num_pages: 304
description: In times of questioning and despair people often quote the Bible to provide answers. Surprisingly though the Bible does not have one answer but many answers that often contradict one another. Consider these competing explanations for suffering put forth by various biblical writers:The prophets: suffering is a punishment for sinThe book of Job which offers two different answers: suffering is a test and you will be rewarded later for passing it; and suffering is beyond comprehension since we are just human beings and God after all is GodEcclesiastes: suffering is the nature of things so just accept itAll apocalyptic texts in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament: God will eventually make right all that is wrong with the worldFor renowned Bible scholar Bart Ehrman the question of why there is so much suffering in the world is more than a haunting thought. Ehrman's inability to reconcile the claims of faith with the facts of real life led the former pastor of the Princeton Baptist Church to reject Christianity.In God's Problem Ehrman discusses his personal anguish upon discovering the Bible's contradictory explanations for suffering and invites all people of faithor no faithto confront their deepest questions about how God engages the world and each of us.
language: English
title: God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer
publisher: HarperOne