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Is God to Blame? Moving Beyond Pat Answers to the Problem of Suffering

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A long-standing assumption of most Christian theologians and Christian believers has been that God exercises some form of meticulous control over the physical world; i.e. that everything that happens is part of some kind of divine plan.
Unfortunately, scattered throughout the countryside of Poland are the remains of history's most notorious counterexamples to this view: the Nazi death camps. Richard Rubenstein argued decades ago that if one views God as a 'master controller', one has no choice but to see even the Holocaust as the product of God's will and divine plan. Dostoyesky too, saw this, immortalizing the dilemma believers face in *The Brothers Karamazov*. Dostoyesky's Alyosha Karamazov and Rubenstein both see the same result: if all evil and suffering is part of some divine plan, then there can be no assurance that creation is good or that our ultimate futures are hopeful. 'Good news' indeed!
Attributing the evils and misfortunes of life to God's will has been theologically and pastorally disasterous. Theologically, it slanders God. At the very least, it calls into question whether God is truly good. Sure, some will say that could we only but see the 'big picture', we would see how everything works for the greatest good. (Evil is no longer evil at all, but ultimately good?) But these are empty words--if God includes even the Holocaust in some divine plan, it is no less likely that all the goods we see work for some great evil. Pastorally, this leads to hurtful and sloppy explanations for suffering, and an attitude of victim-blaming. (A prominent German theologian Rubenstein cites draws the conclusion that the Holocaust is a punishment on the Jews.) In light of this, a work like Boyd's that takes both evil and God's commitment to the good of creation seriously is a refreshing change.
Boyd's book (in essence condensed from some of his earlier works)is a popularized introduction to the Open View of God, with a special focus on explaining evil. Boyd uses both methods of Biblical interpretation and philosophical analysis to try to make the case that in creating beings with genuine free will, God has made a commitment to allow us to be self-governing. God takes a significant risk in allowing some measure of control over creation to non-divine agents. Evil, argues Boyd, is not a *part* of God's divine plan, but a *deviation* from it. I must admit that it is startling and rather tragic that the idea that evil is in conflict with God's plans should be a revolutionary, and highly criticized view.
I highly recommend this book, as well as his others. You may not be convinced in the end, but his ideas are a challenge that no serious believer can ignore, and he marshalls an impressive intellect to their defense. At the very least, taking the lessons of this book to heart should lesson our propensity to offer trite and shallow explanations of suffering rather than confronting them.

This is a great book with a balanced view of evil. This book is a shorter version of Satan and the problem of Evil, by the same author. This book presents a theology that explains the problem of evil in a way that the layperson can fully understand how a God of Love can also be a God of Wrath. It presents a realistic theology dealing with Satan and the fallen angels, and mankind's responsibility for evil in this world. This book does all these things while preserving and even expanding God's sovereignty, and demonstrating that men and women have a free will.

I go to Greg Boyd's church and have heard 7 years of sermons so I am familiar with Greg's theology. He is thorough, thoughtful and passionate about God-- so whether or not you agree with his theology this book is so full of fascinating information it is worth serious and prayful consideration. I found myself highlighting so much of the book that I knew a second and possibly third read through might be in order.

Like many people, I have struggled greatly with the issue of an all loving, good & perfect God & a world that has incredible evil & suffering. The idea that this all loving God was ultimately responsible for all pain and suffering in the world, supposedly for our own good, was a huge stumbling block in my faith. Greg's views on the problem of evil in the world and God's role in it made sense to me. It was a life changing discovery. Greg's view is controversial. Read the book for yourself and be prepared to have your brain & your faith stretched!

Check out other books by Greg Boyd-- not for the faint of mind: God at War & Satan and the Problem of Evil. Letters from a Skeptic, God of the Possible and others!

Boyd explores the idea that not everything that happens in our world is God's will. He develops the thesis that we were created with true free will, which necessitates the possibility of things happening which God does not want to happen. The practical implication in regards to suffering is that when we suffer, God suffers with us, rather than causing our suffering for some higher purpose.

Another idea Boyd discusses is that rather than God's will being something which is inscrutable and creation being relatively simple, he suggests that God's will is easy to understand (it is demonstrated in Jesus Christ), but creation is incomprehensibly complicated.

Boyd emphaszies that our starting point in understanding God's character needs to be Jesus Christ. He is our starting point. Everything we need to know about God was revealed in Him. Starting from here, he seeks to develop a theology of suffering which is consistent with the picture of God which Jesus Christ presented.

Okay, here's the deal. Of course, God uses evil to bring about good. That's a whole subtheme of the book. However, the main point is that GOD DOES NOT CAUSE THE EVIL! I have been in the place of the woman whom the author describes at the beginning of the book. I have lost my passion about God because I blamed him for the terrible things in my life. This book helped me find my faith again, and it helped me renew my relationship with God in a new and wonderful way.

Much harm has been done in the name of Christianity because people don't understand the basic premise that Boyd is bringing to light. This book may trouble those who do not want to let go of their preconceived and narrow ideas, but for me, it was a Godsend!

After reading this book and being very encouraged and blessed by it I decided to see what else the author had written. I was very shocked to see such dismal reviews of this book. I can only surmise that Pastor Boyd has a few enemies! Personally, he addressed many questions about suffering with real answers that were Biblically supported on the problem of suffering.

