Why a Suffering World Makes Sense
An evangelical Christian attempts to explain the thorniest question in Christian theology—why evil and suffering exist in a world created and loved by God. Tiegreen (At His Feet) posits that suffering makes sense because it allows God to teach us something. "Sin highlights glory," he states, pointing to the New Testament story (John 9:2–3) in which Jesus tells the disciples a man was born blind so that God's works might be displayed. No discussion of theodicy would be complete without mentioning the Holocaust, but Tiegreen's treatment leaves something to be desired. He concludes from this event that "the darkness is the best place for [God] to be revealed," using as the premiere example the story of Christian survivor Corrie ten Boom, whose ministry he describes as having a greater impact during and after the war. Without dismissing ten Boom's suffering, much more could have been said about the deaths of countless Jews to round out the discussion. Tiegreen's most compelling argument is for "a new reformation" in Christianity, one where Christians drop the "why me" questions leveled at God and instead ask God "how do you want to reveal yourself in this situation?" This book may be most appealing to those Christians who insist on finding answers to complex questions.(Jan.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.