In his book, “The Goodness of God”, Randy Alcorn tackles the subject of suffering, and God’s presence during. The discussion over suffering is not a popular one, nor an easy one to bring an answer to. Suffering puts on many faces in our lives today; emotional, spiritual, financial, and physical are a few. Each one uniquely different.  Regardless of the form of suffering, every believer has to come to terms with the purpose for suffering, first answering “Is there a purpose for suffering and can any good come from it?”

“The Goodness of God” is a condensed version of Alcorn’s earlier, and more exhaustive work “If God is Good”. Alcorn approaches the subject of suffering from the biblical perspective and handles a difficult subject thoroughly and honestly. He deals with the origin of suffering (which he concludes is that of evil), various viewpoints surrounding suffering, Christ’s redemptive work through suffering, and God’s sovereignty over suffering. Although this book is short in length it is by no means a light read. He deals with doctrinal topics without becoming academic. I enjoyed this book. I appreciate how the author did not try to minimize suffering or lead one to believe that some are exempt from it. Great book and well worth the read.

In his latest book, “The Jesus Inquest”, British lawyer Charles Foster puts forth an in-depth, scholarly, and virtually exhaustive study of the events surrounding (tomb, death, burial) and finally the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Putting his trial skills on display, Foster puts the resurrection on trial, presenting both sides of the resurrection debate. Foster is involved in an internal debate. A debate in which Foster himself admittedly does not know what side he will come down on.

The format and style of this book is unlike any I have ever read. The premise is a debate between two characters, X and Y. Character X takes on and plays the role of the skeptic while Character Y takes on and assumes the role of the Christian. The skeptic takes the floor first with massive amounts (too much at times, I’m afraid) of research ready to refute the possibility of a physical resurrection. X has done his homework, but at times builds “straw-man” arguments. In typical trial fashion, the Christian takes the floor next. He deals with each point that X puts forward with a sense of reality and brevity (which I think helps his case). As in a real court case, there is a jury to weigh out the evidence and argument and come to a conclusion. In this book, the reader is the jury.

Overall this is a good work from the apologist standpoint. One negative issue I had with this book is that the research put forward from X’s position makes this book seem like a “textbook”. As a Christian, some of the phrases and terminology used by X to characterize Y were at times offensive. Although I didn’t agree with everything Foster wrote, it does not negate the fact that he has put forth a great work that is well-written and well worth your time. As a pastor, I encourage my people to read behind people they don’t agree with in order to be better prepared to defend what they do believe in. “The Jesus Inquest” provides such an avenue.

 In the book “Radical; Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream”, author and pastor David Platt clearly defines a struggle facing every believer. The struggles as he sees it one between whole-hearted and selfless obedience to Christ and the pursuit and enjoyment of the America Dream. Platt uses John T. Adams definition of the American dream. Adams said it is “a dream… in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are.”

 Platt paints two extremes for the reader. On the one side there is the modern-American Christian and church. He speaks of million dollar buildings, homes, and cars sitting in parking lots. He speaks of the modern Christian with fine clothes, more money than they need, and a disconnect from and a tolerance for the modern worship experience. On the other side are the house churches in countries where the gospel is illegal, believers who enjoy hours upon hours of bible study, and countries with little or no provision such as food, water, and shelter. Platt’s book is a call for us to be uncomfortable with what we have and with what others don’t have. It is a call for a new sense of obedience through understanding that our pursuit of the American Dream hinders the gospel from reaching the nations.

Platt builds his book in large parts to the story of the Rich Young Ruler of Mark 10. When asked how to inherit eternal life, Jesus told this young man to go and sell his possessions and give it to the poor. Platt does a great job of carefully explaining that works are not the basis for salvation. Instead, if there is something in life that means more to us that Jesus, we must set it aside, whether money, status, etc. He uses real-life examples of people in his congregation that have taken the step toward radical obedience by selling their possessions in order to promote the gospel. I liked this book very much for the powerful message. Ultimately, Platt is calling every believer of Christ to a decision. The decision is this: Will we continue to enjoy all the benefits of the American Dream to the detriment of the nations? In the very end, it is a call for all us to determine and decide how much Jesus means to us and how far we are willing to follow Him.