The problem of pain is widely considered the most difficult theological problem of all time. For thousands of years, it has confounded the world’s most renowned theists, destroyed the faith of some of the most devout clergymen, and reduced devoted, lifelong believers to soul-crushing pessimism during the darkest hours of their lives. To this day, the problem of pain remains a potent and incessant challenge for believers, drawing away some the most thoughtful members of the church.
Why God Allows Us to Suffer provides a bold and wholly unique answer to the most vexing theological question facing Christianity. In contrast to most contemporary books on the problem—which typically focus on the free will argument and other stale, hopelessly inadequate doctrines—Why God Allows Us to Suffer begins with the premise that the primary purpose of our existence is to know and experience love. It then examines the prerequisites of love in order to explain why God constructed the material universe in the manner he did, and why he acquiesced to the introduction of pain and suffering into the universe when his creatures chose to pursue selfish ends at the expense of love. The result is that, for the first time ever, the problem of pain is answered in a comprehensive manner that is fully consistent with the Bible.
Written to appeal to both popular and academic audiences, Why God Allows Us to Suffer provides the definitive response for all those who ask why an omnipotent and all loving God allows the existence of the vast and often horrific suffering that results from both moral and natural evil.