--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet as I read the birth stories about…" description: "\"Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png" --- # Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help… ![“Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png) > “Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.” [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when society favors wealth and power, divine favor aligns with the marginalized and oppressed. **In simple terms:** God supports the underdog. Key Takeaway Seek justice for the vulnerable. Themes justice compassion power dynamics faith inequality Mood hopeful determined compassionate Type theological inspirational social commentary When to use this quote - advocacy for the poor - community organizing - faith-based outreach - policy reform - personal reflection Key Concepts theology social ethics divine providence Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize divine support for the marginalized? - What actions reflect this belief? A Different Perspective Divine impartiality may be interpreted subjectively; not all see God as favoring the underdog. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [God Tilted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-tilted-2554429/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Powerful god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-god/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Tilted Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tilted-rich-2554431/) [Tilted Underdog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tilted-underdog-2554430/) [Underdog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underdog/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Tilted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-tilted-1242932/) ## Related quotes > [“Faith in God offers no insurance against tragedy. Nor does it offer insurance against feelings of doubt and betrayal. If anything, being a Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/faith-in-god-offers-no-insurance-against-tragedy-nor-does-it-offer/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“The whole world seems tilted, my inner ear displaced by a hole where my spouse used to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/the-whole-world-seems-tilted-my-inner-ear-displaced-by-a-hole-where/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [“When, suddenly, on an ordinary Wednesday, it seemed to Barney that the world tilted and ran downhill in all directions, he knew he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mahy/when-suddenly-on-an-ordinary-wednesday-it-seemed-to-barney-that-the/) [Margaret Mahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mahy/) > [“The world tilted, but he had anticipated and prepared for it and the tilt affected him favorably, especially his internal demeanor, which was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-world-tilted-but-he-had-anticipated-and-prepared-for-it-and-the/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [“It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I’ve found. You wouldn’t think it could be so, but—as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve-2/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The world tilted slightly sideways. 'I think I need to sit down.' The floor seemed like the best option. It was close and he'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-huff/the-world-tilted-slightly-sideways-i-think-i-need-to-sit-down-the/) [Tanya Huff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-huff/) > [People who feel the world is tilted against them will spawn the kind of hatred that is very dangerous for all of us. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/people-who-feel-the-world-is-tilted-against-them-will-spawn-the-kind/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I was created by the all powerful God to fill the universe with my masterpieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/i-was-created-by-the-all-powerful-god-to-fill-the-universe-with-my/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [“If he lived through this night, he'd look back on this moment and recall seeing the universe in all its majesty and recognizing he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-woodsmall/if-he-lived-through-this-night-he-d-look-back-on-this-moment-and/) [Cindy Woodsmall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-woodsmall/) > [God created the possibility of evil; people actualized that potentiality. The source of evil is not God's power but mankind's freedom. Even an all-powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-created-the-possibility-of-evil-people-actualized-that/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“At night, before she went to sleep in her cabin down in the quarters, she remembered Mawu’s story and told herself that she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolen-perkins-valdez/at-night-before-she-went-to-sleep-in-her-cabin-down-in-the-quarters/) [Dolen Perkins-Valdez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolen-perkins-valdez/) > [“Wonders without number the powerful God has performed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/wonders-without-number-the-powerful-god-has-performed/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [To the excessively fearful the chief characteristic of power is its arbitrariness. Man had to gain enormously in confidence before he could conceive an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/to-the-excessively-fearful-the-chief-characteristic-of-power-is-its/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [You hear a lot about God these days: God, the beneficent; God, the all-great; God, the Almighty; God, the most powerful; God, the giver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/you-hear-a-lot-about-god-these-days-god-the-beneficent-god-the-all/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“Prayer really does work. It’s a spiritual phenomenon created by an unlimited, powerful God. And it yields amazing results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kendrick/prayer-really-does-work-it-s-a-spiritual-phenomenon-created-by-an/) [Alex Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kendrick/) ## More by Philip Yancey > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) [Roxanne Shante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-shante/) > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Yancey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-jesus-i-cannot-help-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Birth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-jesus-i-cannot-help-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/philip-yancey-840_birth_yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-je_2677675.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted…” — Philip Yancey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Yancey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Yet as I read the birth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-jesus-i-cannot-help-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/yet-as-i-read-the-birth-stories-about-jesus-i-cannot-help-but/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```