Why?: Making Sense of God's Will

by Adam Hamilton

Overview

Where is God when tragedy and suffering strike? When the ground shakes, and a poor nation's economy is destroyed; when the waters rise, washing away a community's hopes and dreams; when a child suffers neglect and abuse; when violence tears apart nations where is God? If God is all powerful, and if each one of us is a beloved child of God, then how can God allow tragedy and suffering to mar his creation? In Why?, best-selling author Adam Hamilton brings fresh insight to the age-old question of how to understand the will of God. Rejecting simplistic answers and unexamined assumptions, he lays out core ideas for comprehending God's plan for the world, including: God will not take away our free will, even when we use it to grieve him. God will never abandon us, especially in the midst of our suffering. While God is not the author of suffering, God will bring blessing out of tragedy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501858284
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	02/20/2018
Series:	Why? Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	337,385
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. The Church Report named Hamilton’s congregation the most influential mainline church in America, and he preached at the National Prayer Service as part of the presidential inauguration festivities in 2013. Hamilton is the best-selling and award-winning author of The Walk, Simon Peter, Creed, Half Truths, The Call, The Journey, The Way, 24 Hours That Changed the World, John, Revival, Not a Silent Night, Enough, When Christians Get It Wrong, and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, all published by Abingdon Press. Learn more about Adam Hamilton at AdamHamilton.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Note from the Author ix

Chapter 1 Why Do the Innocent Suffer? 1

Chapter 2 Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered? 31

Chapter 3 Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life? 55

Chapter 4 Why God's Love Prevails 77

Editorial Reviews

In this slim volume, a Methodist pastor of a large Kansas City church attempts to tackle the formidable issue of theodicy: if God is good, why do bad things happen? Hamilton (24 Hours that Changed the World) does so without resorting to big-name philosophers or Latin-sounding constructions. He has a comforting story-telling approach to writing that will be appreciated by readers wanting to soothe their sores more than grapple with the complexities of this age-old question. Hamilton proposes that God has given human beings responsibility and free will to manage their lives and oversee the created order. He sidesteps the issue of why God is necessary if people are essentially left to their own devices. Instead, he offers faith in a larger Christian scheme, a divine narrative that the gifted theologian and writer Frederick Buechner summed up by saying that "the worst thing is never the last thing," or, in more traditional language, life will overcome death and good will triumph over evil. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly