Where Is God?: Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times - eBook

Dr. John Townsend is a nationally known leadership consultant, psychologist, and author, selling over 10 million books, including the New York Times bestselling Boundaries series. John founded the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling and the Townsend Leadership Program. Dr. Townsend travels extensively for corporate consulting, speaking events, and to help develop leaders, their teams, and their families. John and his family live in Southern California and Texas. Visit DrTownsend.com.

Theodicy—why God allows suffering and evil—is one of the thorniest problems Christians and other theists face. Psychologist Townsend, coauthor of the bestselling book Boundaries, has eschewed an academic perspective and written a commonsense volume, specifically for those suffering hard times and asking about God’s purposes, sovereignty and even goodness. Supporting his ideas with personal anecdotes and multiple biblical citations, the author argues that suffering and destruction are a result of our freedom to choose God’s ways or our own ways. God’s intentions for humankind are good; God is present in all circumstances; God is compassionate; and God wants us to seek help from each other, asserts the author. Most of all, God (and the author) offer the suffering hope, founded in God’s promises for this life, Christian community and the life to come. While there is little that isn’t out of the evangelical playbook, Townsend brings refreshing honesty and distaste for conventional pabulum to the subject. (Dec.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.