The Problem of Pain

By: C. S. Lewis

Narrated by: Simon Vance

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?” Is there justice or wisdom to be won by suffering, or some reward beyond understanding? And what of the suffering of animals, which neither deserve pain nor can be improved by it? Is the quantity and variety of suffering in the world inconsistent with, or evidence against, an omnipotent and perfectly loving God?

The greatest Christian thinker of all time sets out to disentangle this knotty issue. With his signature wealth of compassion and insight, C. S. Lewis offers answers to these crucial questions and shares his hope and wisdom to help heal a world hungering for a true understanding of human nature, free will, and the will of the Divine.

©1940 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This is an incredibly lucid and unprejudiced work…Lewis’ treatise on suffering, read by [Simon Vance], is like listening to a very interesting, yet intellectually revered, friend talk about a thorny subject over a cup of tea.”

(Paradise (audio review))

“It is really a pleasure to be able to praise a book unreservedly, and that is just what I can do with The Problem of Pain.”

(Guardian (London))

“The point about reading C. S. Lewis is that he makes you sure, whatever you believe, that religion accepted or rejected means something extremely serious, demanding the entire energy of the mind.”

(Harper’s)

“Lewis succeeds in lifting the reader from his frame of reference by artfully capitulating these topics into a conversational tone, which makes his assertions easy to swallow and even easier to digest…The fortune lies in Lewis’s inclination to set us straight with his charming wit and pious mind.”

(Amazon.com)

Why don’t people write like this anymore?

Profound discussion of the source, purpose, problem and ultimate extinguishing of all pain. May we see the divine that surrounds us in our pain.

Classic

encouraging and grounding. I've heard it over and over again with new insights pertaining to immediate problems of the moment

Philosophical in its time, relevant today.

Super interesting to listen to. I loved the narrator. The the ideas and thoughts are still relevant today.

Pure Brillance

The first time I tried to read this book I was overwhelmed by his writing style. I quit and put it on the shelf. so I picked it up recently and it is amazing . Do not give up on this boom or any of his others. They are sheer genius.

The Problem with Pain

The writing of Lewis is a dance of pure grounded logic with utter beauty of emotion. Both sides of your brain become engaged with his style. If you aren’t used to this style, it will exhaust you. And once you digest it enough, it flows. Pain is a wonderfully, painful side of life. This book brought, not just a peace to what I’m going through, but a joy.