A clear, thoughtful examination of how suffering can fit with a benevolent God.
This rigorous inquiry tackles one of philosophy’s oldest questions: if God is all-good, why is there pain and evil in the world? The author argues that a view of God as actively guiding creation—working with human wills to bring about the greatest good—offers a more consoling and motivating path than a God who simply could have created all good and chose not to use it.
The discussion moves through competing ideas about power, matter, and mind. It surveys ancient and modern notions of how the world’s laws and limitations shape what is possible for the divine will, including the challenges of heredity, personhood, and the persistence of evil as a means to greater good. The book weighs the idea of a limited, but personal, God against alternatives that seem less compatible with science and reason.
- Clear, accessible argument about the problem of evil and the nature of divine goodness.
- Engaging critiques of competing theories, including pre-existence and matter-mind distinctions.
- Connections between philosophy, theology, science, and ethics to explain why evil may be compatible with a wise, purposeful God.
- Thoughtful reflections on what it would mean for ultimate good to prevail and for immortality to frame our understanding of life.
Ideal for readers of philosophy of religion, ethics, and theology who seek a measured, rigorous approach to a perennial question.