Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

Trinity Forum Conversations

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

Related Conversations:
A New Year With The Word with Malcolm Guite
Music, Creativity & Justice with Ruth Naomi Floyd
Pursuing Humility with Richard Foster and Brenda Quinn
Reading as a Spiritual Practice with Jessica Hooten Wilson
Walking as a Spiritual Practice with Mark Buchanan
Making as a Spiritual Practice with Makoto Fujimura
Connecting Spiritual Formation & Public Life with Michael Wear
The Kingdom, the Power & The Glory with Tim Alberta
A Life Worth Living with Miroslav Volf
Towards a Better Christian Politics
Christian Pluralism: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference
What Really Matters with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth
Scripture and the Public Square

How to be a...