Issue Of Theodicy Research Articles

Dialogues on the Issues of Theodicy in Late Ming Fujian

This paper aims to illustrate the dialogues on the issue of theodicy in late Ming Fujian. The Catholicism that entered China in the late Ming dynasty had a competitive relationship with indigenous religions in terms of their meaning systems. Catholicism emphasized the omniscience, omnibenevolence, and omnipotence of God, which created tensions and contradictions with the reality of phenomena such as the suffering of good people and the existence of evil. In the late Ming period, scholars, believers, and missionaries in the Fujian region engaged in deep exchanges and dialogues on theodicy, reflecting the significant attention and consideration given to the problem of evil. This paper first analyzes the dialogues on theodicy between the Fujian scholar Ye Xianggao (1559–1627) and the missionary Giulio Aleni (1582–1649). Next, it explores the discussions on the problem of evil between ordinary believers in the Fujian region and Giulio Aleni in their daily lives. Finally, it examines how anti-Catholics used the problem of evil to criticize Catholicism, and it also identifies the characteristics and impacts of Catholic theodicy in the late Ming and early Qing periods.

TEODICEJA I RECEPCIJA EMOCIONALNOG U DNEVNIKU ANNE FRANK

The Diary of Anne Frank, unquestionably the most renowned diary penned during the Shoah (the Holocaust), provides a profound insight into the theodicy issue, a vital layer of the Diary, which has, until now, largely been overlooked by literary-critical examination. Anne Frank herself attempts to “justify” God’s goodness, justice, and omnipotence in view of suffering, particularly the suffering of the innocent. This exploration of theodicy, confirmed by excerpts from the diary, paves the way for the research addressed in the second part of the paper, focusing on the reception of the theodicy issue; namely, identifying this layer and the predominant emotions linked to it. The results of this research indicate a significant correlation between the comprehension of the theodicy problem and the recognition of the dominant emotion, thus affirming the relevance of discussing The Diary of Anne Frank as a text that, despite suffering, speaks of universal love.

The Question of Theodicy in Islamic Philosophy—Suggesting a Solution: Badāʾ

The problem of evil is one that has earned much attention in recent decades and is frequently used as a justification for atheism, and increasingly so due to the rise in popularity of secularism and atheism. How is the issue of theodicy considered in Islamic philosophy, and especially in Shīʿa theology? Does this problem arise there at all? The following discussion addresses these questions, examining the basis of the so-called ‘problem of evil’ through the rationale and multiple perspectives offered by Islamic Shīʿa theology on the issue. First, some verses in the Qurʾān dealing with evil and suffering will be illuminated. After that, some mutakallimūn’s views will be presented. Following that, the problem of evil will be investigated from the perspectives of Ibn Sīnā and Mullā Ṣadrā. After briefly highlighting the mystical perspective, finally, a practical theological solution according to Shīʿa theology known as badāʾ will be introduced.

COVID in Nursing Homes: A Call to Repentance

This essay details the author’s experiences as a medical director at Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Richmond, Virginia, the first nursing home to have a COVID-19 outbreak in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It explores how the deaths of his patients challenged his faith and raised issues of theodicy. Ultimately, the author does not ask for an explanation of evil, but urges us to examine our culpability and our responsibility, then listen to Jesus’s call to repentance (Luke 13:1–5). In the end, our light, as weak as it is, must persist in the darkness.

İnfluenza Salgınının Olası Kurbanı Max Weber’in Teodise Kuramı ve Covid-19 Salgını Bağlamında Aktüel Değeri

Max Weber, modern dönemi anlamak için asketik ve mistik ayrımında olduğu gibi genel olarak ikili konumlandırmalarla meseleleri ele alır. Weber'in özellikle Leibniz’den beri felsefede tartışılan kötülük konusuna temel katkısı onu sosyolojik düzlemde ele almasıdır. Modern dönemin rasyonalist yaklaşımının kötülük meselesini izah etmeye yöneldiğini ve bunun da sosyal alanda somut sonuçları olduğunu gösterir. Din sosyolojinin merkezi temaları olarak teodise ve kurtuluşu ele alan Weber’in kuramının aktüel değeri nedir? sorusu, bu makalenin odağıdır. Nitel araştırma desenine sahip bu çalışmada amaçlı örnekleme tekniğiyle Kalvinist kökene sahip Amerikan mezheplerinin sunduğu açıklamalar internet ortamında derlenmiştir. Dinî söylem üreten görevlilere ait bu makalelerin içerikleri betimsel analiz tekniğiyle irdelenmiştir. Sonuç olarak günümüzde Kalvinist kurtuluş doktrininin ve ilahi takdir düşüncesinin sürdürüldüğü tespit edilmiştir. Bu teodise yaklaşımı farklı argümantasyonlarla işlemektedir. Söz gelimi bu yaklaşım, bilimsel çıkarımların mantık yürütme tarzını tartışır. Tümevarım ve tümdengelim arasındaki farkı ve yargıların mutlaklığına dair kuşkuları dikkatlere sunar. Felaket hakkındaki bu yorumlara göre Tanrı’nın çağları aşan ve insan bilgisinin ötesinde bir planı vardır. Bu plan, insanın anlayış ve iradesinin üstünde olduğu için inanç meselesi olarak ele alınır. Son olarak Covid-19 salgınının bir yargılama olduğu kabul edilmekle birlikte tekil bir grubun günahları için değil dünya (herkes) için yapılan bir yargılama olduğu belirtilmektedir.

