I was very interested in this book by Randy Alcorn when I first saw it listed as one I could read for review. Every single person in the world has this question, "Why do bad things happen?" And I wanted to find out what this author had to say about the subject.
Personally, I thought the beginning of the book was very good. Randy Alcorn talked about where evil and suffering comes from. He gave Biblical answers to the questions of where the pain began, what our choices are, and who causes natural disasters. He still had me interested when I began reading the second chapter, but if I am honest, I will tell you that he totally lost my interest somewhere around the fourth chapter.
While his arguments were Biblically and intellectually based, I don't really feel that this book reaches down to those people who are seriously suffering through a situation.
If I was not a Christian, I do not think that I would have read this book past the first couple of chapters because it would not have been what I was looking for.
But, because I am a Christian and I had a task at hand, I continued. I had to wait a couple of days, though, to continue past the middle of the book. When I finished it today, I thought the last few chapters were good again.
I think Chapter 11 is my favorite... it's called What We Can Do. Really, the first suggestion is to "become a student of God's Word." I think that is possibly my favorite line of the whole book. To know God, to really know Him, we absolutely have to read the Bible. He is the Word. The Word is Him.
If anyone is looking for some grand answer as to why suffering occurs, however, I would not recommend this book. It is more intellectual than practical, in my opinion. When people are looking for answers, they want to feel like the books they read will reach them in a place that makes sense and appeals to their brokenness. The Bible is good for that.
I don't believe this book will give you the answers you are looking for in the midst of suffering.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
