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Answering the Toughest Questions About Suffering and Evil
In a thoughtful, candid way, this book asks the big Did God create evil? How could a good God allow evil? How could a loving God allow people to suffer? While some biblical answers are provided, there is enough space and grace for you to wrestle and doubt and dig deeper.
178 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 11, 2017
This was a very interesting book and each chapter covers questions that I imagine every Christian has had at one point or another. The majority of the topics revolve around suffering and evil, which again is a topic that I believe most people can relate to and have questions about. The author's incorporate both personal stories and Biblical scripture when discussing each topic and include questions for reflection and discussion. I always find it useful when author's include discussion questions in books such as these as it can help readers really understand the message. I haven't read many books on the subject, but I really enjoyed the views that the author presented when looking at things like evil and suffering in the world. I think this book is great for both personal use and could be very useful in a Bible study group setting as well.
Thank you to the publisher, Bethany House, for sending me a review copy of this book.
Thank you to the publisher, Bethany House, for sending me a review copy of this book.
September 28, 2017
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Bethany House Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
For a long time I have read whatever books I could find about the problem of evil and suffering [1]. Without being too descriptive about the point, I have experienced a fair amount of suffering and evil, observed still more, and unfortunately inflicted my share of evil and suffering on other people. These books have a difficult task, made more difficult by the moral blindness that is so common in our generation. The proliferation of books that seek to justify God and His ways before a critical world often bear evidence to the fact that our expectations are unreasonable. We are fallen and corrupt creatures in a world that has been bent and corrupted by sin for thousands of years and yet we expect good things to happen to us because we fancy ourselves to be good people. This is an unreasonable expectation, and yet it is an expectation we often have, and tend to hold on to despite the efforts of writers to reason us out of our unreason in the matter.
This book is a thoughtful one and it ably discusses the problem of evil. It is a bit unclear why this particular book needed two authors and a ghostwriter who likely did most of the work of research and writing without getting much of the credit, given that it resembles many other excellent books on the subject except that it adds its own touches through many references to other books that show the reaction of people to their own suffering and frequent personal stories. Many of the chapters of this short book--just over 100 pages in the version I read of it--deal with the creation of evil and its relationship to free will as well as our own wicked choices. The authors reflect on the lack of good people on the earth and the relationship between the problem of evil in the world and our lives and the problem of sin and evil within ourselves, a thoughtful discussion. The authors manage to speak against the prosperity gospel, as they ought to, in their goal of encouraging the reader to develop a theology of suffering that recognizes the good that comes from suffering, the way that God is in control and operates in ways different from our own expectations, and reflects upon our own fallen nature and sinful behavior as well as the evil that we see outside of and around us. Throughout the book there are a wide variety of thoughtful questions asked of the reader in their own examination of pain and suffering and evil.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I am not familiar with the authors' body of work, but as the authors of 75 books, it seems fairly likely that they read a lot and have plenty of ghostwriters and research assistants who help them craft thoughtful examinations of many subjects of interest to others. This is a book I enjoyed and appreciated, but feel a bit unsure about recommending to many readers. Most people do not like to read books about suffering and prefer not to think about the subject unless they have to. As the authors quote J.L. Packer, though: "God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weaknesses deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away (90)." This is a good book in prompting the reader to look seriously at pain and suffering, although many people who read this book will likely be pretty familiar with their own weaknesses and their own suffering.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
For a long time I have read whatever books I could find about the problem of evil and suffering [1]. Without being too descriptive about the point, I have experienced a fair amount of suffering and evil, observed still more, and unfortunately inflicted my share of evil and suffering on other people. These books have a difficult task, made more difficult by the moral blindness that is so common in our generation. The proliferation of books that seek to justify God and His ways before a critical world often bear evidence to the fact that our expectations are unreasonable. We are fallen and corrupt creatures in a world that has been bent and corrupted by sin for thousands of years and yet we expect good things to happen to us because we fancy ourselves to be good people. This is an unreasonable expectation, and yet it is an expectation we often have, and tend to hold on to despite the efforts of writers to reason us out of our unreason in the matter.
This book is a thoughtful one and it ably discusses the problem of evil. It is a bit unclear why this particular book needed two authors and a ghostwriter who likely did most of the work of research and writing without getting much of the credit, given that it resembles many other excellent books on the subject except that it adds its own touches through many references to other books that show the reaction of people to their own suffering and frequent personal stories. Many of the chapters of this short book--just over 100 pages in the version I read of it--deal with the creation of evil and its relationship to free will as well as our own wicked choices. The authors reflect on the lack of good people on the earth and the relationship between the problem of evil in the world and our lives and the problem of sin and evil within ourselves, a thoughtful discussion. The authors manage to speak against the prosperity gospel, as they ought to, in their goal of encouraging the reader to develop a theology of suffering that recognizes the good that comes from suffering, the way that God is in control and operates in ways different from our own expectations, and reflects upon our own fallen nature and sinful behavior as well as the evil that we see outside of and around us. Throughout the book there are a wide variety of thoughtful questions asked of the reader in their own examination of pain and suffering and evil.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I am not familiar with the authors' body of work, but as the authors of 75 books, it seems fairly likely that they read a lot and have plenty of ghostwriters and research assistants who help them craft thoughtful examinations of many subjects of interest to others. This is a book I enjoyed and appreciated, but feel a bit unsure about recommending to many readers. Most people do not like to read books about suffering and prefer not to think about the subject unless they have to. As the authors quote J.L. Packer, though: "God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weaknesses deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away (90)." This is a good book in prompting the reader to look seriously at pain and suffering, although many people who read this book will likely be pretty familiar with their own weaknesses and their own suffering.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
October 23, 2017
Last week, Country musician Eric Church debuted a song written in the wake of the shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas several days prior:
"Why you with your long brown hair flowing
And you with your fresh tattooed skin
And you from the Western Virginia
That you'll never get to see again
As darkness descended the desert
And a bad actor starred in his play
Why you from Tennessee did life capture
And me from Tennessee get away
"And when the morning sun hit the mountain
And a glorious still calmed the breeze
I asked the God of all knowing wisdom
Why you and why not me?
"Yeah the Lord is my refuge and fortress
My God in whom I trust
But I'll never know why the wicked
Gets to prey on the best of us
Why you full of life and promise
At the top of your lungs so loud
My songs that you sang so sweetly will ring
In my ears forever now
"And when the morning sun hits the mountain
And a glorious still calms the breeze
I'll ask the God of infinite wisdom
Why you and why not me?
"And every morning when the sun hits the mountain
And a glorious still calms the breeze
I'll ask the God of my salvation
Why you and why not me?
Why you and why not me?"
The reality of suffering and evil is ubiquitous and, especially in our technologically connected world today, inescapable. It's a question faced by Christians and nonbelievers alike. And it's the subject addressed in Answering the Toughest Questions About Suffering and Evil by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, bestselling authors whose "passion is to communicate the truth about God in a way that is clear, correct, and casual". The authors succeed in doing just that without being simplistic, clichéd, or trite. (Click here to read a free excerpt.)
Answering the Toughest Questions may be a relatively short book, simple, candid, and easy to understand, but it is surprisingly "meaty", insightful, and thorough (granted not exhaustive). The content was right up my alley, presenting the truth of Scripture (without using the Bible as a crutch) alongside Biblical explanations, interpretation, and analysis, logical arguments, and intellectual reasoning, including those of Christian philosophers, authors, and theologians as quoted throughout.
Each chapter covers one of various questions, in all their nuances, including:
If God created everything, did he create evil?
Why is there suffering and evil in a world made good by God?
Why doesn't God eliminate suffering and evil?
Why is the Bible so full of violence?
Does God care that the world is falling apart?
Why do the innocent suffer?
Is there a difference between the evil in the world and the sin in me?
What's the point of suffering?
What can I do about suffering and evil?
While Answering the Toughest Questions may be too limited in scope or redundant (due to the quotes of other books and writings) for a pastor, theology student, or someone well-read on the subject, it would be a good place to start for Christians who are interested in a solid initial study or, like me, refresher course, or for anyone exploring the faith. Note it is not a book to give to someone going through a personal trial.
Answering the Toughest Questions provides, in my opinion, satisfactory arguments and answers, or at least possible answers. Yet, it is aptly titled "Answering" (not "Answers to"): being a Christian doesn't make it easier to answer these questions, and as the back cover states, the authors "don't pretend to have all the answers" and "leave enough space—and grace—for you to keep wrestling, asking, and seeking truth" (for instance, there are questions throughout each chapter to prompt reflection on personal experiences and beliefs and to help think through these questions in light of Scripture and other sources). This is helpful to remember when the answers are less conclusive at times.
Ultimately, we live in a broken world and see the effects of sin every day, and there are circumstances and consequences, tragedies and "Why you and why not me?" that we will never fully understand this side of Heaven. But we can be confident that God is both all-powerful and loving, and that He cares deeply for us—so much so that He sent His Son to suffer the worst violence and evil in the history of the world, to die on the cross, so we might live—and He is now with us in and through our suffering and working all things for good, and He will one day return and bring final judgment upon sin and evil, and make all things new. This is our Hope as believers when we're faced with hard, unanswerable questions.
Disclaimer: This book was received for free from Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review.
"Why you with your long brown hair flowing
And you with your fresh tattooed skin
And you from the Western Virginia
That you'll never get to see again
As darkness descended the desert
And a bad actor starred in his play
Why you from Tennessee did life capture
And me from Tennessee get away
"And when the morning sun hit the mountain
And a glorious still calmed the breeze
I asked the God of all knowing wisdom
Why you and why not me?