American Theodicy: The Content and Origins of the Apologia of David Bentley Hart

This paper attempts to examine an unconventional solution to the problem of theodicy proposed by the modern Orthodox theologian and philosopher David Bentley Hart. The purpose of the study is to provide insights into Hart's interpretation of the issue of theodicy. The paper discusses David Hart's counterarguments regarding the most popular current-day trends in understanding the problems of theodicy in the Western world, which, in his opinion, do not provide a response to anyone inquiring about God, but only serve as further grounds for atheistic attacks on Christianity. Particular attention is paid to the positive side of the theologian's teachings, which is a daring attempt to provide a response to atheism without resorting to the rational arguments of classical theodicies. The scientific value of this work lies in identifying the conceptual parallels of David Hart's apologetic views, which enables a conclusion to be drawn about the possible Russian footprint in the philosophy of the Orthodox American. This is of particular interest in terms of the further study of the influence of Russian religious philosophy on the establishment of modern English-speaking Christian philosophers and theologians. The study employed the historical and philosophical methods of scientific knowledge, along with the so-called philosophical hermeneutics method, which enabled the philosophy of David Hart to be analyzed as a phenomenon existing in the context of modern culture and the deep meaning of his texts and relation between the principles of his philosophical system to be revealed.

Felaket Dönemlerinde Deneyim Mimarisi, Anlam-Krizi ve Istırapları Dinî Referanslarla Anlamlandırma

