Unspeakable

I think I already mentioned I was reading the book, "Unspeakable," by Os Guinness. Since I think it's a good book for anyone questioning evil this world, and since pretty much everyone has, then this is a good book for anyone to read. It is a deep and intellectual book (not surprising given the topic) while still being accessible for most. There were a few parts I skimmed over and quotes that I didn't quite follow but for the most it was understandable!

Guinness spends the first part of the book providing a framework for thinking about the problem of evil. He addresses the progression of evil and such questions as "Why me? Where's God?" and "How can I stand it?" I think if you're reading this you already know there aren't solid answers to these questions but the way he thinks through them is helpful. Next he goes on to discuss the various world views and their response to evil. He provides background on Eastern religion, Secularism and Jewish and Christian thought. He spends the most time on Christianity given his faith, but the other sections are well written and informative as well.

From there he asks, "What can we do about it?" Each world view has a different perspective and again, he spends the most time on how Christians can respond. He talks about various large-scale reform movements but at the same time doesn't expect that everyone can take part in such activities. We can only be responsible for our sphere of influence. he used several quotes from the Old Testament prophets when God looked and saw the evil of his people. My favorite verse was Micah 6:8 " He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." One of the main things we can do in our response to evil is to act justly in all we do. I often get overwhelmed thinking of the scale of the problem and my small influence, but he encouraged me to do what I can without making me feel depressed!

Finally he points out some "rainbows in the midst of the rain." One of the organizations he mentioned was the International Justice Mission. This is the second time I've heard about this group and I think it sounds like a great organization. Over the next year I want to try to highlight some other organizations that are trying to make a difference in areas of obvious injustice.