"Yeah the Lord is my refuge and fortress
My God in whom I trust
But I'll never know why the wicked
Gets to prey on the best of us
Why you full of life and promise
At the top of your lungs so loud
My songs that you sang so sweetly will ring
In my ears forever now
"And when the morning sun hits the mountain
And a glorious still calms the breeze
I'll ask the God of infinite wisdom
Why you and why not me?
"And every morning when the sun hits the mountain
And a glorious still calms the breeze
I'll ask the God of my salvation
Why you and why not me?
Why you and why not me?"
The reality of suffering and evil is ubiquitous and, especially in our technologically connected world today, inescapable. It's a question faced by Christians and nonbelievers alike. And it's the subject addressed in Answering the Toughest Questions About Suffering and Evil by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, bestselling authors whose "passion is to communicate the truth about God in a way that is clear, correct, and casual". The authors succeed in doing just that without being simplistic, clichéd, or trite. (Click here to read a free excerpt.)
Answering the Toughest Questions may be a relatively short book, simple, candid, and easy to understand, but it is surprisingly "meaty", insightful, and thorough (granted not exhaustive). The content was right up my alley, presenting the truth of Scripture (without using the Bible as a crutch) alongside Biblical explanations, interpretation, and analysis, logical arguments, and intellectual reasoning, including those of Christian philosophers, authors, and theologians as quoted throughout.
Each chapter covers one of various questions, in all their nuances, including:
If God created everything, did he create evil?
Why is there suffering and evil in a world made good by God?
Why doesn't God eliminate suffering and evil?
Why is the Bible so full of violence?
Does God care that the world is falling apart?
Why do the innocent suffer?
Is there a difference between the evil in the world and the sin in me?
What's the point of suffering?
What can I do about suffering and evil?
While Answering the Toughest Questions may be too limited in scope or redundant (due to the quotes of other books and writings) for a pastor, theology student, or someone well-read on the subject, it would be a good place to start for Christians who are interested in a solid initial study or, like me, refresher course, or for anyone exploring the faith. Note it is not a book to give to someone going through a personal trial.
Answering the Toughest Questions provides, in my opinion, satisfactory arguments and answers, or at least possible answers. Yet, it is aptly titled "Answering" (not "Answers to"): being a Christian doesn't make it easier to answer these questions, and as the back cover states, the authors "don't pretend to have all the answers" and "leave enough space—and grace—for you to keep wrestling, asking, and seeking truth" (for instance, there are questions throughout each chapter to prompt reflection on personal experiences and beliefs and to help think through these questions in light of Scripture and other sources). This is helpful to remember when the answers are less conclusive at times.
Ultimately, we live in a broken world and see the effects of sin every day, and there are circumstances and consequences, tragedies and "Why you and why not me?" that we will never fully understand this side of Heaven. But we can be confident that God is both all-powerful and loving, and that He cares deeply for us—so much so that He sent His Son to suffer the worst violence and evil in the history of the world, to die on the cross, so we might live—and He is now with us in and through our suffering and working all things for good, and He will one day return and bring final judgment upon sin and evil, and make all things new. This is our Hope as believers when we're faced with hard, unanswerable questions.
Disclaimer: This book was received for free from Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review.
October 4, 2017
Answering the Toughest Questions About Suffering and Evil by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz is a book that explores why suffering and evil exists in the world. The book covers a wide variety of topics, such as why innocent people suffer, what the point of suffering is, and why the Bible is full of violence. The book may be a good choice for someone burdened by the world’s suffering who wonders why evil can be present in a world created by a loving God.
The chapter I found most interesting was “Is There a Difference between the Evil in the World and the Sin in Me?”; I particularly liked the section in which Bickel and Jantz list true-to-life examples of how sin often begets sin. At 163 pages, the book is a nice, quick read. Throughout each chapter, the authors make solid and insightful points.
*I received this book for review*
The chapter I found most interesting was “Is There a Difference between the Evil in the World and the Sin in Me?”; I particularly liked the section in which Bickel and Jantz list true-to-life examples of how sin often begets sin. At 163 pages, the book is a nice, quick read. Throughout each chapter, the authors make solid and insightful points.
*I received this book for review*
September 26, 2017
A very insightful read that is full of questions many have wondered about but did not know how to answer. So, the questions go unanswered. This book is easy to read with lots of scripture, stories, reflection, and insight with easily explained answers to a lot of these questions. Overall, a very insightful read that explains things and is easy to understand.
February 23, 2020
Oof, finally got through this. Am I glad I read it? Not exactly sure. In the very least I was pointed to some other books I might read, but it was dry. The writing was choppy. And I’m positive I don’t theologically agree with everything in it. However, there were enough good nuggets (all quotes from other people) to at least give it three stars.
March 12, 2022
4.5. Very good book worth studying again
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews