Philip Yancey, a prominent Christian author married for more than 55 years, has publicly confessed to conducting an eight-year affair with a married woman, telling Christianity Today he had “disqualified” himself from ministry.
In an emailed statement, Yancey acknowledged the sinfulness of his actions without seeking to defend his behavior. “To my great shame, I confess that for eight years I willfully engaged in a sinful affair with a married woman. 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,” he said. He added: “I am filled with remorse and repentance, and I have nothing to stand on except God’s mercy and grace.”
Yancey announced he is retiring from all public ministry to focus on rebuilding his marriage and stated he would no longer engage in writing, speaking, or social media. “Having disqualified myself from Christian ministry, I am therefore retiring from writing, speaking, and social media. Instead, I need to spend my remaining years living up to the words I have already written. I pray for God’s grace and forgiveness — as well as yours — and for healing in the lives of those I’ve wounded,” he wrote.
His wife Janet Yancey issued her own statement saying she would not break her “marriage vow” despite the “trauma and devastation,” asking people to pray for them both. “I made a sacred and binding marriage vow 55½ years ago, and I will not break that promise,” she said.