Three traits make Randy Alcorn a helpful writer. First he is exhaustive. Second he is readable. Third he writes is a warm pastoral way. Like his previous book Heaven, If God is Good is exhaustive, readable and pastoral. This book may be the best book dealing with the very complex problem of Theodicy (the question of evil and suffering in relation to God's sovereignty) available to the lay-person. Unafraid to address skeptics' and critics' charges and questions, Alcorn lays out a Biblical explanation of suffering.
45 chapters are divided into 11 sections. This makes the book easily accessible for those who want to zero in on a particular question or topic. The Scripture and Topical Indexes are helpful in this regard as well.
One feature (perhaps as an appendix) I would have appreciated is some extended discussion on God's commands to wipe out the Canaanite inhabitants in Joshua.
Young and first time pastors my find the last section of the book, Living Meaningful in Suffering very helpful during counseling situations.
All in all, I highly recommend this excellent book.
Disclaimer: Multnomah provided a review copy to me free of charge.
1 comment:
I appreciate your comments and am also reviewing the book. Alcorn's book appeals to people of all corners of the Christian Church. It is a blessing to have a smart and thorough study on the subject of evil and suffering to put alongside the various Athiest un-theology books that have popped up over the last few years.
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