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  1. Snyder's Soapbox
    Fruitland, Idaho
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: Male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A Review of Randy Alcorns, If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil This Should be Required Reading for all Apologetics Classes.
    July 16, 2015
    Snyder's Soapbox
    Fruitland, Idaho
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: Male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Randy Alcorns treatment of the doctrine of theodicy is the, go to book on the topic. It is suitable for the neophyte and mature Christian both. If you have ever asked yourself the question, If God is Good why does He allow bad things to happen to good people? Or if anyone has ever asked you that question, this book will aid you greatly in giving an answer. I was briefly exposed to this area of Christian theology shortly before providentially finding out about this book. I was blessed by it and I believe you will be to.

    Randy writes this book with a Pastors heart. He understands that people reading this book are going to be from a wide and varied background with all kinds of questions and hurts. If you have lost a child, been struck with a terminal illness, seen horrific violence, or ever wondered how an omnipotent, benevolent being could allow these things, you can read the explanation that has been carefully crafted and laid out so as to heal and not hurt. Ive never read such a thorough and gentile explanation that was also so blatantly honest. Ive read very dry white papers that are accurate, but lack the heart of a Pastor. These works often enrage critics or those who doubt. Ive also read other books that fail to answer the hard questions about God in light of suffering. The, cotton candy theology of men who only want to sell you a book or preach some false life enhancement Christianity only leaves us vulnerable when tribulations occur.

    Randy includes real situations, with real people who have been through terrible things. He methodically and caringly explains theodicy so that it will be a comfort and easy to understand as well as explain. If you are an apologist, get this book and study it. They next time you run up against a flaming atheist making the accusation of, Id never believe in a god that would allow a baby to be murdered! Youll be able to give an answer. If you have a loved one who is going through difficult times, perhaps they have read books from those smiling self-help, guru, false preachers and have not been helped, but instead left doubting, GIVE THEM THIS BOOK! I cant say enough good things about this book and how useful it is. I give it 5 starts, two thumbs up, and an emphatic Amen.
  2. Pastor Jim
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: Male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    The best book I have read on answering the "why" of evil and suffering.
    January 23, 2015
    Pastor Jim
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: Male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I was very excited about getting my copy of "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. I even the loved the cover (rose and thorns). I find Randy Alcorn to be an excellent author who is very scripturally sound. He does a pretty thorough job covering a very hard subject, evil and suffering, in this 500+ page book (long but worth it). This subject is a hard one for anyone to totally understand, but I feel Randy Alcorn, the author, did a great job covering the many angles of hand questions that surround this very question, "if God is good, why all this suffering and evil?"

    This book is divided into 11 sections and covers practically every aspect of evil and suffering from its origins to various views on the subject. I believe Randy did as good a job on covering the subject as anybody could ever attempt to do. To understand it more thoroughly than this, I believe we'll have to wait until the day we stand before the presence of God, and then that which is now dim and cloudy on suffering and evil, will become totally clear. But until then, I believe this book will help you better understand and deal with the suffering and evil that surrounds all of us. Not one of us is exempt from suffering and the consequences of evil in our world.

    I do believe this book will help you to see that you don't need to be getting mad at God over this subject. It is so wonderful to know that through it all our God is in control and that God is good!

    I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review. I was in no way required to write anything positive, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are completely my own.

  3. Counting the Cost
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    March 5, 2011
    Counting the Cost
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    At first glance, a Christian might wonder why it was necessary for Randy Alcorn to write almost 500 pages to address the question "why" for God's purpose in allowing evil and suffering. After all, if the Christian is grounded in Biblical truth, the answer should be obvious. Right?

    But as I quickly discovered, even the most seasoned and mature Christian will most likely face a trial, a death, a disease, or a tragedy in his life that will bring the question to the forefront and cause him to question his faith. It will also compel him to question God's true nature, to falter in his belief that God is sovereign over all creation, and that God has a purpose for allowing evil and suffering to come upon him.

    Randy Alcorn effectively builds and supports the foundation of history's generational struggle with this question and the depth to which it affects the entire world. Drawing on his and others' personal experiences, he pulls his readers deeply into the book. Sparing no words, Alcorn transitions his argument into the basis of understanding the nature of God and the faith that is necessary to withstand the reality of what the world may bring.

    By comparing the different worldviews with what Holy Scripture reveals, Alcorn is successful in tearing down those naïve or heretical viewpoints and doctrines that minimize God's wisdom, holiness, and perfect form of justice, thus encouraging us to understand Who God is in order to fully understand why He permits evil and suffering. Taking us into the very core of the question, Alcorn defines the differing moral standards in regard to the question of evil and God's goodness and the resulting consequences one brings upon the other through a fallen world's sinfulness and disobedience.

