Who is Philip Yancey? Christian author retires after admitting to long-term extramarital affair | Today News

Philip Yancey, one of the world’s most widely read contemporary Christian authors, has announced his retirement from writing, speaking and public ministry after confessing to a long-term extramarital affair.

In a statement emailed to Christianity Today on January 6, 2026, Yancey acknowledged that he had engaged in a sinful relationship with a married woman for eight years, saying the conduct had “disqualified” him from Christian ministry.

“To my great shame, I confess that for eight years I willfully engaged in a sinful affair with a married woman,” Yancey said, according to the publication. He described his actions as morally and spiritually devastating, saying they contradicted his faith, his writings and his views on marriage, and caused deep pain to both families involved.

Yancey said he had confessed his actions to God and his wife of 55 years, committed himself to professional counseling and accountability, and was now focused on rebuilding trust and restoring his marriage. He added that he would step away from all public platforms, saying, “I need to spend my remaining years living up to the words I have already written.”

Two of his best-known works — The Jesus I Never Knew (1995) and What’s So Amazing About Grace? (1997) — won the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s Christian Book of the Year Award. His writing has been published by major houses including Hachette, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, InterVarsity Press, Penguin Random House and Rabbit Room Press.

He attended Columbia Bible College in South Carolina, where he met his wife Janet, before earning graduate degrees in communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago.

As a journalist, Yancey interviewed two US presidents and notable figures such as Billy Graham, Bono, Annie Dillard, John Updike and Henri Nouwen. Former president Jimmy Carter once described him as “my favorite modern author.”

Yancey’s confession has sent shockwaves through Christian communities that long viewed him as a thoughtful, humble guide through faith, doubt and grace. In his statement, he acknowledged that his actions would likely disillusion readers who trusted his work, saying the greatest harm was that his sin had “brought dishonor to God.”

With his announcement, Yancey has brought an abrupt end to a highly influential public ministry, choosing instead, as he put it, to seek repentance, restoration and a private life marked by accountability rather than authorship.