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.
KIM'S THOUGHTS:
The twenty-first century is filled with suffering. Diseases of every kind ravage our bodies and minds, and our health-care systems struggle underneath the load. War rages all over the globe and genocide has destroyed millions. What role, if any, does God play in human suffering? God is love, right? God is good, right? Why doesn’t He just stop all of the evil in the world?
Randy Alcorn has realized a great need among people today – the need to know God’s purpose in suffering. Randy has written If God Is Good in response to this need, and I have to say it is an impressive work. Randy’s teaching/writing style is personal and direct, and he discusses difficult topics plainly and succinctly relating everything back to the Bible and God’s diving purpose for every event we encounter in life. He uses true and often heartbreaking stories to illustrate God’s purpose in situations that the human heart alone cannot grasp. However, through Christ’s death on the cross, through His grace and wisdom, we are able to recognize God’s handprint throughout time – literally from creation to eternity.
Randy patiently and systematically guides the reader through Scripture answering the question of suffering from every imaginable perspective. His love of God’s word and the obvious way God has moved throughout his life are evident in his writing, and he lovingly shares truth upon every page. Quite honestly, as a believer, I found much of this book to be full of hope and a great encouragement. For anyone looking for answers in the face of life’s trials, a more timely book has never been written! Truly, I was awestruck by the amount of information presented in this volume and the Biblical truth that resonated throughout the work.
If God Is Good will be a strengthening teaching tool for believers and a go-to source for those seeking answers. I know that there is much, much more to be gleaned from this book than my first reading has allowed, so I know a re-read is in order. Mining the truths in this volume will be an on-going pleasure, and I feel certain it will provide me with a great resource to share with friends and family facing difficult circumstances. This is a fabulous volume and I highly recommend this to everyone!
And mine:
I haven't finished If God is Good. However, I can tell you that Alcorn has thoroughly covered nearly every aspect of suffering, evil and pain. He's covered the age old questions that grow within the garden of suffering with grace and love-laced truth. He doesn't hesitate to go to the toughest questions and deal with what evil and suffering may or may not say about God or even His very existence.
Those in the midst of suffering may find balm and hope in this volume. Those who have decided that there is no God, or if there is He's not one they will follow, could find reasons to rethink their stand.
