Beacon2Light

Bart Ehrman is an atheist author who states he was a “devout and committed Christian.” He denied this faith because he couldn’t reconcile evil and suffering with God’s goodness.  He states that for most of his life he was a Christian. While in High School, Bart attended a Youth for Christ club and had what he called a born again experience. Later, Ehrman went to what he called a fundamentalist Bible college (Moody Bible Institute) to study for the ministry.  Bart claimed he could recite whole books of the New Testament from memory. He finished college at Wheaton then off to Princeton for an Master's in Divinity and a Phd in New Testament studies. After having served as a youth pastor, Bart stated that he began to lose his faith. Now, he no longer attends church, no longer believes or even considers himself a Christian.  But what happened was that Bart first started questioning the Bible’s authority and inerrancy. To him, it was “a very human book with...

Especially in light of the terrible shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado, questions about God and evil naturally arise. In response to the awful tragedy, Chris Sigfrids of WaterBrook Multnomah made this chapter available for your viewing at no charge, hoping that it would help you in a time like this to think biblically about God's goodness in the face of evil and suffering. He also hoped it would affirm your faith in the midst of tragedy and provide some measure of comfort. This chapter of Randy Alcorn's If God is Good asks: What Are Some Possible Responses to the Problem of Evil and Suffering? If God is Good by Randy Alcorn (Chapter 4) Chris Sigfrids didn't ask me to post this part, I'm doing it on my own. If the above is helpful to you and you wish to read a little more of Randy's thoughts yet you don't want or can't plunk down money for a full book or you would like a Reader's Digest version, check this out: If God Is Good: Why Do We Hurt...

Throughout the ages, lots of effort has been expended on balancing the seemingly incomprehensible co-existence of God and suffering. If God is good, then why does he allow suffering? If God exists, shouldn't he be expected to stop evil at any cost? Why must good people suffer and how come so many evil people get away with so much for so long? These questions and so many more are answered in this incredible volume. Someday, I would like to write a book or commentary and Randy Alcorn raises the standard quite high! I am impressed with the amount of research, his leaning on theologians as well as those traveling the path of suffering and his faithfulness to the written Word of God. His illustrations of suffering include recent examples. This would make a great textbook for an apologetics class. Yet, it has the readability of the sweet assurance of a friend. Alcorn's work is an act of deep counseling and perspective whether one is going through suffering presently or life makes...