Created for Joy A Christian View of Suffering

by Sidney Callahan

In the face of suffering, is it possible to believe in God? In this heartfelt and thoughtful new book, revered Catholic columnist Sidney Callahan answers yes, offering a reflection on suffering from a Christian perspective. Taking on C.S. Lewis and other traditional writers, she introduces the reader to new insights from fields such as the psychology of human emotion and evolutionary biology. Drawing from her own harrowing experience of a mother's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824525663
• ISBN13: 9780824525668
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Crossroad Publishing
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

hope out of despair, joy from sorrow

One of the most perplexing issues in all monotheistic faith traditions is why a supposed loving God doesn't prevent or stop incredible human suffering. If you are looking for a pat answer here, you won't find it. Dr. Callahan offers us a different view on the problem of evil and suffering by instead arguing for a loving God who has created us for joy. Unlike a lot of popular psychology books that offer fluff instead of substance, this author argues intelligently and beautifully about the God of love and the God of comfort. It is not an easy read if you are looking for a how-to best seller. This book demands careful attention to the psychological and theological nuances that Dr. Callahan so carefully presents. Be prepared to return to biblical stories of suffering and academic studies around the human experience of evil, loss, and suffering. But it is worth it as she ultimately offers us to consider that God loves us so much that God created us for Joy. I first read Dr. Callahan's "On Conscience, that I loved and wasn't disappointed in her latest. I highly recommend this thoughtful, lovely, and hopeful book written by one who has suffered and made peace with loss and shows us how to embrace the joy that we created for.