Books about the problem of evil can be extremely frustrating because you know at the outset that, from a Christian point of view, the answer (if we can call it that) will involve the word “mystery.” N. T. Wright in Evil and the Justice of God says that his intention in that book is

“not so much to give answers to impossible philosophical questions as to bring signs of God’s new world to birth, on the basis of Jesus’ death and in the power of his Spirit, even in the midst of ‘the present evil age’” (p. 11).

So when I read books on this subject like N. T. Wright’s, I am not really looking for answers, but I hope that the author will help me think about the issues in a way that will help me conform my thinking to the to way the Bible thinks about them. When I read a book about the problem of evil, I hope to gain wisdom more than understanding, hope more than assurance that things will work out in this life. For I know that, sooner or later, my reflections will be tested by the hard reality of suffering or the sheer evilness of evil at a personal level. You cannot go for very long just thinking about evil and suffering without experiencing them.

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