Philip Yancey on the Problem of Pain and Suffering

The Russell Moore Show

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You may know Philip Yancey as the bestselling author of What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Where Is God When It Hurts?, and The Jesus I Never Knew. We’ve even had him on the show a few times to talk about these books and more. For decades, his writing has guided Christians who are wrestling with disappointment, doubt, and suffering. But in recent years, his own life has required deeper study into such things.

In this episode, Philip Yancey joins Russell Moore for an honest conversation about suffering, lament, and the God who meets us in our pain. Yancey opens up about his own story, from the trauma of losing his father to living with cancer and Parkinson’s. He reflects on how those experiences have shaped his faith and why simplistic religious answers so often do more harm than good.

Together, they talk about what the Book of Job does—and doesn’t—say about suffering, and why Jesus didn’t “solve” pain during his earthly ministry. Yancey explains why lament is not only permitted but essential, and what it means for the church to be a place of comfort rather than clichés.Plus: what surprising things led him to see the graciousness of God before writing the book(s) on it.

If you’ve been sitting in the silence of God, or are grappling with the problem of pain in your own life, you may find comfort in this conversation.

Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include:

Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey
What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

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