They are: Paul Brand, Frederick Buechner, G. K. Chesterton, Robert Coles, Annie Dillard, John Donne, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Shusaku Endo, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., C. Everett Koop, Henri Nouwen, and Leo Tolstoy.

[7] Atlanta Journal-Constitution reviewer John Blake wrote that, although Yancey had written in his previous books about the judgmentalism he experienced in his local church while growing up, the discussion had never been as personal as in Soul Survivor.

[8] Iain Sharp of The Sunday Star-Times called the book "an eye-opening, informative and surprisingly entertaining collection of essays, no matter what your personal philosophy is".

[9] In a Booklist review, Ray Olson argues that Yancey's writing of Soul Survivor demonstrates the author's compassion and literary skill.

[11] The Christian Century reviewer Wayne Holst called Soul Survivor "a thoughtful reflection on the faith journey of an intelligent, influential writer".