God's Problem

The Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: L. J. Ganzer

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

In times of questioning and despair, people often quote the Bible to provide answers. Surprisingly, though, the Bible does not have one answer but many "answers" that often contradict one another. Consider these competing explanations for suffering put forth by various biblical writers:

The prophets: suffering is a punishment for sin.

The book of Job, which offers two different answers: suffering is a test, and you will be rewarded later for passing it; and suffering is beyond comprehension, since we are just human beings, and God, after all, is God.

Ecclesiastes: suffering is the nature of things, so just accept it.

All apocalyptic texts in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament: God will eventually make right all that is wrong with the world.

For renowned Bible scholar Bart Ehrman, the question of why there is so much suffering in the world is more than a haunting thought. Ehrman's inability to reconcile the claims of faith with the facts of real life led the former pastor of the Princeton Baptist Church to reject Christianity.

In God's Problem, Ehrman discusses his personal anguish upon discovering the Bible's contradictory explanations for suffering and invites all people of faith - or no faith - to confront their deepest questions about how God engages the world and each of us.

©2008 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Valid questions and reasons to ask them

Great book to either help you to strengthen or to lose your faith. This book makes you understand why we ometimes question GOD and his decisions. Overall, it made my strength in a devine power stronger. It did this by showing me that all this :bad news and life's atrocities might just be a test of our faith in Jesus Christ and GOD. Great book that asks critical questions..

Bart D Ehrman does not write for the evangelical Christian

Although I am a person of Faith, and I am drawn to Bart Erhman because I want a an academic view on the Bible. I want a learned eye on the Scriptures. I know there are no simple answers to complex questions. My experience in organized religion is deep in Christianity. I long ago abandoned literal interpretation of the Bible. Scholars shed light on the written Word. I like that. My faith is not threatened by knowledge. Bart Erhman is such a scholar. He gives clarity where confusion exists. He does no attempt to offer easy solutions to difficult problems. This book is worthwhile for Christians who desire facts.

Biblical view of suffering and evaluation

Very thorough treatment of suffering in the Bible. At times a bit too repetitive and he went off on a number of tangents. I happen to enjoy many of his tangents, I must admit. Some may be put off by his personal approach to the subject, especially his opinions, but I very much liked that aspect of it and tend to agree with him on most points. Not his very best, but highly recommended.

Ehrman delivered again!

loved it, I buy everything he writes, and always will. do yourself a favor and get informed

great book, wish he would have read it himself...

deep thought provoking questions asked and answered, I'll read Bart's analysis of the phone book. amazing intellect...

Una buena síntesis de un complejo problema

Este libro nos permite salir de nuestra limitado conocimiento de la Biblia para poder considerar el sufrimiento tomando en cuenata factores modernos, factores de inconsistencia interna de la Biblia,, factores de dependencia en la fé, para proponernos algo inusitado que por cierto está incluido en Eclesiastés

Introduction to Theodicy

I find this book captivating as it deals with the different ways the Bible explains the human condition, and as always, the author provides solid scholarship when it comes to Biblical history and textual criticism. The sincerity of his tone when talking about the suffering of human condition is a plus to the book. However, I found the discussion regards the philosophical problem of Theodicy rather superficial, I wish he could have explore the subject a little more in depth - as in spend one or two chapters in what he wittily called philosophically nuanced and obtruse subjects before wanders off to Newspaper headlines.

Great, informative book.

Great, informative book - It explores an integral topic to all humans and explores what most people have to struggle with at some point in their lives, suffering. It shows how the Hebrew Bible falls short of dealing squarely with the issue, if one is to look at it honestly.

A challenging analysis at last

Prof. Ehrman is fantastic. His Great Courses are particularly good, which led me to this title. He has written the impossible - a book for believers that tackles many passages they skip, which is a faith workout, and validation for those who do not follow Abrahamic religions. The reasons I don’t give my usual five stars to his book are twofold. First, he falls into the trap of selective passage use to bolster his points while simultaneously (rightly) castigating believers for the same thing. Second, for the Abrahamic God to exist as written for him, there can be no faith because we would all know and see. There would be no suffering of any kind (e.g. sweating in a gym). We would all be immortal and perfectly chiseled specimens who never try to do anything because it would all come easy. Sounds like a Twilight Zone hell to me.

Challenginly honest and straight forward.

Helped assemble scholarship to revisit a difficult age old problem. Gave me much to ponder.