Toplum, bir insanî inşadır; inşa edilen dünyada bir anlam sistemi kurulduğu gibi ona referansla bir düzen de kurulur. İnsanın toplumsallığı aynı zamanda nomos inşasına yönelik arzu ve eğiliminin de bir ifadesidir. Onun toplumla olan ilişkisi, uzun bir hikayedeki bir perde olması bağlamında etkileşimseldir. Varlık bulduğu dünyada içselleştirdiği anlam kodları ve bilgi stoklarıyla dünyanın varlık bulmasında etkin olur. Onun bu dünya kurma ve idame etme girişiminin en temel öğesi dindir. Din, özellikle marjinal dönemlerde bir anlam referansı olarak işlev görmektedir, tıpkı olağan dönemlerde olduğu gibi. Günümüzde bir salgın COVID-19 pandemisi ile deneyimlenen marjinal durum, insanın eğiliminin bir uzantısı olarak açıklanmak ve yorumlanmak isteğine muhataptır; çünkü insan, acı ve ıstırap kaynağı olayların izahına yönelik bir arayış içindedir. İlk defa Max Weber’in sosyal zeminde tartıştığı teodise özünde felsefî bir tartışma olsa da kurucu sosyologlardan beri sosyolojinin de konusudur. Bu incelemede Peter Berger ve Thomas Luckmann’ın fenomenolojik yaklaşımlarında teodise meselesi ve marjinal durumların insanın anlam arayışındaki yeri ve işlevi sorgulanmıştır. Bu bağlamda dokümantasyon yöntemiyle elde edilen bulgular incelemenin temel iddiası düzleminde değerlendirilmiştir. Sonuç itibarıyla birey ve grupların yalnızca mutluluk verici olaylara dayanarak bir dünya kurmadıkları, ölüm, salgın, acı ve ıstırap gibi marjinal deneyimlerin de anlam kaynağı olarak yüksek düzeyde bir işlev gördüğü tespit edilmiştir. Peter L. Berger ve Thomas Luckmann, din sosyolojisi ile bilgi sosyolojisinin etkileşime girdiği kavşak olan anlam meselesine kuramlarının merkezinde özellikle yer vermektedirler. Hem günümüz salgın deneyiminin anlaşılmasına yönelik çabalar hem de bu çabaların sosyolojide anlaşılmasında söz konusu kuramcıların yaklaşımlarının izah önerisi bu çalışmanın problematiğini şekillendirmektedir. Böylece bu çalışmada kriz dönemlerinde anlam meselesi, "insan hayatı salt mutluluk kaynağı olan olaylara dayanılarak anlam üretmez, marjinal deneyimler de anlam kaynağıdır" iddiasını sınamak için sorunsallaştırılmıştır. Berger ve Luckmann'a göre dinin temel fonksiyonu, gündelik hayatın deneyimlerini anlamlandırmasıdır. Düzen nosyonunun yanı sıra ona yönelik tehditlere de odaklanan bu anlam verme çabası bireysel değil kolektiftir; ortaya koyduğu ürün, “cılız ve kırılgandır” ve bu nedenle “sürekli olarak yeniden inşa edilmelidir. Berger, ıstırapları meşrulaştırılması bağlamında dinin işlevine odaklanır ve ona göre “din, bir dünya görüşünün yaptığını yapar; sarsıcı deneyimlerin haklı gösterilmesi. Luckmann ise dünya görüşü kavramıyla insanın verili toplumun anlam dünyasını içselleştirmesi ve onunla deneyimlerini izah etmesine odaklanır. Modern toplumlarda dinî kurumsal tekel söz konusu olmadığı için çoğulculuk içinde bireyin kendi anlamlandırma tercihini yapması gereği söz konusudur. Günümüz salgın deneyimi başta olmak üzere majör olaylarda özellikle gündeme gelen anlam krizi, dinî alan için belirgin bir form taşır. İnsanın marjinal deneyimlerini anlamlandırması, bir anlam topluluğuna referansla şekillenir. Salt bireysel bir anlam dünyasının varlığı ise sorgulanmaktadır. Anlam krizi ve teodise arasındaki bağ, gündelik yaşamın ıstıraplarına dayanma gücünün kaynağı olacak bir açıklama arayışı ve onun muktedir kılan niteliğine yönelik talepkârlık dikkat çekicidir. Günümüz toplumunu risk üzerinden tanımlayan yorumlar aynı zamanda risk argümanı üzerinden teodise meselesinin anlaşılmasında da bir zemin tanımlamıştır. Anlamlandırılmış bir dünya Berger için bir ev anlamına gelir; anlamlı, düzenli ve güvenli. “İnsanlık tarihi, bir ıstırap tarihidir” diyen Berger, günümüzde yaşandığı gibi salgın dâhil doğadan kaynaklanan acıların öyküyü biçimlendirme gücüne işaret eder. Son tahlilde, Berger ve Luckmann'ın kuramlarında görüldüğü gibi, günümüz COVID-19 salgını da insanın bir açıklama aradığı ve anlamlandırmak istediği bir deneyimi temsil etmektedir; bu bitimsiz çaba, insanın kendini evinde hissetmesi bağlamında vazgeçilmez görünmektedir.

Theodicy in an ironical sense: The Joban Wager and the portrait of folly

A case is made for the sophistication of the prose of the Job Prologue. The issue of theodicy in Job is then re-investigated by looking at paratactic elements in the Divine Wager. Three aspects of the Divine wager are probed: (1) Use of Virtual Quotations; (2) The demands on credulity of a ‘Tall Tale’, where one would have it that the system of retributive justice be suspended just so that the suffering of one extra-ordinary individual need not reflect on his punishment due to sin; and (3) Prophetic Discernment: the spectre of a false vision report where the heavenly council scene is a canard. It is concluded that the real issue in Job is not theodicy per se but the folly of raging against God so as to absolve oneself of sin (Prov. 19:3). Thus, Job and the Friends represent a composite portrait of human folly in the manner of the Wisdom Literature. Job is linked to the deterioration of the fool depicted in Proverbs.

For It Is God’s Way to Sweeten Bitter with Bitter

In accounts of Emmanuel Levinas’s relationship to the Jewish theological tradition, scholars often analyze Levinas’s essays about Rabbi Hayyim of Volozhin, and specifically his 1824 book Soul of Life (Nefesh ha-Ḥayyim). This article treats two essays that Levinas wrote in the mid-1980s on that book, and shows that Levinas’s praise for that book involves coming close to endorsing its theology of suffering, a theology that strikes this article’s author as obscene. In Nefesh ha-Ḥayyim, those who suffer deserve their suffering, their suffering is in proportion to the sins that gave rise to it, and their suffering purifies and atones for their sin—in the language of the Jewish theological tradition, “it is God’s way to sweeten bitter with bitter.” This marks a departure from Levinas’s standard treatment of issues of theodicy in essays such as “Useless Suffering” (1982). In the article’s conclusion, the possibility is raised that Levinas’s account of divine illeity liberates theologians from problems of theodicy.

