Where Is the God of Justice?: Biblical Perspectives on Suffering [Paperback]

Warren McWilliams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2006

God’s Word on the world’s pain

Tsunamis, bombings, epidemics, famine. . .

Is God just? Can we trust Him? Why do people suffer? How does God help suffering people? Christians affirm the goodness of God, but their life experiences sometimes seem to contradict this basic affirmation of their faith. Meanwhile, many books on the Christian view of suffering tend to be abstract, unhelpfully stressing overly theoretical and philosophical perspectives.

Avoiding a mere "problem of evil" treatise, Where is the God of Justice brings the practical wisdom of Scripture and Christian thought to bear on the rubber-meets-the-road realities of human pain and suffering. Here is a comprehensive theology of suffering that focuses on experiences from throughout the full span of the human life cycle—infertility, betrayal, war, discrimination, aging, and many others. Examining the classic issues such as illness, natural disasters, and grief, McWilliams adds fascinating chapters on divine suffering and animal suffering, making this work particularly unusual.

An invaluable resource for pastors, counselors, and all who struggle with the day-to-day questions of pain and suffering.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite the title and an introduction that asks "Is God just?" McWilliams (professor at Oklahoma Baptist University and author of several other works on suffering) has purposely not written a theodicy, a defense of God's goodness in the face of the world's apparent evil. Although he does consider some of the more traditional theodicy questions—such as "Is suffering a punishment for sin?"—much of the book discusses Christian responses to various forms of suffering, such as infertility, violence and grief. His focus is not so much on how Christians think about God in relation to suffering, but on the believers' own practical response to their pain. McWilliams summarizes an amazing amount of Christian writing on suffering, but provides very little argument of his own. His chapter on animal suffering is the most striking example. He begins with a child's difficult question: "Will my dog go to heaven?" He summarizes what several authors, such as C.S. Lewis, have said on the subject and all the various facets of the discussion, but never gives his own answer to the question. With its decidedly academic flavor, copious quotations and many semantic discussions, the book is less practical than its author intends. (Jan.)
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About the Author

Warren McWilliams (PhD, Vanderbilt University) holds the Auguie Henry Chair of Bible at Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Product Details

• Paperback: 259 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Pub (January 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156563571X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565635715
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,347,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So where is the God of justice?, May 1, 2006

By 

Dianne Baskevitch (Laguna Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Where Is the God of Justice?: Biblical Perspectives on Suffering (Paperback)

The author offers a definite answer for several important concepts and misconceptions that people often ask about God, i.e. "Does God suffer?". As a reference book, this will be helpful to me when I am compiling data for research in my theological studies.
This would not, however, be a book I would ever pull off the shelf to help myself or anyone else, answer the questions, "Where is God showing up when my life is circling the drain of despair? Where is God in this secular and sinful mess of society that is so anti-Christ?"
In my very humble opinion, I feel the author did not answer the main objective as intimated in the title; "Where is the God of Justice". He provides many examples of biblical texts and borrowed materials from other authors and has left us to decipher their meaning. This is more like an outline of many different concepts. I am an avid reader but I am also very focused and need to see purpose in every minute that I spend doing anything. Therefore I appreciate an author who can continually redirect me back to the main point. I kept asking Dr. Mc Williams, who I'm sure is a brilliant man, "Yes, but what's the point?"
"Where is the God of Justice?" comes in the very last few pages of the last chapter and it is actually a culmination of the works of C.S. Lewis and Douglas John Hall. My paraphrase is, "People have expectations of a God who they do not fully understand, and most of whom don't even make an attempt to get to know and so are surprised and feel betrayed by Him when bad things happen." However, (author now)"... The best Christian theodicy needs to be based on the story of Jesus, including his death and resurrection." Where is the God of Justice? He is Immanuel, right here, in us and with us every step of the way. For anyone who does not fully understand this most amazing miraculous truth, the question for them will sadly remain unanswered.
And perhaps the most important answer to this question lies in the book of Revelation, which the author never even broached and that is the "Last Act" of this whole human drama. That's where true justice will be found ultimately. That's where the promises of justice will finally be fulfilled. But its still-though not too far now- in the future. (Have you watched the news lately?) If people do not look at the whole picture and the future that will surely come to pass, understanding that our earthly life is just a tiny segment on God's Kingdom timeline, then attempting to answer any of these questions, in my mind is a waste of precious time.
Only through the life a follower of Christ, who truly understands this truth and who allows the love of the Father to flow through them will the other people of this dying and broken world ever come to rightly answer this ageless question for themselves.