God's Problem of Suffering

You'll hear it said quite often that people shouldn't talk about two things: politics and religion. Even if that is true, they sure are reading about it, especially when it comes to religion. Look over the NY Times bestseller list and you'll consistently find books ranging from simple books on spirituality to hard-hitting books denying the existence of God to fantastical novels about Jesus. People love to read about religion. But on anything in particular? Yup. Christianity. I heard Newsweek's editor say once that their bestselling magazines were always the ones with something about the Bible or Jesus on the cover. Some would say that this fascination is due to our rich Christian heritage. I think differently (see Romans 1:19-20).

Bart Ehrman became very popular at the release of his book Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. Ehrman is not a fan of Christianity. But what is fascinating about Ehrman is that he used to be Christian. Now I don't mean some nominal believer. Eherman was overtly evangelical and even attended Moody Bible Institute. He is home grown. But after years spent pondering the Christian faith court-side, Ehrman has changed his mind. He has seen the goods and does not like them.

Thus the publication of his new book God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer. His thesis is not that Christians misinterpret the scriptures and misunderstand God's purposes in suffering and evil. His thesis is that the God of the Bible gets it wrong. I suspect that this will be a huge best seller like his previous book, and I don't need to explain why. We all suffer. GracePoint has been hit hard in recent months with much tragedy and suffering (my family included). Even with our faith held close, the inexplicable nature of suffering, with its mysterious impetus and purpose, drives us to question God himself. If that is where we are, where are those without God?

I have embedded the audio to an interview that NPR's Terry Gross did with Ehrman. It is long, but fascinating. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? Is this disconcerting to you? Does the Bible answer the question of suffering? Listen closely at 9:05 where he describes "redemptive suffering."

And pray for Bart Ehrman. Suffering, perhaps, has driven him to reject the God we love.

Also, for a different look at suffering, download this Tim Keller message.

HT: Denny Burk