"If God is Good" deals with suffering and evil. A subject that isn't a big hit a dinner parties, but something well worth dealing with. I wish I could comment on Randy Alcorn's position, but I have not yet read enough to draw any conclusions. But I have read something that I do want to comment on.
"Suffering and evil exert a force that either pushes us away from God or pulls us toward Him. I know a man who lost his faith after facing terrible evil, suffering, and injustice...But, if personal suffering gives sufficient evidence that God doesn't exist, then surely I shouldn't wait until I suffer to conclude He's a myth. If my suffering would one day justify denying God, then I should deny him now in light of other people's suffering."
What a thought. Definitely not something I have ever thought about before. I have experienced some difficulties in my life, but I am a truly blessed man. I lost my father 8 years ago, but loss has largely avoided me in my 37 years. I live in a place that allows me to do, say, and be what I want. Even on a small pastor's salary, my family and I have more than we need. Evil surrounds all of us, but I am mostly insulated from it. So I sit in a very interesting position as it relates to this particular thought form the book. How would I react in the face of "terrible evil, suffering and injustice?" My reaction would tell all who witnessed what I truly believed about God. In light of other people's suffering, I have hope because of Christ. My prayer is that I live a life "worthy of the calling I have received"...in plenty and in want...in the face of good and in the face of evil.
I hope to finish soon and give a more detailed review of the book...but for the sake of the tour, her is what I have!
Book: If God Is Good
Author: Randy Alcorn
Summary:
Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.
In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?
These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.
In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.
Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.
As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all. Author Bio: Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.
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