Review: If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn

Title: If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil
Author: Randy Alcorn
Released: September 15, 2009
Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah
Pages/format: 528 (Hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian Living
Source: From Blogging for Books.

Quick Synopsis: Bestselling author Randy Alcorn challenges the humanistic argument that a suffering world is not compatible with a loving and all-powerful God.

From the publisher’s website:

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 book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief and 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.

Quick Review: If God Is Good addresses just about every question posed about God’s role in evil and suffering biblically, and is thus one of the best books on suffering that I have ever read.

In-Depth Review:

If God Is Good is the fourth of Randy Alcorn’s “big books”–500+ page tomes which discuss just about everything one would want to know about a specific subject. In this case, the subject is the age old dilemma of evil and suffering. The book is divided into eleven sections and forty-five chapters. Each chapter is subsequently divided into sub-sections which are usually headed with a statement, such as “It’s a mistake to think God’s love overshadows his holiness, or to think his holiness limits his love.” (page 181) Alcorn then expounds on these statements in greater detail.

The book answers just about every theological, philosophical, and moral question one could possibly have about evil and suffering. Alcorn covers everything from the origin of evil to the debate about human free will and eternal questions about heaven and hell. I am impressed by the sheer magnitude of this book and appreciative of the precise organization of the text which makes referencing it a simple task.

Alcorn’s theology is thoroughly biblical and he provides countless Scripture references to back up just about everything he says. He never shies away from stating hard truth, but at the same time his writing exudes compassion for those who are hurting, doubting, and lost.

If God Is Good is a theological book, but Alcorn includes many stories of people who have gone through intense suffering which greatly personalizes the theology he is trying to communicate. These stories transform the principles taught in the book from abstract concepts to practically applicable responses and actions.

As I said before, Alcorn is extremely thorough in addressing every question about suffering I ever had (and a few I didn’t know I had), but he never offers pat answers. He does not attempt to answer unanswerable questions or explain beyond what God has already revealed to us about suffering in His word.

This book belongs on every believer’s shelf. If God Is Good will help Christians prepare to face suffering when times are good, or cope with suffering when times are hard. This is also a great book to give to unbelieving friends whose biggest obstacle to faith is the existence of evil and suffering.

About Randy Alcorn:

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries and a best-selling author. His novels include Deadline, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous 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.