So we have two authors whose private lives have been exposed and are now subject to intense scrutiny.

Phillip Yancey confessed to an 8 year long affair and recently in Perth, Craig Silvey was arrested on charges of possessing and distributing child exploitation material.

I really enjoyed Silvey’s novels, Jasper Jones and Honeybee, but now all around the country his books are being pulled from school curriculums and any associations with Silvey are being severed. No one wants to be associated with a child porn offender.

That said, his writing is still excellent and his books address real issues… Should shops continue to stock Silvey’s stuff or should he be literarily ‘cancelled’.

Then there’s Yancey who was engaged in ministry for 8 years while cheating on his wife. Yes – a double life and one that does raise the question of whether he really is ‘smoking what he’s selling’ or if he was just ‘maintaining the brand’ so that the money kept rolling in.

This leads to the question of ‘what do we do with Yancey’s books?’

Unfortunately that question is coming up all too often as Christian leaders topple and their credibility evaporates. I’m thinking of Hybels, Zacharias, Vanier and Yoder just to name a few. It makes you wonder, which of the people who are highly respected and sometimes put on a pedestal aren’t screwing around? Who can you actually trust?

I find it interesting that our culture and society has chosen to respond so quickly to distance themselves from Silvey and the disuse of his material seems to be publishers and associates stating that they want nothing to do with him.

But… his writing is still very good. And he isn’t attempting to teach or instruct. He is simply telling a story. His censoring says something about the world in which we live. Child related offenses are to the worst and no one even wants connection with that person.

Begone Craig Silvey…

Then there’s Yancey – whose books are highly instructional and to some degree his capacity to teach is dependent largely on his own character and integrity. This has been shown to be flawed and more than an abberation – rather a pattern of behaviour and deception.

People who have admired Yancey and been inspired by his work are quite within their rights to feel cheated and lied to by this author, but what to do with his books. ‘What’s So Amazing About Grace’ is still a brilliant book. ‘The Jesus I Never Knew’, maybe he’s still looking for him?… And his most recent memoir was a valuable insight into his life.

How would I approach each author personally?

I would happily give people Yancey’s books as their content is so rich and his failure doesn’t change their quality. I might just add a caveat about his failure, so that a reader doesn’t find themselves engrossed in his books, developing a connection with him, only to feel betrayed when they google his name to find more of his writing.

I imagine the question will be moot in 100 years time as he will be largely forgotten – a very good Christian writer who blotted his copybook towards the end of his life, but his books may still be read and valued.

As for Silvey, his behaviour also doesn’t change the quality of his writing, but I’d be more hesitant to recommend him – which probably speaks to my own perception of his failure – it’s of enough significance to consider putting an outright stop on him. Certainly our secular culture has responded speedily to cancel him, and while we may speak of forgiveness, grace and moving on, this one feels a bit too big to overlook.

Yancey will fade away and probably never be heard of again – a tragic end to a life that brought so much hope to so many trapped in legalism and guilt. Silvey will spend in time in jail, where I imagine he will continue writing, but society has a long memory and publishers valued their reputations. I’d say his career is over…