Interview with Philip Yancey

BMC:  You're a columnist and editor at large for Christianity Today magazine, a co-chair of the editorial board for Books and Culture, an avid mountaineer and yet you crank out a new book nearly every year.  How do you guard your time to do what's most important?

PY: That is probably the single biggest challenge for a freelancer, or a person who doesn't work for just one company.  I've learned that a freelancer's life is never balanced day-by-day, so I don't even attempt that.  For three weeks at a time, I may hole up in a mountain cabin to do some writing, speaking only to the clerk at the grocery store.  Then I may do a series of book signings in which I interact with scores of people each night.  I've always insisted on "down" time, though, which means activities that get me outside of my head and connecting with the physical world.  I ski, mountain-bike, climb mountains, snowshoe-and the very process of that exertion clears my mind of distractions so that when I return to work, I'm fully present with that task.

BMC: What are some of the more common distractions you struggle with and what ways have you found to overcome them?

PY: Answering mail is my biggest distraction.  My mail mostly consists of people wanting something from me: an endorsement for a book, speaking requests, advice.  And even though I don't use email, I get emails forwarded to me from publishers every day or so.  I haven't really found a way around this "distraction"; I merely try to work it into cracks in my schedule.  I answer a lot of mail sitting in the lobbies of airports, for example.

BMC: Do you have a personal life mission? 

PY: That sounds like something I should have but, honestly, I don't!  A freelancer leeches other people's lives.  I try to figure out my specific calling and be faithful to that.  For about ten years I coauthored books with Dr. Paul Brand, and then I tried to present him as faithfully as I could.  In general, I've learned that I should represent the ordinary person in the pew.  I'm not a pastor, or Ph.D., or authority figure.  I'm a Christian layman wrestling with the same issues as everyone else.  Most of my books flow directly out of that stance.

BMC:  What kind of review do you do on your life? How do you make sure you stay on track?

PY: Funny you should ask.  My readers give me the review I need.  Letters tell me whether I've communicated successfully or not, touching people in the heart.  Frankly, some of the books I feel best about are not my best sellers.  I pay attention to that too.  Why not?  What provokes heartfelt response from one book and not another?

BMC: As an adventurer, what life lessons or parallels do you perceive between mountain climbing and your personal life journey?

PY: I once wrote a column comparing mountain climbing to marriage-I wrote it on our 25^th anniversary.  Mountain climbing sounds dramatic and exciting, and it is: about 5 or 10 percent of it anyway.  That's when you're walking along a ledge with exposure on either side, or pulling yourself up to the summit, or dashing down a boulder field to avoid a lightning storm.  Most of the activity, though, involves putting one foot in front of another, again and again, over and over.  Our tallest mountains in Colorado rise just above 14,000 feet, and once I hit 13,000 feet the oxygen deficiency kicks in.  I force myself to take 100 steps before a rest, then 50 steps, then 25 steps.  And if I keep at it, plodding along, I'll make it to the top.  Virtually every human specialty is like that: think of the preparation that Olympic athletes go through and other sports figures, or great musicians.  Sure, they have the excitement and the spotlight, but that represents a small percentage of their lives.  Why should we expect anything different in the spiritual life?  Much of it involves being faithful, developing disciplines, preparing for the few moments of true testing and usefulness.

BMC: Much of your writings have addressed the modern church culture. What influence do you see men having in American churches today?  What are some of the things that hinder them from being unleashed as Kingdom builders?

PY: I think I'd defer to John Eldredge for this question, especially his book Wild at Heart.  I know that book is controversial, and I don't agree with everything in it, but he makes a good case that churches have "feminized" the faith.  A bit ironic, isn't it, in view of the fact that many evangelical denominations are still excluding women from leadership positions.

BMC: You've written about your preference for smaller church structures over larger ones because they force interaction among a broader diversity of people and stimulate personal growth.  What are some other forms of subtle isolation or personal comfort that you've seen men, in particular, engage in?

PY: In his book The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis describes male companionship, or Friendship, as a kind of side-by-side relationship, not a face-to-face relationship.  Men more naturally bond by sharing an activity: serving in the same Army unit, playing on the same sports team, sharing a golf cart, climbing a mountain.  When we do these activities, and face challenges together, we build the kind of trust that allows us to open up and be vulnerable.  Most men-and certainly there are exceptions-don't yearn for small groups where you sit around over cookies and bare your soul.  We do it differently, and churches would do well to take that into consideration.  Building a Habitat for Humanity home, or organizing a mission trip to Mexico, or a father-son camping trip may be better ways to get men to open up with one another.

BMC:  If you could shout one thing from the rooftops to the Christian men in America, what would it be?

PY: Buy my books.  (Just kidding.)  I think back to a quote from the early church theologian named Irenaeus.  "The glory of God is a person fully alive," he said.  A lot of people think of Christians as living some kind of half-life or two-thirds life.  I'm fully convinced that Jesus came to show us how to life a full life.  I can't imagine anyone following Jesus around, then sadly shaking their head and saying, "My, think of all he missed out on."  Those who truly followed Jesus realized all they were missing out on.