    As one reads through the book, Alcorn continually poses thought-provoking and soul-searching questions that drives his reader to become interactive and honestly answer them. To those with a sincere desire to fully understand why God has permitted such horrors and so many atrocities to continue throughout history without stopping them, he will find the answer within these pages. The reader, through the tireless efforts of Randy Alcorn, will arrive at the realization that God, through His sovereign, holy, and just nature, uses suffering and evil to refine His children, to humble them and break them of self-dependence, to deepen their faith and trust in Him, and to bring them into a deeper intimacy and understanding of His mercy, His grace, and why He allows evil and suffering to bring about His greater good.

    "Death is life's greatest certainty." As Randy Alcorn demonstrates through 500 captivating pages of exhortation and encouragement, it is what we do with our short life here and Who we believe God to be between our first breath and our last that will determine whether or not we understand the answer to the question he poses and what our final and eternal destination will be.

    I recently watched a short video produced by a young man named Zach Smith just prior to his death. As he described his fight with cancer and the heartbreaking inevitability of leaving his wife and three young children behind, he knew his suffering was limited in the here and now, that it was only temporary, and that his eternal reward for the suffering he had briefly endured here awaited him in his eternal home. His voice echoed Randy Alcorn's conclusion in this book: "In the end, Jesus Christ is the only satisfying answer to the problem of evil and suffering."

    As Zack looks into the camera, we are able to see resolve with the reality of his disease, hope, and peace in his face because of his strong faith and understanding in a sovereign God. If he had been given the time to read "If God Is Good" and write this review, Zach would have done a much better job than I with his final penetrating words:

    "This I do know. If God chooses to heal me, then God is God and God is good. If God chooses not to heal me and allows me to die, God is still God and God is still good. To God be the glory."

    I highly recommend this book to anyone, believer or unbeliever, who is seeking answers and struggling to understand their own trial, pain, tragedy, or heartbreak, or those who just want a better understanding of the goodness of a merciful and just God Who permits the worst in us to ultimately bring about His greater good. As Randy Alcorn so eloquently points out throughout this book, He will have the glory, in spite of the way we perceive Him.
  4. Smoothie71
    Alabama
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Don't let the number of pages scare you!
    November 17, 2014
    Smoothie71
    Alabama
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    I've never read anything before by Randy Alcorn but early last year I went through a very hard season of doubt and struggle and someone recommended I read this book. When I saw it was available for review I decided to pick it up.

    When I first saw it I was at Lifeway checking out more books (can you say book junkie?). It's almost 500 pages... to be honest that kind of scared me. Who wants to read that many pages of a non-fiction book, especially on the goodness of God? You could find yourself in deeper waters than you thought, right?

    Well, don't let the number of pages scare you. I've read several chapters of this book and it is just so good!! One thing I absolutely enjoy about this book is how it's PACKED with Scripture. Few books nowadays have the Word in them and I think it's a great benefit, especially to a book this important.

    Who hasn't asked, God, why does this happen? Why them? Why her? Why ME?

    In the midst of trials and suffering and pain we get real and raw and we ask questions, but more than that we start to SEEK. Is this all there is? How do I live after something like _________?

    Randy Alcorn uses grace and truth to help guide you through the questions to find yourself growing closer to your Maker and having a better understanding of evil. I wish I had had this book when I was going through doubt and depression and questions because he so beautifully points out all the bits of truth I needed to hear. Not all your questions will be answered, but the ones that really count are addressed here and I think you'll be blessed for reading it. If you know someone who is a skeptic or doubting or just struggling through life, I definitely recommend this book. It's lengthy so grab some coffee or hot chocolate and your Bible and get to work.

    Note: I received this book for the exchange of a review.
  5. Rebecca
    Richmond, VA
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A must read
    March 31, 2011
    Rebecca
    Richmond, VA
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    No matter how long you've been a Christian, we all come to those moments when you question God's sovreignty. If God is inherently good in His character, how can He allow violence, tsunamis, natural disasters, and disease to fester around the world? And if He loved me enough to send His Son to die for me, why is He allowing this trial or that hardship? In a world where there seem to be few moral absolutes, how do you tell the difference between good and evil?

    And these questions are just some of what Alcorn tackles in his latest book. From cover to cover, he thoroughly describes God's character in relationship to man and to the world, refusing to rest his argument on anything less than the Bible.

    It would be easy for a book like this to come across as condescending, but Alcorn never gives the reader the impression that something is wrong with you if you struggle with these issues.

    At the end of the day, Alcorn's book is a worthwhile addition to any library, but it seems especially valuable for those readers who are trying to better understand a dynamic, limitless Creator. I had high hopes for this book, and it did not disappoint.
Displaying items 1-5 of 43
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