspective. He illustrates the points well with examples from films, novels and true-life incidents. Excellent read. Add to your reading list