Blog Tour- If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn

Summary: Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio: Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

My Thoughts: I have read and enjoyed Randy Alcorn's prior work: from his fiction, Deadline and Dominion, to his small but effective book, The Treasure Principle. My high school junior is currently working her way through his in depth discussion of Money, Possessions, and Eternity. I had actually decided to limit my non-fiction reviews at this point, outside of homeschool products, but then the opportunity to receive this book came my way and I couldn't resist. Randy Alcorn is an author I trust to bring me an in-depth, well thought out, and yet grace filled book that helps make Scriptural principles clearer and easier to comprehend.

That's asking a lot for the topic he's tackling in this book, If God Is Good. It's subtitled "faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil" and addresses one of the most difficult questions that plague Christians and Non-Christians alike. He phrases the question this way;

"If God is all good, then he would want to prevent evil and suffering. If he is all knowing, then he would know how to prevent it. If God is all powerful, then he is able to prevent it. And yet...a great deal of evil and suffering exists. Why?"

This is a big question and it takes a big book to present his take on the answer- this is a 500 page book and it was a little intimidating to sit down, open up, and start reading. But don't let the size frighten you away; Randy Alcorn writes to the regular reader. He is easy to understand, even when the topic is the exact opposite. This is not a dry book designed merely for scholars, but a loving attempt at answering a tough question for all of us who have ever asked- whether in anger, defense, disdain, or despair.

I have not yet finished this book but I will- with highlighter in hand! If you'd like to join me in reading Randy Alcorn's careful study of Scripture where it concerns pain and suffering and a good God, pick up a copy of If God is Good at the publishers site or your local bookstore. It's a large hardcover book and retails for $24.99. I can't imagine it not at least giving you food for thought. I know it's putting my brain cells to work.