If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil

I love Randy Alcorn and the fact that he always brings an eternal perspective to every topic he tackles (thus his ministry is Eternal Perpectives Ministry - epm.org). So now that I find myself meditating a lot on the topic of suffering, I knew that his book on the topic would be helpful. It definitely was. Randy doesn't write a tightly wound apologetic for academic discussion. He writes for everyday people who are dealing with the real issues of the Christian life. His arguments are sound and thoroughly articulated, but they are also practical for those in the midst of trials.
This book deals with the "problem of pain" in a sensitive and yet unapologetically biblical manner that exalts God as both sovereign and good. It's not a short show more book but it is worth the time. show less

My rating obviously reflects my opinion, however I also want to explain also that I believe that I am not specifically his target audience.
My biggest qualm with the book as a whole is that it, like many others of similar disposition, gives answers that are too easy for topics far too difficult. While he certainly does take time to acknowledge that hurt is not merely a weak reaction or an indicator of "weak" faith, he still ends up at the same place as others. While this may bring comfort and truth to the "faithful," I can't help but think how short these words fall for those that are truly trying to understand how a God that so many claim to be good could make such evil possible. Not until the end does he begin to dig into something I show more believe he could have spent a larger portion of his time on(rather than quoting endless sources without always getting helpful insights from them). This being the fact that we do not handle suffering very well. Since most of his audience(this may be a hasty assumption so feel free to correct if this is unfounded) would be those in the western church, it is an even larger point that really could be highlighted. He speaks to this some at the beginning when he says that people only think of God negatively when negative events happen in life rather than reversing these points to think positively. I believe that this greatly cripples us(myself a white American with a college education) as we seek to understand a life seeking after God's will. One that tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. Easy answers does not aid this along and I really wanted this to be a more messy book(because of its topic), but it came out neat and tidy overall with the same answers you here for everything. I believe Philip Yancey has done a great service in seeking to grapple with the problem of evil. I can not recommend him enough.

For those that are in the more conservative camp, who he seems to aim for, I believe there are some insights here that may be new and for this I cannot give it a lower score. While I certainly would not claim to understand God, etc. better than more conservative folk, I believe this is a topic that has been largely avoided with even easier answers(I have a history in the conservative church, so I'm not speaking from inexperience). I believe each pocket of the Christian body has much to give to others, and I am grateful that this message is starting to seap into the conversation. This is a topic worth wrestling over, not simply accepting as life.

While this book may be more eye-opening and helpful for others, I found myself amazed that the amount of material covered really needed to be spread over 500 pages. As I mentioned before, the quotations from other sources were extremely lengthy and not always necessary to further a point. I believe more editing could have served this book well. show less

Life is hard, God is good. In light of that how do I live my life? Alcorn's book is long but it's so good that I plowed through most of it. I haven't seen anything as comprehensive and readable on this subject as this book. Definitely worth reading.

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Wanda Beaver's review Dec 27, 14 · edit
4 of 5 stars
bookshelves: 2014-book, blogging-for-books, religion
Read from December 16 to 27, 2014

If God is Good --- why do we have pain and suffering? If God loves us, how can he justify all the world suffering? And why do evil people sometimes thrive while the righteous suffers? Why wouldn’t a loving God rid the universe of evil?

If God Is Good contains many stories of people’s challenges and suffering and their triumphs. Some, who have suffered deeply, now have a relationship with God. God revealed treasures to them that can only be found in the darkness of suffering. When suffering comes, we should ask God to use it for his glory. We are promised that the eternal ending will bring show more glorious happiness and that all present suffering will pale in comparison. We can rejoice for that coming day when there will be no more death and suffering.

Disasters can bring out the best in people. We cannot see the end that God has in mind, but we can be sure that God’s unfailing love will never let us down, no matter how bleak things appear. We might wish for a world untouched by evil and suffering, but eternal happiness cannot happen without it. We must realize that if God allowed less evil in the world, there would also be less good.

Many times God will deliver us from suffering, and sometimes he will sustain us through suffering. He can calm the storm, and sometimes calms our hearts, and we should praise him for these acts of grace. But we must have faith and trust that God can bring good from all suffering. In the end, Jesus Christ is the answer to all the suffering and evil in the world. We need to remember that Jesus has written this story in his own blood.

From the book – God wrote the script of the unfolding drama of redemption long before Satan, demons, Adam and Eve – and you and I – took the stage. And from the beginning, he knew that the utterly spectacular ending would make the dark middle worth it.

If God is Good is truly a journey of discovery and will answer many of your questions on pain and suffering. I have highlighted many sections of this book and will be keeping it on my shelf for reference and continual reading. My rating is 4+ stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. show less

For the right reader, this is definitely a 5. But you have to be motivated and have some theological background or you will not plow through the difficult chapters. Personally, I love Alcorn's books, but I also know that his theological works take some time to digest, and you need to be motivated to look up the Scripture passages.

Alcorn's book are very thorough. I often feel he covers a subject at least three times and a good editor might cut 75 pages out of his books. This one covers thoroughly a subject that many people wrestle with, and I think he does a pretty good cross. Lutherans have the Theology of the Cross and I think he fits that pretty well. I have also ordered his Bible study that goes along with this book and will work with it to present this information in an organized and helpful way to those who need it.

NCLA Review - This is a book for earnest seekers, and they will love it. I read this in the midst of the Haiti earthquake, so it was especially relevant to me as I sought to understand how God could allow such tragedy. Randy Alcorn, founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministry, understands suffering first-hand, knows how to discuss these questions and how to answer them. How can God cause or permit evil, suffering, natural disasters, and war? The book goes a long way to make sense of suffering and God’s mysterious ways, provides encouragement and teaches us how to respond to others’ suffering. The author feels that the question of suffering is not dealt with sufficiently in today’s churches, and that understanding it is show more requisite to prepare us for our time of pain. Rating: 4 —EB show less