Special to United Methodist Insight | Feb. 17, 2026
My heart broke when I heard the news that Philip Yancey, my favorite evangelical Christian writer, had confessed to cheating on his wife with a married woman for 8 years. I have loved Yancey’s books and quoted him often in sermons, and in my books and newspaper columns. His video book study of his most famous work, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” was a favorite in the churches I have served.
Philip Yancey admitted to an eight-year extramarital affair in January 2026. (Courtesy Photo)
Yancey wrote: “The gospel of grace begins and ends with forgiveness. And people write songs with titles like ‘Amazing Grace’ for one reason: grace is the only force in the universe powerful enough to break the chains that enslave generations.”
I do not want to believe that Philip Yancey, who wrote so eloquently about pain and grace, could possibly have been so blatantly unfaithful to his wife, to Jesus, and to all of us who have been nurtured by his wonderful words and stories.
I feel like that young baseball fan who confronted his favorite baseball player, Shoeless Joe Jackson, in 1920, asking him to deny involvement in the 1919 Black Sox World Series scandal: “Say it ain’t so, Joe.” Eight Chicago White Sox players were accused of throwing the World Series.
Say it ain’t so, Philip!
But it is so.
In a statement emailed to Christianity Today on January 6, 2026, Yancey confessed that he had engaged in a "sinful affair" with a married woman for eight years and would retire from writing and speaking. "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."
Yancey added, “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… I have confessed my sin before God and my wife, and have committed myself to a professional counseling and accountability program. I have failed morally and spiritually, and I grieve over the devastation I have caused. 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.”
Janet Yancey, Philip’s wife, wrote: “I, Janet Yancey, 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. 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 was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023. He wrote to Christianity Today “…how the disease had been slowly disabling him and how his wife had been preparing for the journey of caretaking.”
I am still reeling from this news and feeling sad that I will no longer be able to quote Philip without some kind of qualifying statement. Should I throw away all his books? Should Yancey’s books be purged from our church libraries? Are a Christian author’s works still valid after he or she has committed an egregious sin against the body of Christ?
This is not a new dilemma for Christians. In 1992, John Howard Yoder, (1927-1997), an eminent Mennonite theologian best known for his defense of Christian pacifism, was accused of sexual abuse by over fifty women. The Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary acknowledged in a statement in 2014 that “sexual abuse had taken place, and it had been tolerated because he was the leading Mennonite theologian of his day.” Yoder, who also taught at Notre Dame in his later years, was the author of the influential book, “The Politics of Jesus.” Seminary professors are still debating whether Yoder’s books should be used in their classes.
David Robert Haas, composer of contemporary Catholic liturgical music, was accused in 2020 sexual misconduct spanning several decades, and he issued a public apology for harmful behavior. As a consequence, diverse Christian leaders have requested local communities remove hymns composed by Haas from use. (Courtesy Photo)
In 2020, 84 American Catholic Dioceses announced they were urging or imposing a suspension of noted Christian composer David Haas’s songs. Known as something of a rock star in the Catholic liturgical circles, Haas’s popular hymns “We Are Called,” “Blessed Are They,” “Come! Live In The Light,” and “You Are Mine” had become standards in several faith traditions. It is one of several Haas songs in my own United Methodist denomination’s supplemental hymnal, “The Faith We Sing.”
I love Haas’s songs and have used them often in worship services. The tunes are lovely and the lyrics speak powerfully to my heart. In “You Are Mine,” Haas wrote:
“I am hope for all who are hopelessI am eyes for all who long to seeIn the shadows of the nightI will be your lightCome and rest in Me”
It grieves me to no longer be able to sing Haas’s beautiful hymns.
The advocacy group, “Into Account” accused Haas of sexual misconduct with nearly a dozen victims. It was subsequently reported by Catholic News Agency that 14 additional women had come forward:
“Initially, he denied the allegations and denounced them as ‘false, reckless and offensive.’ Then, on July 9, 2020, Haas issued an apology on his website, announcing that he was beginning ‘professional intervention and treatment’ and saying: ‘I have come to realize that I have caused great harm to a variety of people. I make no excuses for any harm that I may have caused. I take responsibility for my behavior and I am truly sorry.’”
Numerous Catholic publishers, including GIA Publications and OCP, have taken action to remove Haas’s music from their resources. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) also discontinued the use of his music in their resources. United Methodist Discipleship Ministries has requested a ban on the use of his music in worship services. Many United Methodist Churches have stopped using them in solidarity with survivors.
Is this an overreaction? After all, the infidelities of political leaders and artists are mostly overlooked in the modern world. Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Clinton and Trump’s adulterous relationships are well documented. Acclaimed New England artist, Andrew Wyeth, had a scandalous 15-year affair with a neighbor who served as his model and muse. A print of my favorite Wyeth painting hangs in our home. Should I take it down?
Andrew Newell Wyeth (July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) was an American visual artist and one of the best-known American artists of the middle 20th century. Wyeth was primarily a realist painter who worked in a regionalist style, often painting the land and people of his hometown in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and his summer home in Cushing, Maine. Wyeth had a scandalous 15-year affair for with a neighbor who served as his model and muse. (Photo by John Sumwalt)
Most followers of Jesus would agree there should be a different standard for spiritual leaders. We expect our pastors to practice what they preach. When they fall short, as many do, we want them to be held accountable.
I am aware, as I reflect on Philip Yancey’s fall from grace, that if all my sins were known to the people who have heard my sermons they might have a lower opinion of me. Perhaps they would dismiss everything I have said.
In a reflection on Philip Yancey’s confession in the January 12th edition of “Christianity Today,” Joseph D’Souza wrote, “This is not a moment for judgement, but for compassion. We believe in a God whose grace is greater than our worst failures, a God who forgives completely through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Philip is forgiven. (His wife) Janet has extended forgiveness. And those of us who trust in God’s mercy rejoice that neither of them has been discarded by the Lord they have served.”
But D’Souza does not absolve Yancey completely:
“Yet forgiveness does not erase consequences. Eight years of willful disobedience have left deep wounds, and Philip’s human legacy now carries a shadow that was not there before…This painful chapter reminds us of one of the hardest truths Christians must face: even after receiving God’s free, unearned grace, we remain vulnerable to sin.”
I would like to hear how you would answer the questions raised in this column. Please share it you’re your pastor, your Sunday School class and other friends -- and send me your conclusions at johnsumwalt@gmail.com.
John Sumwalt
The Rev. John Sumwalt is a retired United Methodist pastor in Wisconsin and the author of “Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives.”