I’m usually reading about 4 or 5 books at one time, so I’m going to update this every weekend with the list of books I’m currently reading.
4/11/2008
The Brothers Karamazov
Fyodor Dostoevsky
“The last and greatest of Dostoevsky’s novels, The Brothers Karamazov is a towering masterpiece of literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion. It tells the story of intellectual Ivan, sensual Dmitri, and idealistic Alyosha Karamazov, who collide in the wake of their despicable father’s brutal murder.
Into the framework of the story Dostoevsky poured all of his deepest concerns—the origin of evil, the nature of freedom, the craving for meaning and, most importantly, whether God exists.”
– From Amazon.com’s book description
The Shack
William P. Young
**Just finished!**
The Shack is one of those books that stays with you a long time after finishing it. I was drawn in by the story, and then the dialog kept me locked in. The theology is solid, but you have to read the entire book to be sure you understand the full context of what is presented. The theology unfolds throughout the book with a personal touch, which is provided by the story.
The main character is in the process of facing a tragedy in his life, trying to reconcile that with what he has been taught about God. So the book addresses the problem of evil head-on, but leaves us with only an indirect answer: God can be trusted, even in the face of horrible tragedy, and God is at work to redeem the evil that has come as a result of a world of free creatures. I think that is as close as we can come to a “solution” to the problem of evil.
The book also gives some interesting insight regarding the doctrine of the Trinity. Every analogy or explanation falls short, but this story provides a some helpful dialog on the topic.
Ultimately, I was moved to a fresh perspective on how God collaborates with the world to accomplish his purposes. Thanks to this book, I’m becoming a more willing participant in that process.
Jason Barmer