If you've been on the wheel of misfortune and struggled with all the "why" questions then this book will give you a perspective to renew your faith in a God who loves you. Have you been in the rat race trying to figure out God when life hits you hard? Boyd writes, "When our picture of God is influenced by the tragic events of life, it's difficult to be passionate about him [God]. When we let our experience define the Father, we are deformed by apathy, confusion and perhaps even unbelief."

A FEW MORE QUOTES: Boyd declares that "Christian faith is trusting that no matter how things go in life, God's stance toward us is the same as Jesus." and "The wisest response to questions we can't answer is to emphasize how much we know about God in Jesus Chrsit and how little we know abou the complex world. We know that God is decisively revealed in Jesus and thus we may assume that whatever isn't consistent with the character of Christ was not his doing." and "To be sure, we can know that praying always makes a difference." and "Though he [God] has designed a world in which he experiences frustration, grief and anger [think about Jesus] God remains tranquil and confident - and he wants to share his tranquil confidence with you."

Boyd gives some principles to live by in this world for every Christian:
1. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
2. Remember that God is with you.
3. Yield to His gracious redemptive power.
4. Let go of the "why" questions and confront evil.
5. Live in the Spirit.
6. Live in the hope of knowing it all will be worth it.

Boyd writes, "Though we can't know "the why" of any particular instance of suffering, we can and must know that our whole environment is under seige by forces that hate God and all that is good. The one thing we can be confident of in this otherwise ambiguous world is the character and will of God. This confidence is derived from our resolve to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ."

Get the book - you'll be blessed by Boyd's perspective on the question "Is God to Blame?"

For the first time in the 22 years of my Christian experience (that has included reading through the bible many times, listening to hundreds of sermons and reading scores of books) I have been able to move past the unsatisying "pat answers" to an understanding of the "problem of evil" that makes sense and squares with the revelation of God in the life of Jesus Christ. This book is scripturally sound, easy to read and immensely helpful. I think it should be required reading for all Christ followers.

Other commenters have touched on major problems with the book and its theories. I will address one concern I had in reading this book carefully. That is: biased,selective use of the Bible to avoid evidence unfavorable to his falsifiable position.

Example 1: Boyd cites John 9 with the man born blind as an example of unexplainable tragedy. The trouble is, Boyd has to give us his own PERSONAL unsupported translation of the passage in question to satisfy the demands of his system.
With every version of the Bible I've read, the passage reads, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened/he was born blind in order that the work of God be displayed in his life." Here, to soften the implications and clear statement of Christ as to God allowing the blindness to display the work of God, Boyd claims the original Greek of the passage says,"Let the work of God be displayed in his life." There, of course, is no footnote or source cited to corroborate such a peculiar opinion. Justification is insufficient to discard the KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, Living Bible and most other translations of this passage. Actually, the Greek does not say "Let the work of God be..", but "in order that the work of God be.." Boyd will have to do better than appeal to his own preference/self-authority to persuade a thinking audience to adopt his novel version. At least, he should get the Greek right!

Example 2: Book of Job. Here, Boyd entirely misreads Job from how thousands of years of Judaism and Christianity have read it before. He totally reverses the clear statement of Job "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away," as Boyd's version of wrong theology. Because Boyd thinks it's wrong,he superimposes his opinion revisionistically onto the passage to 'prove' his point. In other words, Boyd's reasoning is: "What Job says is what people misbelieved back then. I feel it is wrong theology. Therefore, at the end of Job in Ch.42 when Job repents, he also is repenting of this 'wrong theology'." Quite a leap to say the least! Again, no citation or reference to supporting scholarship leaves his personal opinion unsubstantiated.

Plus, Boyd deliberately omits the critical verse 2:10 "'Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?' IN ALL THIS, Job DID NOT SIN IN WHAT HE SAID." The author of Job(God Himself) clearly says Job did not sin in what he said. If Job's theology was wrong as Boyd would have us believe, the author would not have written his remark. The Bible itself is definitive here vs. Boyd's fabricated spin.

The question for the reader of Boyd's book is: Who are you gonna believe?? The Holy Spirit or Gregory Boyd? The Bible as it is written, or how Boyd retranslates-revises it to his taste?

While the book at times is very engaging and appeals to the emotions with personal stories of tragedy the author has encountered, it is 'semi-Bible-lite' and never, ever mentions the wrath of God against sinners (Ro.1:18ff), and is quick to quote John 3:16, but conveniently bypasses John 3:36 "Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
It would also have been nice to see how Boyd deals with Paul's thorn in the flesh (2Cor.12) where God allows a messenger from Satan to torment the Apostle Paul. Though Paul pleaded with God three times for its removal (which only He could do/allow), God responded with the key to Christian suffering,"My grace is sufficient for you, for My Power is made Perfect in your weakness."

I find this book quite deficient in many respects, but especially on how Boyd mishandles the clear Bible texts to slant things to fit his 'warfare philosophy' of life. The reader is advised to have their Bible close at hand and check it out for oneself like a good Berean to see if what Boyd claims is even remotely close to what "is written".

Wow! Someone found this book so threatening they had to review it 3 times in a row? I've found Greg Boyd's other books fascinating. I can't wait to read this one.

Mr. Boyd clarifies confusion about the idea/thoelogy that "everything happens for a reason". It is when horrible things happen that we ask why. It is at that moment we don't need to hear, "I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason". It is at that moment we should offer this book to the person asking. It offers real answers and demands personal thought. Thank you so much to Mr. Boyd for publishing this truth.