The Problem of Pain

By: C. S. Lewis

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

For centuries Christians have been tormented by one question above all, "If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?"

C.S. Lewis sets out to disentangle this knotty issue, but wisely adds that in the end no intellectual solution can dispense with the necessity for patience and courage.

©1940 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

reasoned answers to difficult questions

I admit I didn't understand everything I heard here, but what I did comprehend was brilliant and eye opening. Lewis explains why there is pain in this world in a way that makes even the bleakest times a glory to God, and his explanations make God all that more glorious. I will be listening to this again in the Hope's that it makes these troubling times all the more clear.

Highly Enjoyed!

I love C.S. Lewis and the narrator does a great job reading through this book. The Problem of Pain is a fantastic read for for anyone of the Christian faith or who is curious about why God allows man to experience pain throughout life. Very comforting and encouraging.

Outside the box thinking applied to the Christian explanation of pain

The content is very good and yet simple for such difficult and sensitive topic. The reader is affected in his approach though and does not seem to understand the meaning of what he is reading, his diction is clear but he does not convey the content effectively.

Insightful

Despite the passage of time, this classic still enlightens the heart that seeks God and meaning in this life and the next.

Not a book easy to listen to

Would you listen to The Problem of Pain again? Why?

Yes in order to get all that I missed or misinterpreted the first time.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Lewis's explanation of pain in light of man's now being a genetically new creature, a fallen creature in need of salvation and why pain goes on as man is reshaped back into the form of Adam and Christ, the second, sinless Adam.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

His voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The reshaping of man.

Any additional comments?

This is not a book easy to listen to. Although Vance does an excellent job of getting out there what Lewis said, Lewis is a Brit, and I as a poor American with my limited exposure to English in its truest form have such a hard time discerning what a man with such an extensive knowledge of the language (who seems aeons beyond me in how he chooses to present things) chooses to say. I had to back up and re-listen so many times. This seems as though it might not require so much of this had I enjoyed the book in print instead. WHEW!

One of the best books ever written!

I was thoroughly impressed with the way C.S. Lewis handled the questions of human existence and experience. He states each topic, looks at it from different angles, and explains why each angle will or will not work towards a solution by making an air tight case for his claim. He articulates his thoughts masterfully and by the end, I was in awe of how someone could write such a thing. Everyone should read this to simply contemplate the content, if nothing else. This book tackles why humanity grapples with reality the way it does. I loved it!

Pain is only part of this great book

Outstanding deep dive into pain and other issues in light of an all powerful God and his Son manifest in Jesus.

scholarship real

If I ever thought I was a scholar r, with all my educational background, this this particular work by CS Lewis reminds me how how small I am.


The breadth and profundity of thought and expressionRequire me to go all the way through it again paying even more attention to the details.


In fact, I don't even feel proper giving too much more of a description because I think there's so much more to be understood.

exceptional arguments

Obviously not infallible but the arguments are sound. C.S Lewis is one of my favorite authors even though I'm not a believer his stories and arguments make me wish I was.

Words of Steel

offers apologetics some degree of additional insight with which to address the common question of how a loving God could allow suffering.