Suffering: A Test of Theological Method

by Arthur C. McGill

Book Overview

How can an omnipotent God allow suffering and violence to pervade the world? Arthur McGill approaches this disturbing question by examining the concept of power that is violent, destructive, and dominative, and the power of God that is creative, totally open, self-giving, and expansive. Through consideration of power, McGill provides reflections on the nature of God's inner life in the Trinity and concludes that "service" characterizes God's relationship...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0664244483
• ISBN13: 9780664244484
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

One of the profoundest books I've ever read

I think, read, and write about theodicy a lot and I was looking to this book for an orthodox Christian answer. I don't think it contains any kind of a panoramic explanation for the existence of evil - an answer to the question of how evil can exist if God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good - but what it does contain is surprising and profound: a solid and inspiring description of God's power, the power of total self-giving. McGill employs what he calls a "method" to plumb the Bible's depths, illuminating several parables in a way that seems so obvious after your read him but which you probably never thought of before. In particular, his rendering of the Good Samaritan parable stunned me and I can't get it out of my mind. He is no Biblical literalist as he makes clear only at the end of his little, highly readable book, but he takes what the Bible says with utmost seriousness. This book could transform your life if you read it carefully.

Divine Power Made Perfect in Weakness!

As someone working on a theology of the cross where the "power of God is perfected in weakness," I look for others writing on the same topic. This small, extremely readable book put so much together in such a small package that it is hard to rate the book highly enough. There really is nothing absolutely new here, but McGill has prayed through things to the center, and as a result, his writing reflects a really new coherence, brilliance, and perspective. You've heard it all before, but then again, it is all new --- and it is all incredibly compelling! One thing which is particularly helpful is his comparison of the Gods of Arius and Athansius. Two entirely different paradigms of God's power are at work here. It is a wonderful way to approach the debates involved. Also, McGill's understanding of the demonic will resonate with modern readers. Above all, however, McGill provides a theology which makes real sense of suffering, and introduces the God of Paul and John, et al, in a way which contrasts sharply with the absolutely powerful God so many espouse by mere reflex. A really great (and fast!) read.

Simple, clear and effective

This is a book that can completely change the way you think about life. McGill takes you slowly through an argument that makes the most difficult problem of our time seem simple. There is nothing wild or speculative here and nothing that hasn't been around for the last two millennia. It's the way McGill puts it that make the difference. I would put this book on my top five list for the last decade.