God of Sense and Traditions of Non-Sense

by Sigve K. Tonstad

One hundred taxis lined up on Church Street in Oslo on November 26, 1942, deployed in order to round up the city's Jews and send them to Auschwitz. This reality anchors God of Sense and Traditions of it is theology from a Holocaust perspective. The brash Elihu excoriating Job for his insistence that he is owed an explanation for the calamities that have befallen him. This is the book's opening salvo. Job speaking of a God of sense, Elihu and Job's three friends inaugurating a tradition of this is the existential and theological predicament. The problem of finite suffering in this life addressed in the theological tradition with the prospect of infinite, endless suffering, in this book described as a key element in Traditions of Non-Sense. Back to the millions of Jews, among them 188 women and 42 children from Oslo, deported, gassed, and cremated--in God of Sense this is not seen as a problem that defeats belief, but as the reality that demands a religious and theological account of human existence.

Genres: Theology

476 pages, Paperback

Published January 19, 2016

Reviews

[Payton M. Arnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonstad is a fascinating thinker. I don’t always agree with what he says in this book but he often gives me pause. He looks with nuance and is unafraid to look at things a bit differently. I appreciate this book and would recommend it!

[James Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Powerful Treatise on Meaning, Sense, and the Character of God

Tonstad pulls the reader along with a profound sense of poetic reflection which inspires and draws one closer to a God who is seeking them out through a thoughtful, compassionate, and self-revealing engagement that longs for humanity to know Him, more than we ourselves desire to know Him. This is a book of Revelation and Inspiration.

[Daniel Wolcott · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you’re curious about God’s way. Read this.

Excellent review of the character of God. Christianity on the whole has misread scripture and conflated the character of God and the character of Satan. Tonstad meticulously unravels what has been mixed up. Love and Freedom conquer Satan in a WAY that makes sense.

[christian salcianu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great volume

Thank you, Sigve K. Tonstad for this impressive work. It opened my eyes to new perspectives. I see even more that God is higher, better, extraordinary. Indeed, that there is sense in all things. And silence at the end. Satisfied silence.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book makes you think! Really enjoyed it.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent theological take on theodicy.
I did not expect much from another book on the problem of evil but Tonstad does add a fresh twist to the problem.
What does Tonstad contribute to the problem of evil?
Revelation!
Revelation in the literal, metaphorical, and conceptual sense. Tonstad reveals that through the book of Revelation it can be revealed that God's purposes for letting evil take its course is so that evil can reveal itself for what it is.
Being a Seventh-day Adventist, this certainly does resonate with Ellen G. White's underlying theme throughout the Conflict of Ages that the Great Controversy ultimately exposes evil for what it is as God reveals Himself for who He is.

God does not employ force against evil, but the opposite.
By God's love and mercy, God tolerates and aquiesces even for Lucifer to finish playing his game and for evil take its course. By letting things run in their own nature they ultimately exact perfect judgment upon themselves.

The argument is embedded and supported with many other examples and deep contemplations regarding suffering in the world; making this book a great read even beyond its unique contribution to the problem of evil.