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Rating: 
Summary: Asks many hard questions, but only hints at the answers
Review: After writing an introduction to a new book by a novitiate Christian author named "Richard", Yancey was confronted with Richard's conversion away from God. After much prayer and seeking of God, Richard concludes, "I came to my senses. Nothing had happened. God had not responded. Why continue torturing myself? Why not just forget God and get on with life . . . ?"This book is Yancey's attempt to respond to Richard's questions. Is God unfair? Is God silent? Is God hidden? Perhaps his greatest insight into these questions comes in a simple sentence. "Power can do everything but the most important thing; it cannot control love." From chapter six through chapter 20, Yancey provides a sketch of biblical history with an eye to answering Richard's questions. Quite frankly, a historical answer is not satisfying. Richard's questions are really personal. Why is God unfair to me? Why won't God reveal His will to me? Why can't I get an answer? There is a special kind of pain, even a kind of betrayal, when a Christian commits everything to God, but finds only silence. There is a sense in which disappointment is little more than unsatisfied longing. In the last third of this book, Yancey tries to deal more directly with these personal implications. I think he does so quite well, but those looking for final answers will be frustrated. Yancey provides hints, leads, and suggestions. Each of us must find our own way through the darkness, silence and pain. This book may help many prepare for a season of darkness. This book may help those who have passed through a season of darkness. But this book did not help me while I was in the dark. Only God can help then. This book ends with Richard separated from God. Should he ever find God again, I hope he writes another book. Maybe that one will help while in the dark.
Rating: 
Summary: The Hard Truth
Review: After writing an introduction to a new book by a novitiate Christian author named "Richard", Yancey was confronted with Richard's conversion away from God. After much prayer and seeking of God, Richard concludes, "I came to my senses. Nothing had happened. God had not responded. Why continue torturing myself? Why not just forget God and get on with life . . . ?" This book is Yancey's attempt to respond to Richard's questions. Is God unfair? Is God silent? Is God hidden? Perhaps his greatest insight into these questions comes in a simple sentence. "Power can do everything but the most important thing; it cannot control love." From chapter six through chapter 20, Yancey provides a sketch of biblical history with an eye to answering Richard's questions. Quite frankly, a historical answer is not satisfying. Richard's questions are really personal. Why is God unfair to me? Why won't God reveal His will to me? Why can't I get an answer? There is a special kind of pain, even a kind of betrayal, when a Christian commits everything to God, but finds only silence. There is a sense in which disappointment is little more than unsatisfied longing. In the last third of this book, Yancey tries to deal more directly with these personal implications. I think he does so quite well, but those looking for final answers will be frustrated. Yancey provides hints, leads, and suggestions. Each of us must find our own way through the darkness, silence and pain. This book may help many prepare for a season of darkness. This book may help those who have passed through a season of darkness. But this book did not help me while I was in the dark. Only God can help then. This book ends with Richard separated from God. Should he ever find God again, I hope he writes another book. Maybe that one will help while in the dark.
Rating:
Summary: The Hard Truth
Review: Yancey boldly asks three questions most Christians try to avoid: Is God Unfair?, Is God Silent? and Is God Hidden? Yancey wrote this book after meeting a young man named Richard who lost his faith after a series of unfortunate events happened to him. Yancey doesn't have better answers than the Bible, but he does help a person see a different perspective and dig deeper into the Bible for the answers to these questions. I came away with a better understanding of what may be God's point of view of the universe and events on planet earth. Yancey doesn't offer simplistic, trite answers to the three questions, but he does encourage the reader to think about who God is and why God may be silent and hidden. I think this book is a wonderful study of God and a historical view of the Bible from God's point-of-view.
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