Friday, October 2, 2009

"If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil" by Randy Alcorn ~ Book Review



Wow! This review is about a week late in coming, but I wanted to make sure I read at least MOST of this incredible book. The size of this book alone is a bit overwhelming, but once you start reading it, you won't want to quit. The author does not claim to know all the answers, and in fact, says that our finite minds are obviously too small to even comprehend the ways of God, which is something I just said to my husband a few days BEFORE I read it...(GMTA), but he does attempt to explain WHY evil exists in the world. He offers many different compelling reasons, including the fact that God is the ultimate author, of the greatest story ever told. We humans, (who are made in His image), would not enjoy a book or a movie that had absolutely no conflict, and no hero riding in to "save the day", so why would God write the stories of our lives that way? We will not know the ending or the reasons for everything that occurred in our lives until we get to heaven.

There is so much in this book, (and I still have not read it all), that it absolutely boggles the mind...but it has many compelling arguments as to why the existence of evil does not mean there is no God, but on the contrary...it actually proclaims His very existence and glorifies Him by the fact that He is great enough to conquer it all! He says it much better than I ever could though, so you'll just have to read it for yourself. The book is available from RandomHouse.com for $24.99 and is WELL worth it!

Here is a summary of the book:
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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