My professor recommended this book and a few months later it happened to be temporarily free for the Kindle, so I jumped on it! I am so glad I did. The author tackles some very tough, yet very common questions about God, good and evil, yet he does it in a straightforward and easy-to-understand way. Highly, HIGHLY recommended for anyone who is questioning God, or anyone who just wants a to be able to more thoroughly address those deep questions. ( )

Norman Geisler addresses the problem of evil in this work. He examines arguments made by some that claim that God and evil cannot co-exist and offers Biblical answers. His audience for the book seems to be more of a lay audience than an academic one, although he clearly knows where philosophers and popular Christian writers stand on the issue. One of the more appealing sections to the lay Christian audience may be his appendix addressing theological issues in the popular fiction book, The Shack. The subtitle may be misleading as there is little new ground covered by this book. This book is just a convenient and concise handbook of the reasons Christians have been advocating for centuries. His parables and true-life examples should appeal to lay readers. ( )

Norman Geisler takes a very systematic approach to a very broad and generalized question by breaking down the topic of evil into all its facets, such as nature, origin, and purpose. He also works in related topics like miracles and expands on the topics in three appendices. He uses both the rules of logic and debate as well as Bible scripture to support his conclusions.
I have read other books in the realm of Christian Apologetics, but nothing quite so detailed on a single topic as this book. While I was previously familiar with the arguments regarding the problem of evil, this book taught me why those arguments either work or don't work. Without getting into the specifics of what each argument entailed, I can safely say that Geisler did a thorough job of laying to rest the title question and addressing every possible side.
This book would be an excellent addition to any theology book collection. ( )

If you’re interested in the problem of evil, or curious about how an all-powerful, all-loving God could allow bad things to happen to good people – whether we’re talking personal troubles, natural disasters, or even illnesses – you’ll find something of value here.

Geisler approaches the topic as a philosopher and a Christian, using philosophical paradigms that will be familiar to anyone who has taken even a basic philosophy class at any level. He looks at arguments for and against basic points, and uses both historical and scientific data to answer the common objections to issues such as the nature, origin, persistence, purpose, and avoidability of evil, while also addressing the problem of Hell (eternal evil).

The appendices in Geisler’s book were actually the most intriguing part of the book for me personally, because he discusses the evidence for the existence of God using basic scientific principles and insights from prominent physicists and astronomers. He also gives several pages to a critique of the popular novel The Shack, looking at the theological issues surrounding Young’s portrayal of God and the nature of evil.

I found Geisler’s book to be very well put together, very readable, and highly logical. Reading the book doesn’t require a background in philosophy, nor does it present convoluted concepts that might be above the average layman’s comprehension levels.

Rather, if the problem of evil and why a loving God, if he existed, would allow so much suffering in the world is a question you have struggled with in the past (or perhaps are struggling with today), Geisler’s book offers some new, carefully presented, rational ways to think about the issue. And it’s a short read, to boot – a far cry from a textbook slog! ( )

Norman Geisler offers a strong, logical examination of the questions so often proposed by atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, et al concerning God and the continuing existance of evil. Although much of the emphasis is on many of the arguments used to disprove the existance of God based upon the presence of evil, Geisler exposes the fallacies in those arguments while explaining in an understandable way the reasons for evil and why God does exist even though evil remains present on this earth. I recommend this book for my Christian brethren for I believe we all have encountered this sort of argumentation at one time or another. ( )