{"id":1192,"date":"2023-09-01T19:23:46","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T19:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/01\/sarah-young-the-celebrated-author-of-jesus-calling-and-dedicated-missionary-passes-away-at-the-age-of-77\/"},"modified":"2023-09-01T19:23:46","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T19:23:46","slug":"sarah-young-the-celebrated-author-of-jesus-calling-and-dedicated-missionary-passes-away-at-the-age-of-77","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/01\/sarah-young-the-celebrated-author-of-jesus-calling-and-dedicated-missionary-passes-away-at-the-age-of-77\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Young, the celebrated author of ‘Jesus Calling’ and dedicated missionary, passes away at the age of 77."},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"\/<\/a>\"\"\/<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
<\/source><\/picture>
Sarah Young<\/span> | Jesus Calling\/Screengrab<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sarah Young, the Presbyterian missionary and bestselling author of the popular devotional Jesus Calling<\/em> and other works, has died at the age of 77.<\/p>\n

According to a tweet <\/a>posted by Mission to the World, an organization that Young had served in when a missionary, Young \u201cpassed away peacefully\u201d on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sarah Young, MTW missionary and author of \u2018Jesus Calling\u2019 and numerous other devotionals,\u201d Mission to the World tweeted.<\/p>\n

A memorial service is planned for Sept. 9 at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, said in a press release<\/a> that it was \u201ca joy and an honor to have Sarah Young as part of our publishing family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah was a remarkable woman who deeply loved God. Her words have resonated with people from all walks of life, and the global impact of her work is unparalleled,\u201d Schoenwald stated.<\/p>\n

Laura Minchew, senior vice president of the Children\u2019s and Gift Book Group at HarperCollins, was quoted as saying that Young \u201cwas a dear friend who will be deeply missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough nearly 20 years of publishing with Sarah, I had a firsthand seat at seeing millions of lives changed through the Jesus Calling<\/em> books,\u201d Minchew said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer books have met people in their darkest hours, taught children about Jesus, and changed lives for eternity. Knowing Sarah professionally and personally has been the privilege of a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young leaves behind her husband and fellow missionary Stephen Young, two children and two grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Born in 1946, Young graduated from Wellesley College in 1968 and earned a master\u2019s degree in biblical studies and counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.<\/p>\n

She formerly served alongside her husband as a missionary in Japan and Australia through Mission to the World, which is the official mission board for the Presbyterian Church in America.<\/p>\n

Young\u2019s most famous work was Jesus Calling<\/em>, a 365-day devotional originally released in 2004 that has sold tens of millions of copies and was named “Christian Book of the Year” in 2013 and 2018.<\/p>\n

The devotional\u2019s success led to other works under the Jesus Calling brand, including the 2021 prayer devotional Jesus Listens<\/em>, children\u2019s devotionals, Bible storybooks and journals.<\/p>\n

Young was not without her critics in evangelicalism, as prominent blogger Tim Challies warned <\/a>in a 2015 post that Jesus Calling<\/em> was \u201ca deeply troubling book\u201d that \u201cmimics occult practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Challies quoted Young\u2019s book in which she wrote: \u201cI decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believe He was saying. I felt awkward the first time I tried this, but I received a message. It was short, biblical, and appropriate. It addressed topics that were current in my life: trust, fear, and closeness to God. I responded by writing in my prayer journal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a far cry from a practice known as \u2018automatic writing\u2019 which Wikipedia describes as \u2018an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. The words are claimed to arise from a subconscious, spiritual or supernatural source,\u2019\u201d wrote Challies at the time. \u201cThis practice is very different from the giving of biblical revelation where God worked through the thoughts, personalities, and even research of the authors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, Thomas Nelson Publishers announced <\/a>that Young\u2019s physical health had deteriorated rapidly and called upon supporters to pray for the author.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received the hard news that Sarah\u2019s health is rapidly failing,\u201d stated Thomas Nelson. \u201cWe know that Sarah really believes in the power of prayer and prays for her readers every morning. Now, we have the precious privilege to lift up Sarah and her family. Please join us in prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter <\/a> or Facebook<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Free<\/span> Religious Freedom Updates<\/h2>\n

Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST<\/strong> newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n