Christian Author Philip Yancey Confesses Eight Year Affair With Married Woman, Retires From Ministry At 76
Bestselling Writer Of "What's So Amazing About Grace" Admits Moral Failure, Wife Janet Says "Unfathomable Trauma" But Will Not Break 55 Year Marriage Vow
Christian author Philip Yancey confessed to an eight year affair with a married woman and announced his retirement from writing, speaking and social media.
To my great shame I confess that for eight years I willfully engaged in a sinful affair with a married woman, Yancey said in a statement to Christianity Today where he worked for decades as columnist and editor at large.
My conduct defied everything that I believe about marriage. It was also totally inconsistent with my faith and my writings and caused deep pain for her husband and both of our families. Yancey, 76, has been married to his wife Janet for 55 years.
Yancey said he has confessed his sin before God and his wife and committed himself to a professional counseling and accountability program. I have failed morally and spiritually and I grieve over the devastation I have caused, he wrote.
I realize that my actions will disillusion readers who have previously trusted in my writing. Worst of all my sin has brought dishonor to God. I am filled with remorse and repentance and I have nothing to stand on except God's mercy and grace.
Yancey said he is focused on rebuilding trust and restoring his marriage. Having disqualified myself from Christian ministry I am therefore retiring from writing, speaking and social media, he stated. Instead I need to spend my remaining years living up to the words I have already written.
Wife Janet Yancey Speaks From "Trauma And Devastation" But Honors Marriage Vow
Janet Yancey provided her own statement to Christianity Today. I am speaking from a place of trauma and devastation that only people who have lived through betrayal can understand, she said.
Yet I made a sacred and binding marriage vow 55 and a half years ago and I will not break that promise. 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. Please pray for us. Yancey's books including What's So Amazing About Grace, Disappointment With God and Where Is God When It Hurts have sold more than 15 million copies.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023 but continued accepting speaking engagements.
He was scheduled to speak at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena California on Wednesday before news of his retirement broke.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2023.
His wife prepared to be his caregiver.
Then the affair became known...
Some suspect the timing. Eight years of lies. Confession only when found out.
Yancey says he's disqualified himself from ministry.
That's not humility. That's stating fact.
You cannot teach grace while practicing betrayal.
You cannot write about God's faithfulness while breaking covenant.
The evangelical world will debate whether to forgive him.
His wife already chose grace despite her trauma.
That's more grace than most of his readers will ever demonstrate.
Yancey spent decades teaching Christians how to handle suffering and doubt.
Now he gets to live it.
The words he wrote will outlive his ministry.
But they'll be read differently now by everyone who trusted him.
TAKE ACTION
• Pure Desire Ministries: Support at puredesire.org providing resources for Christian leaders struggling with sexual sin and their spouses dealing with betrayal trauma like Janet Yancey's unfathomable devastation after eight year affair
• Association of Marriage and Family Ministries: Give at amfmonline.com equipping churches to support marriages broken by adultery and infidelity, helping couples rebuild trust after moral failures like Philip Yancey's confession
• Focus on the Family: Donate at focusonthefamily.com offering counseling and restoration programs for Christian marriages devastated by affairs, supporting accountability structures Yancey says he has now entered
• Covenant Eyes: Install accountability software at covenanteyes.com preventing secret sin that destroys marriages and ministries, addressing root issues before eight years of betrayal occur like Yancey's moral failure
• Pray For Fallen Leaders: Pray for Philip and Janet Yancey as they enter counseling, for the other family involved, and for Christians disillusioned by another ministry leader's moral failure and hypocrisy
