Carmen C. Dicello

Why?: Reflections on the Problem of Evil Carmen C. Dicello

Nothing so baffles the mind or staggers the soul than the reality and sheer intensity of human suffering. How can we explain such widespread malevolence in a world ruled by a benevolent God? What is the proper response to such pain and puzzlement? Skeptics and believers alike are compelled to ask, "Why? " Some have advocated an overly confident and simplistic theodicy, while others have retreated to a place of doubt or even unbelief. But neither of these options will do. Carmen DiCello urges that we reject both unwarranted confidence and outright skepticism, favoring an approach in which human knowledge and human ignorance are held in tension. Providing a helpful framework for thinking through these issues, DiCello balances what we can know with what we can't, showing that there is reason enough to believe along with ample cause to rest our hearts and minds in a good, sovereign, but also mystifying God. Why? provides spiritual and intellectual guidance for all who are willing to venture into these troubling waters, and who desire to emerge with a realistic faith and a sustaining hope.