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

As far as books on theodicy go, this one deserves a fair reading. "If God Is Good," is a long read, at almost 500 pages. Alcorn manages to strike a balance in being theological, apologetic (in the sense of defending Christianity), and practical. He truly seems to leave no stone unturned. He occasionally repeats himself, but I'm not sure if it is to emphasize a point or if it is the result of a book of this size dealing with many overlapping ideas. That being said, there are areas that are weaker than others, as he covers a huge range of questions and issues, from sin, to sickness, to Hell, and even to natural issues. This is usually the case with a book as broad as this one, so that is not a fault specific to Alcorn in any way. Overall, Alcorn does a good job of explaining how God can bring good out of suffering. In my opinion, Alcorn is strongest when showing how people can be blessed as a result of suffering, whether theirs or someone else's. This really shines through when he deals with suffering in the name of Christianity, such as persecution or martyrdom. It gets weakest, however, when he tries to equate sickness with the suffering God promises Christians will endure. I am not convinced that sickness was part of the suffering Christians were called to endure. In context, it always seems to be suffering in the name of Christ; that is, some form of persecution. Some people point to Paul's thorn in the flesh, but I think the arguments for the thorn being a person who persecuted Paul are stronger than those that see the thorn as an illness. Another way Alcorn tries to explain sickness as being something Christians are to endure with patience was when he referenced the man born blind in John's gospel, I think. The text says that he was born blind that the glory of God may be displayed. The end result, however, was that the man was thoroughly healed in this life, not that he glorified God in his blindness for his whole life. As a matter of fact, except for a few references where sickness is mentioned (Timothy drinking wine for his stomach and Epahproditis, I believe), we do not see anything I can think of in the way of seeing sickness as a blessing on a Christian in the New Testament. Granted, Alcorn never comes right out and calls sickness a blessing, but the mentions of God's frequently using sickness to bless people in some way seems to come close. A good view that explains the Bible's view of sickness is "Israel's Divine Healer" by Michael Brown (http://www.amazon.com/Israels-Divine-Healer-Michael-Brown/dp/0310200296/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404439736&sr=1-1&keywords=israel%27s+divine+healer). All of that being said, Christians do get sick and die from illnesses, so we have to find a way to explain why this occurs, which Alcorn's book does better than Brown's, in my opinion. Really, the "weakness" I discussed above is not any fault of Alcorn's, so I did not subtract any stars from my rating. The "weakness" comes because he is attempting to address issues that are so deep and complicated that we will never fully understand them, I don't think, unless we get more answers in Heaven. All books on this issue will have moments that are weaker as they try to delve into the mystery of suffering and evil in God's world. If you or someone you know is trying to understand a biblical view of evil and suffering, this book should be required reading.

The review you are about to read has been written by a 24-year old Christian who has known enough suffering to last me a lifetime--and enough of the truth of Romans 8:28 (that God works all things together for our good) to testify powerfully on account of If God is Good, written by former pastor Randy Alcorn. In a world full of people who say things like, "If there is a God he has a lot to answer for," (Robert De Niro), and books that offer comfort in empathy but discouragement in teaching that God is limited in how he can help us (When Bad Things Happen to Good People), God has used Alcorn to knock such ridiculous claims flat on their heads. If God is Good traces evil back to the very beginning, from the moment that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6), and beforehand as well, when God's beloved archangel Lucifer became Satan, the thief who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). The most beautiful section of If God is Good is Section Five, Evil and Suffering in the Great Drama of Christ's Redemptive Work, which reminds us of the beautiful truth of Romans 5:18 (NLT): "Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone." Add to that the beautiful part of John 10:10, "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life!" (Exclamation point; emphasis mine) Of course, that doesn't change Jesus' promise in John 16:33--that we ***will*** have trouble. Back in late 2009, I discovered what is known as the "health and wealth gospel" and, a year later, came to a near fatal point when I became mentally ill (God rescuing me through hospitalization). While I came out of the hospital far better than I was before, at times, when tragedy strikes, I fiercely doubted God. Thanks to Randy Alcorn's faithful service to our Heavenly Father, I have now found the cure for that doubt. Quoted, from page 381 of If God is Good: "A woman who had based her life on the health and wealth worldview lay dying of cancer. She looked into a camera during an interview and said, "I've lost my faith." She felt bitter that God had "broken his promises." She correctly realized that the god she'd followed does not exist. She incorrectly concluded that the God of the Bible had let her down. He hadn't; her church and its preachers had done that. God had never made the promises that she thought he'd broken." Yes, If God is Good miraculously reveals how the health and wealth gospel--which makes us feel great when we first hear it--ultimately "perverts our view of evil and suffering" (quoting Mr. Alcorn himself in the chapter for which he reveals this). There are many more astounding truths presented throughout the official 494 pages of If God is Good (not counting acknowledgements and indexes), such as 1) God has never put us through something he hasn't put himself through (pg. 214), and has made it that no one has suffered more than he (pg. 215); 2) The glorious, warm, and comforting truth that Christians have the assurance of one day living in a place where mourning, death, crying, and pain are obsolete (Revelation 21:4) and, among others; testimonies of people who have seen the worst offenses known to mankind--losing family members to murderers and car crashes, battling deadly diseases, etc.-who, in spite of all they suffered, managed to praise God with amazing, pure faith, teaching that one really can have joy from their trials (see James 1; verse 2 in particular). To quote my Lord and Savior himself, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!" (Matthew 8:10 NLT, Luke 7:9) I know some people may object to the title of If God is Good--and that's understandable. We, as Christians, know that God is good, and those who don't are "without excuse" (Romans 1:20). Each man and woman must ultimately judge the title of If God is Good for themselves, and speaking from my perspective, as someone who picked up If God is Good with great doubts in my faith; I tell you that it's written to those who ***are*** doubting God, and have turned to help through the pages of If God is Good. The material itself, in my opinion, far outweighs the title, and Randy Alcorn does a powerful job rebuking those who blaspheme God's name for the evil in this world. Alcorn even reveals personally to us that, believe it or not, ***God has already restrained 99% of evil from this world!!!*** (see Chapter 33, Understanding that God is God and We Are Not, pg. 355) At the very end of the day, Randy Alcorn has written a book not only soothing and comforting, but also full of hope. Do not get me wrong: When Bad Things Happen to Good People (frequently mentioned throughout the pages of If God is Good) was one of the best books I've ever read on a level of empathy and, with it, comfort. But after reading that I still yearned for answers about where God is in suffering, because scripture repeatedly contradicts Rabbi Harold S. Kushner's conclusion that God is finite and, therefore, limited in what he can do. Now that I've found If God is Good, I'm deeply satisfied, and I cannot wait to read the follow-up to If God is Good: The Goodness of God, written by Randy Alcorn to help Christians (and those seeking to become Christians) find purpose in their suffering. Thank you, Lord God Almighty, for giving the world a Christian as smart and caring as Randy Alcorn, and for speaking through Mr. Alcorn in the pages of If God is Good.

Amazing depth and perceptions! Biblically based. Love all the scripture references. This is a book that I will continue to reference throughout my life. I will probably have to read and re-read to grasp the message. It is also a book of encouragement and hope. I will be telling many about this book as it is a life changer!

Brilliant

This book will help you answer the questions you ask yourself about God. I think it's amazing! Randy Alcorn does not avoid any difficult question!

An excellent work from Randy Alcorn. Especially for people who want to know more about our creator, i.e. why does hell exist and many more.

I think this is among the best books written about suffering and pain, and how God uses it for his glory,and therefore for our our best. I am always recommending to everyone.