> At a Glance
> – Best-selling Christian author Philip Yancey confessed to an eight-year extramarital affair
> – He will retire from writing, speaking and social media
> – His wife Janet of 55 years vows to honor her marriage vow despite “unfathomable trauma”
> – Why it matters: The scandal sidelines the writer who shaped modern evangelical thought on grace and prayer
Bestselling Christian author Philip Yancey, 75, has publicly admitted to an eight-year affair with a married woman, prompting him to end his decades-long ministry career.
The Confession
In a Jan. 6 statement published by Christianity Today, Yancey called the relationship “sinful” and said it “defied everything that I believe about marriage.” The affair, which lasted eight years, also “caused deep pain for her husband and both of our families,” he wrote.
Yancey, whose books What’s So Amazing About Grace? and The Jesus I Never Knew won Christian Book of the Year honors, said he has:
- Confessed to God and his wife
- Started counseling and an accountability program
- Withheld further details to protect the other family
Immediate Fallout
> “Having disqualified myself from Christian ministry, I am therefore retiring from writing, speaking and social media,”
Philip Yancey wrote.
Instead, he plans to “spend my remaining years living up to the words I have already written.” Yancey previously served as editor-at-large for Christianity Today.
Wife Responds
Janet Norwood Yancey, married to Philip for 55 years, issued her own statement:
> “I am speaking from a place of trauma and devastation that only people who have lived through betrayal can understand. Yet I made a sacred and binding marriage vow 55½ years ago, and I will not break that promise.”
She added:
> “I accept and understand that God through Jesus has paid for and forgiven the sins of the world, including Philip’s. God grant me the grace to forgive also, despite my unfathomable trauma.”
Key Takeaways
- Yancey’s confession ends a prolific career that influenced millions of evangelical readers
- He and his wife will focus on rebuilding trust in their marriage
- In 2023, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association honored Yancey for lifelong contributions to the church
The couple asked for prayer as they work to repair their relationship away from public ministry.
