The three most important parts of a book are: a well constructed plot, compelling characters, and a satisfying conclusion.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

IF GOD IS GOOD: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil By Randy Alcorn

Publisher:  Multnomah Books

Date of Publication:  2009
Pages:  528
Genre: Religion/Theology
Reviewed By WC

About the Book: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."
-Publishers Weekly


WC's Review:  How many times do we hear that if God is good, then why do we as his children or lost sheep have to tolerate evil and grievous suffering? A better question may be why we expect Heaven on earth?

Suffering develops character and prepares you to fully enjoy and appreciate your entrance into God's kingdom here on earth. Someone seriously grieving and on the brink of ending his life finds this hard to accept. But this is exactly what author Randy Alcorn says.

We suffer to honor God. "Make sure you have received God's gift of eternal life that will deliver you from all evil and suffering after you die."

Life here on earth before we meet God is but a blink of the eye, only shorter. Eternity is so long that we humans cannot grasp the concept. Alcorn suggests that through suffering we gain the proper perspective into spending eternity with our Lord and Savior as well as the Saints of the Bible and our loved ones and those who have accepted the glorious gift of salvation.

A must read.

About the Author:  Randy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.

"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."

Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.

Randy is a best-selling author of over 40 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.

Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci, and their Dalmatian, Moses. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.

Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of four grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.

Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org



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