Christian author Philip Yancey confesses multi-year extramarital affair

Christian author Philip Yancey, who has been married for more than fifty years, admitted to having a long-term affair in a statement to Christianity Today, saying it “disqualified” him from ministry.

Yancey didn’t beat around the bush or try to defend the incident; he acknowledged the sinfulness of his behavior and the devastating consequences of his actions.

The statement read, “With great shame, I confess that I knowingly engaged in a sinful relationship with a married woman for eight years. My actions were contrary to everything I believe about marriage. They were also completely inconsistent with my faith and what I have written, and caused deep pain for her husband and both of our families. Out of respect for the other family, I will not share any further details.” exit.

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“I have confessed my sin before God and my wife, and have committed myself to a program of professional counseling and accountability. I have failed morally and spiritually, and I regret the devastation I have caused. I realize that my actions will disappoint readers who have relied on what I have previously written. Worst of all, my sin has dishonored God. I am filled with regret and repentance, and I have nothing to fall back on except God’s mercy and grace.” exit.

“I am now focused on rebuilding trust and rebuilding my marriage of 55 years,” Yancey said in an emailed statement, according to Christianity Today. “I am retiring from writing, speaking, and social media after disqualifying myself from Christian ministry. Instead, I must spend my remaining years living by the words I have already written. I pray for God’s grace and forgiveness as well as yours, and for the healing of the lives of those I have injured.”

He also provided the outlet with a statement from his wife.

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An inmate in the Twelve Alpha dormitory at the Denver County Jail reads Where is God When It Hurts by Philip Yancey? He is reading his book. (Denver Post via Karl Gehring/Getty Images)

In the statement, Janet Yancey stated that she did not plan to break her “marriage vows” in the face of this “trauma and devastation” and asked people to pray for her and her husband.

“I, Janet Yancey, speak from a place of trauma and devastation that only people who have experienced betrayal can understand. Yet I made a sacred and binding marriage vow 55.5 years ago, and I will not break that promise. I acknowledge and understand that God, through Jesus, has paid for and forgiven the sins of the world, including Philip’s. May God grant me the grace to forgive, despite my incomprehensible trauma. Please pray for us,” she said.

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Christian cross against the sky. (Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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“I have an all-powerful wife of 52 years who views my health and well-being as a personal matter,” Yancey wrote in a 2023 post about his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

“Sixteen years ago, when I lay tied to a backboard with a broken neck after a car accident, Janet drove through a blizzard to pick me up. She was already mentally redesigning our home in case she needed to prepare for life with a paraplegic. She now displays the same selfless, fierce loyalty, even when faced with the potentially challenging caregiver role.” piece.