“God Forsaken; Bad Things Happen. Is There a God Who Cares? Yes. Here’s Proof.” is Dinesh D’Souza’s new book. As the title suggests, there is a portion of the population who feel this way. They feel as though God has abandoned them. They feel as though God does not care and even may be “out to get them”. D’Souza tackles what is arguably the most often-asked and most difficult question of our day to answer. How is it that God can be so good and at the same time allow evil and suffering in the world He created? He sets out to answer this question using a modern and scientific approach. D’Souza gives three purposes for writing this book. First, to “answer the atheist argument that evil and suffering in the world somehow contradict the idea of a God who is both omnipotent and good.” Second, to “convince both unbelievers and believers that there is a reason and purpose for evil and suffering”. Third, to “specifically address Christians who are suffering.”

D’Souza writes from the vantage point of a debater, who through the years has debated many of the leading atheists of the day. For the most part, this book is written to address their own positions as it relates to the omnipotence of God and human suffering. In Chapter three, “Limits of Theodicy”, D’Souza defines theodicy as the “task of reconciling divine omnipotence and goodness with the existence and extent of evil and suffering in the world.” He says that for centuries Christian authors and thinkers have been active in this practice and have offered many different theories of vindication for God. D’Souza believe the standard and usual answers are no longer sufficient.

God Forsaken meticulously lays out the reasons why an omnipotent God may allow evil and suffering in this world. Such reasons are that He may have a morally sufficient reason to allow it, there may be a greater good to be revealed through the evil and suffering, some evil is necessary for humans to exist, and much evil caused at the hands of humans themselves and not by God. These are simply stated here, but D’Souza defends these positions in great detail throughout his work. This book is not an easy read. It is written from a scientific approach, which at times is a hindrance. There is also very little scripture references throughout. Chapters five and six, covering God’s sovereignty and man’s free choice will likely frustrate the Calvinist readers and bring out the “straw man” arguments. I found the target audience to be a bit confusing. Is it a book for Christian apologists geared toward atheists, or is it book for Christian apologists to encourage other apologists? In spite of this ambiguity, this book will be well worth your time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”