Simple answers aren't enough to ease the deep, nagging questions of faith. When you're in pain, you can't help but ask God, "Why?" Why does an all-powerful, all-loving God allow evil and suffering? Why did he create a world he knew was destined to fall?

There is purpose in the pain, and it's not just to develop you into a hardier person, says Chris Tiegreen. In fact, God's reasons may be more about his character than about yours. It's all about a God whose unlimited essence, such as mercy, redemption, and forgiveness, can be known and expressed only in an imperfect world. The Bible gives many hints as to why a suffering world makes sense. This groundbreaking book helps you explore those reasons to more fully understand God's plan.

Tiegreen reveals that there is a point to suffering--it reveals God's mercy, forgiveness, and healing that can only be known in an imperfect world. He encourages readers to let God's hidden attributes be revealed in their pain, thereby helping them unravel the mystery of who God is.

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 2005 Reed Business Information.

http://www.christianbook.com/why-a-suffering-world-makes-sense/chris-tiegreen/9780801065750/pd/065755

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product_review

__USERID__

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/ask_and_answer

• Books >> Christian Living >> Spirituality >> Overcoming Spiritual Challenges >> Pain & Suffering
• Books >> Closeouts
• Christian Living >> Spirituality >> Overcoming Spiritual Challenges >> Pain & Suffering
• Closeouts >> Books
• Closeouts >> Christian Living
• Start A New Christianbook.com Search

I'm the author/artist and I want to review Why a Suffering World Makes Sense.