Fearfully and Wonderfully

The Marvel of Bearing God's Image

By: Dr. Paul Brand, Philip Yancey

Narrated by: Charles Constant

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover this updated and combined edition of two bestselling books!

The human body holds endlessly fascinating secrets. The resilience of skin, the strength and structure of the bones, the dynamic balance of the muscles - your physical being is knit according to a pattern of stunning purpose. Now Gold Medallion winners Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and In His Image have been completely revised and updated to offer a new audience timeless reflections on the body.

Join renowned leprosy surgeon Dr. Paul Brand and best-selling writer Philip Yancey on a remarkable journey through inner space - a spellbinding account of medical intervention, pain and healing, and the courage of humanity. Discover here the eternal truths revealed by our seemingly ordinary existence. The human body is a window into the very structure of God's creation and a testament to God's glory.

©2019 Dr. Paul Brand, Philip Yancey (P)2019 Dr. Paul Brand, Philip Yancey

Wonderful update of two Christian classics

This Brand/Yancey collaboration is an combined update of two classic books on Dr. Paul Brand's ministry as a gifted surgeon devoting his life to addressing the ravages of Leprosy and applying this to his life of faith.

Spiritual and Educational.

The book is awesome and the narrator is good. My only contention is that the analogy sometimes got repetitive. What I mean is he would repeated the same connection multiple times in the same chapter however it is still a wonderful listen and is worth the time. The best part for me was the anecdotes, the little stories throughout. I was shocked at how little knew of Leprosy and defiantly learned a lot about the human body (should have paid better attention in HS bio I guess).

An allegory about the body and the body of Christ.

Describing this as an allegory is not quite right, but I heard Yancey describe it as an allegory in a podcast interview and I think that gets at a truth that other descriptions do not. There is not an allegorical story here (like Pilgrim’s Progress), but the book is largely taking the wisdom of Paul Brand’s years as a surgeon and a researcher into Lepersy and uses that knowledge to apply to the individual Christian life and the body of Christ.

Philip Yancey has rewritten and modernized the two books Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and In His Image into a new and updated book, Fearfully and Wonderfully. The science and many of the illustrations are recent, but the wisdom and stories from Brand are those from the older books.

Even though I read the older ones as a teen, I still regularly think about the central ideas, especially around pain frequently. I am not sure I would have picked this book up if it were not part of the Renovare Book Club, but because it was, I started reading the hardback. I sent the hardback to a friend and finished the book in audiobook.

I am a bit mixed on the updating. The metaphors and illustrations and science are current. But the whole book is also in Paul Brand’s voice and he passed away in 2003. The voicing is not particularly distracting, but I do find it a bit odd, but I don’t think the alternative of writing it in a different voice would have necessarily been better.

That being said, Fearfully and Wonderfully is a great book of spiritual wisdom. The spiritual wisdom of this sort is not about persuasion, but insight. No one is going to be persuaded to become a Christian because of the spiritual insights into science by a doctor even if he was an accomplished doctor. Instead, I think this type of spiritual insight should be seen as expanding on the understanding of people who are already Christians.

I think this would make an excellent book to discuss in a small group or a Sunday school class. I think the balance of personal story, science, and spiritual work keeps the book moving and interesting. And I think that Yancey, in Brand’s voice, particularly hits a number of theological points that are particularly helpful in our current cultural era.

This is one that I will pick up on kindle when it is on sale at some point in the future and read it again.

It’s a wonderful audiobook and great narrator!!

I love this book!
It’s so interesting and intriguing!
It’s such a wonderful way to look at the world.
I completely recommend it 🤍🤍

Incredible melding of science and faith

As a Christian nurse, I was drawn to the subject matter of this book and how the authors would illustrate science and faith working in tandem. They did not disappoint! They painted a canvas of marvelous intricacies in the physical body and the parallel with the Body of believers. This book will leave you with greater awe in the work of God displayed in both our physical bodies and the Church body.

One of the best books I’ve read

This book was recommended to me by a friend who is a nurse. I’ve never seen the world or scriptures through the eyes of a medical professional. Fascinating! This book will be labeled “medical theology” and placed along side my other “theologies as viewed through….”, such as Mexican theology, sport theology, etc.

Looking for something unique?

There is simply no other book that expresses the divine intricacies like "Fearfully and Woderfully Made!

awesome

loved every minute. beautifully presented. This body so complex and inticatricatly put together by our Heavenly Father

Great information

Enjoyed learning how the bloody works. It was very informative indeed Never realized how sever lepers have suffered.

Fantastically moving

I loved this book as I loved the original. it's an incredible depiction of both the complexity of the human body and how the church is meant to work. Honestly, it's easy to devour in one sitting or one marathon listening session. The narration is good and not intrusive. I highly recommend it.