Good Questions and 'Good' Answers

Another day in 121 made more enjoyable by finishing Chris Wright's book 'The God I Don't Understand' (2008) on the train.

I've posted on Chris Wright before - here. Chris, in my opinion, is one of the finest biblical scholars presently serving the church. His books on Deuteronomy and Ezekiel are very good and his larger 'The Mission of God' is excellent. I must have read 'The Mission of God' the autumn before beginning my blog so there are no posts on it, so there's a good excuse to read it again!

In this book Chris identifies some questions which are hard to answer, e.g. Why suffering? What was all the fuss about the Canaanites? The Cross: Why, What, How? And the great climax, what's the end all about?

Chris' aim in the book is to reflect on what the bible actually says about these matters and then to draw lines within which we can study and gain understanding and beyond which we will, in this life, never fully understand our God and his ways.

On suffering Chris very helpfully writes of a proper Christian response to suffering, as modelled in Scripture, being: lament, grief, anger, disgust and protest. Not resignation, not transferring blame to 'the curse' or 'the judgement'. In summary:
The Bible compels us to accept that there is a mysteriousness about evil that we simply cannot understand (and it is good that we cannot).
The Bible allows us to lament, protest, and be angry at the offensiveness of evil (and it is right that we should). (p. 55)
This is a much more biblically robust way to respond to the evil of suffering than a resigned grin and bear it, or don't worry it will be better in heaven kind of approach which really helps no one and only brings the gospel into disrepute.

In the section on the cross Chris writes very well of the Trinity and how we cannot set the Father against the Son: i.e. The Son wins a grudging forgiveness from an unwilling Father, or the Father makes an unwilling victim of his Son. We don't understand the mystery of the Trinity but we know the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father and the two always work in perfect harmony. So any presentation of the cross or the atonement that falls down here will fail to do justice to the biblical presentation of Christ's work on the cross. A timely reminder and challenge to those otherwise minded.

A good book, easily read and very highly commended.