Off the Shelf

If God is Good by Randy Alcorn

The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West
by Dore Gold

From the February 2010 Philogian

One of the great theological and philosophical questions that echoes from the caverns of the hearts and minds of humankind is this: Why is there evil and suffering in our world?  For those religions that have a pantheistic foundation – Hinduism, Buddhism, and New Age come to mind – the answer is relatively simple: suffering is caused by an evil god; freedom from suffering is caused by a good god.  But, for Christians this question becomes more complex to answer.  We believe that God is innately good (see James 1:17) and innately powerful (see Luke 1:37).  So, if God is good and powerful, then why does He allow evil and suffering to exist?  Either God is not as good as we claim because He allows the presence of evil and suffering, or God is not as powerful as we claim because He fails to do something about evil and suffering.  But, could there be a third option: God allows evil and suffering in order to accomplish His will? 

In his newly released book titled If God Is Good (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2009), Randy Alcorn plunges into this discussion with a thoroughness that is unsurpassed.  Stories from his own personal experience and from others dot the pages with frequency.  Many of these stories grip your heart.  You want them to be freed from their suffering, from their pain.  And yet, as these stories unfold over several pages, the reader becomes aware of the blessings that come in the midst of suffering.  God was accomplishing His greater work.

The first half of the book focuses upon the theological and philosophical issues regarding suffering and evil.  I found this section to be a slower read as it caused me to do some needed thinking.  Chapter 16 and its focus upon “open theism” and the problem of suffering was well written.  As you might remember, “open theism” is the teaching that God’s knowledge is limited.  God does not know what you and I will decide to do; He only knows the resultant possibilities of each choice.  Alcorn’s response to this argument is worded thus: Suppose I travel to the future and see a certain quarterback throw the winning touchdown pass with two seconds left on the clock.  Would my knowledge mean that this quarterback will not freely choose to throw that pass?  No.  What I know is that he will choose to throw that pass.  My knowledge doesn’t cause anything – it is a simple awareness of the quarterback’s future choice.  He would make the same choice whether I knew about it or not.  Freedom to choose is not incompatible with God knowing our choices in advance (p. 154). 

What I found especially helpful in this deeply theological section was the multitude of references to outstanding theologians of the past: C.S. Lewis, Spurgeon, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and others. 

In the last half of the book Randy Alcorn shares many personal stories from others about how God has used pain and suffering to help them cultivate a deeper walk with God.  On page 414 he writes: Gratitude never comes from avoiding difficulty, but from finding yourself sustained through it.  The degree of joy rises to the degree of gratitude, and the level of gratitude corresponds to the level of suffering.  God’s sustaining providence always brings relief, even when life grows especially difficult.  In other words, it is not the suffering that is important; it is the level of our acceptance of the suffering that is important.  I was reminded of that now famous quote from C.S. Lewis: God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

Although this is not necessarily the easiest book to read, it certainly is one that should be read nonetheless.  Perhaps you yourself or a member of your family is going through a time of intense suffering and/or pain right now.  You are questioning its purpose.  And you may even be questioning the very presence of God.  I believe this book, especially those final 150-200 pages, will be a blessing to your own heart.

Another newly released book wrestles with another aspect of the problem of evil in our world.  Dore Gold, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, has written a book titled, The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West (Washington DC: Regnery Publishing, 2009).  The author, wanting his readers to understand the complexity of any negotiations with the Iranians, goes back into the early days of the Carter Administration and those final days of the Shah and the rise of the Iranian Revolution under Ayatollah Khomeini.  The West was convinced that the Ayatollah was going to offer a more moderate government in Iran.  But the Carter Administration and the Western governments soon learned that what an Iranian leader says to Western diplomats and media, is not necessarily what he truly intends to do.  This is known as the Shiite doctrine of taqiya – displaying one intention while harboring another (p. 63).  The Iranians play this game of deception very well.

Ambassador Gold unravels the threads that run from Tehran to Hezbollah (Lebanon) and to Hamas (Gaza).  He provides documentation to show that both of these terrorist organizations, whose primary purpose for existence is the destruction of the State of Israel, receive funding, armaments, and training from Iran.  Mr. Gold believes that a nuclear Iran could lead to an escalation of attacks against Israel.  Would Iran provide Hezbollah and Hamas with a nuclear device or a dirty bomb?  Iran would not be considered dangerous because it used a nuclear weapon; it would be dangerous because it possessed one.  A nuclear Iran would cause fear among neighboring Islamic states, especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, both with their predominately Sunni population.  Would the United States and the Western world provide nuclear technology to Egypt and Saudi Arabia to counter a nuclear Iran? 

Ambassador Gold believes that Iran will find cause to continuously delay any response to the threats from the Western world nations all for the sake of buying time to complete its nuclear program.  The West will set one deadline after another.  Soon the threats of any type of United Nations imposed sanctions will be meaningless.  What will Israel do?  The former Israeli UN Ambassador does not directly answer this question, but he leaves the door open that Israel would not hesitate to use a military strike.  It would be “David versus Goliath” once again…but we know how that story always ends, don’t we? 

In the light of what is happening in the Middle East today and the role that Iran plays in continuing to create a chaotic atmosphere of uncertainty, I highly recommend Dore Gold’s book.  It is a book that our elected representatives need to read so that they might better understand the Iranian mindset regarding negotiations. 

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