God in the Dark: Rebuilding Faith When Bad Stuff Happens

What becomes of faith in God when bad stuff happens? How do we react when we realise that, for all its glories, this world can be a dark, dangerous and disappointing place? We may decide that God is no longer to be trusted, or continue with a form of belief that is at odds with our experience of life. Or we may choose the most risky and difficult option: trying to build a Christian understanding that looks the facts full in the face whilst holding on - for dear life - to belief in a God of love. Half-wishing that he had never known the spurious comfort of a religion that promised so much and seemed to deliver so little, the author sets out on the lonely road of re-examining his faith. He discovers early on that we must seek God first in the mess of life, in whatever most perplexes us - in short, we must look for God in the very place where he is apparently absent. This rock which is the earth is a hard place, in all senses. In sharing his experiences to encourage other 'battered Christians', Peter Longson's honest, unflinching exploration of the nature of evil and its consequences for life and faith leads him to some surprising and liberating conclusions about the nature of God.Peter Longson