In Where is God in Suffering? philosopher Brendan Purcell considers ways in which we can meaningfully reconcile our faith in God with a world that often appears to be plagued by great tragedy. In this deeply personal and impassioned book, the author explores stories of historical figures and characters in literature whose unyielding faith in the face of great personal suffering provides solace for people today.
From Viktor Frankl and Etty Hillesum, both of whom endured the untold torments of concentration camps, to the terminally ill teenager Chiara Luce Badano, whose trust in God never wavered, Where is God in Suffering? provides an impassioned rejoinder to commentators such as Stephen Fry and Peter Singer who doubt or deny the existence of God. Also included are touching accounts of the lives of friends whom the author has known over the years, and whose great stoicism and faith in adversity will provide inspiration to all those who share in their story.
Richard Akins' Challenged to Grow is just the right kind of ecumenism, a fervent call to Christian unity with as much respect for the truth as for the dignity of all Christians who would seek to follow Christ and spread his Good News throughout the world. Full of thoughtful analyses and helpful metaphors, the author's own long and rich experience with both Evangelical and Catholic traditions and practices bring this book to life. I enjoyed and profited from Challenged to Grow. I gladly challenge others to read and grow from it too.
--Kevin Vost, Psy.D., author of eighteen books from Memorize the Faith! to How to Think Like Aquinas. The passion for Christian unity shines out of the pages of this book and a charity for the people with whom he sometimes shared a pew and other times a kneeler. Reformed Christians will find permission via Challenged to Grow to rediscover the wider Christian world as a larger family of God. This is Good News.
--Reverend Dr. John Balluff S.T.D. Ecumenical Officer and theological censor for the Diocese of Joliet This is most assuredly a helpful book. But it is also an unusual book. Rick Akins challenges us to grow into deeper unity inside the body of Christ. This challenge is not unique. What is unique is that Rick lived inside the congregational life of a large evangelical church for some years while he remained faithfully Catholic. As Rick wrestled with his faith, and thus with different understandings of Christian doctrine, he learned to better understand evangelicals. As a result of this lived experience he did not embrace an argumentative or condemning spirit but rather a deep and transforming love. I heartily recommend Challenged to Grow because Rick's story will help both Catholics and evangelicals truly love one another.
--Dr. John H. Armstrong, Founder/President, ACT3 Network, Carol Stream, IL Author, Costly Love: The Way to True Unity for All the Followers of Jesus Regarding Richard Akins' book, Challenged to Grow, I can enthusiastically recommend its publication. Part spiritual memoir, part manual for ecumenical dialogue, this book gives the reader a unique perspective on Catholic-Protestant relations, and follows the author's devotional and intellectual journey through many of the major points of contention between traditional Catholicism and conservative Protestantism. Akins is reclaiming the concept of fundamental Christianity, rescuing it from a narrowly unchristian application, and applying it to the universal Church for the sake of Christian unity. This book should see the light of day, and will prove eye-opening and edifying for those who read it.
--James L. Papandrea, Ph.D., Professor of Early Church History and author of a dozen books
