The Challenge of Evil: Grace and the Problem of Suffering

by William Greenway

Belief in God in the face of suffering is one of the most intractable problems of Christian theology. Many respond to the spiritual challenge of evil by ignoring it, blaming God, or insisting on the inherent meaninglessness of life. In this book, William Greenway contends that we don't have to deny our moral selves by either ignoring evil or abandoning our moral sensibilities toward it. We can open our eyes fully to suffering and evil, and our own complicity in them. We can do so because it is only in this full acceptance of the world's guilt and our own that we make ourselves fully open to agape, to being seized by love of others and God. Inspired by the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas and the Christian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Challenge of Evil lovingly explains how we can look squarely at the overwhelming suffering in the world and still, by grace, have faith in a good and loving God.

160 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2016

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in many ways saved my faith, for which I am very grateful. Greenway is excellent when discussing the spiritual problems of evil and addressing the ways we have recently tried to skirt the problem through what he views are less than satisfactory ways. His proposed "neo-Levinasian" approach is insightful and I found it altering the way I viewed life, theology, and faith. I do not think I would find myself in agreement with him moving into the realm of more particular theology (rather than philosophical spirituality) and I am curious about his dedication to two chapters on biocentrism (Nietzche only gets one, and the righteous rejection of God only gets one both of which I think are more pervasive). His analysis of The Brothers Karamazov is also excellent and I really appreciated a different perspective on my favorite novel.

Upon re-reading this book a few years after the initial read I think it still holds up. I undertook reading it again during the pandemic to combat the ways in which one might slip into a spiritual nihilism in the face of such suffering. Again, I found Greenway thought-provoking and helpful. I stand by my desire for a stronger connection to particular Christian theology in the afterword. He is certainly creative and the ground is laid for some great theological work, but admittedly it is beyond his project. The chapters on biocentrism seem more relevant now to me (maybe due to the greater emergence of eco-fascist inclinations in mainstream discourse surrounding the climate crisis). His reading of The Brothers Karamazov was as perceptive as I remember and is tugging at me to pick up that wonderful novel again. I really do love this book from Greenway and highly recommend it.