Hans Jonas i Alan Watts: teodycea a mit spekulatywny

Artykuł stanowi krótką pracę porównawczą, przedmiotem której są dwa różne spekulatywne mity. Pierwszy z nich, to mit angielskiego teologa Allana Wattsa; drugi - żydowskiego filozofa Hansa Jonasa. Oba mity dotyczą zagadnienia teodycei. Artykuł stara się przedstawić główne tezy obu wspomnianych mitów. Ukazuje ponadto szczególną rolę mitu, w kontekście zagadnienia teodycei.

Secularisation and Empowerment. Four Poemson Theodicy

This article analyses four 18th-century poems on the issues of theodicy and a moral world order, which were central to Enlightenment discourse and to figureheads such as Bayle, Leibniz, Voltaire an ...

Mighty to Save: A Literary and Historical Study of Habakkuk 3 and Its Traditions by Christopher R. Lortie

Reviewed by: Mighty to Save: A Literary and Historical Study of Habakkuk 3 and Its Traditions by Christopher R. Lortie Jamie A. Banister christopher r. lortie, Mighty to Save: A Literary and Historical Study of Habakkuk 3 and Its Traditions (ATSAT 99; St. Ottilien: EOS, 2017). Pp. x + 277. Paper €39.95. This monograph is a slightly revised version of Lortie's dissertation submitted to the faculty at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg, Germany, and defended in 2015. As indicated in the subtitle, L.'s study focuses on literary and historical matters pertaining to Habakkuk 3, which is well known for its text-critical problems and complex history of transmission and interpretation. In chap. 1, L. sets the stage for the study by summarizing the history of ancient Jewish and Christian interpretations as well as modern research regarding Habakkuk 3. Ancient interpretations discussed are the inclusion of Habakkuk 3 as one of the Haftarah texts, Jerome's translation and commentary, Cyril of Alexandria's commentary, Bede, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. Modern scholars discussed include Carl Friedrich Keil, Julius Wellhausen, Bernhard Duhm, Ferris Stephens, Umberto Cassuto, William Irwin, W. F. Albright, Sigmund Mowinckel, Baruch Margulis, John Eaton, Theodore Hiebert, Richard Patterson, Yitzhak Avishur, David Toshio Tsumura, Robert Haak, Francis I. Andersen, Henrik Pfeiffer, G. Michael O'Neil, and John E. Andersen. Most of these scholars, along with Dominique Barthélemy, J. J. M. Roberts, and Wilhelm Rudolph, provide the basis of much of L.'s interaction with secondary literature throughout the monograph. L. notes two main interpretive trends: (1) comparisons of Habakkuk 3 with ancient Near Eastern literature and (2) "form-critical assessment of the liturgical style and function of the text with its possible cultic function" (p. 12). In chap. 2, L. concentrates largely on establishing the text, along with separate analyses of syntax, structure, and genre. One of L.'s critiques of previous work on Habakkuk 3 is that textual criticism, literary criticism, structure, and interpretation often get lumped together and can influence proposals for an original Hebrew Vorlage that may not have any support in the manuscript traditions. Thus, L. devotes separate sections or chapters to each [End Page 318] of these topics. L. works verse by verse (or sometimes by partial verses). The result, as L. predicted, is a text that is much closer to the MT than that of most other text-critical studies of Habakkuk 3. In chap. 3, L. moves on to interpretation of Habakkuk 3. Again, L. goes verse by verse (or close to it), but this time he also treats the verses as part of their larger units (where applicable): superscription; v. 2; vv. 3-15 (further broken down into vv. 3-7 and vv. 8-15); and vv. 16-19. Although recognizing similarities with ancient Near Eastern texts and mythology, L. rejects limiting the influence to one particular ancient Near Eastern tradition or text. Lortie considers the larger context of Habakkuk 3 in chap. 4. First, L. addresses the interpretation of Habakkuk 3 in relation to Habakkuk 1–2. He argues that the Book of Habakkuk shows a tripartite structure: (a) judgment against Israel/Judah; (b) oracles against nations; and (c) mostly announcements of salvation. Next, L. expands the discussion even more widely to consider the function of Habakkuk 3 within the larger context of the Book of the Twelve (Minor Prophets). In chap. 5, L. takes a closer look at the ancient versions of Habakkuk, starting with the Greek versions (LXX, Barberini, and Naḥal Ḥever), each discussed separately. Discussion of the Latin Vulgate follows the Greek, which is in turn followed by the Aramaic translation in the Targum Jonathan. L. traces most differences in the translations to interpretive choices rather than a Hebrew Vorlage different from that of the MT. In chap. 6, L. addresses the theology of Habakkuk 3 and, in chap. 7, summarizes L.'s findings. He notes five theological aspects pertaining to the portrayal of God in Habakkuk 3. He also discusses the issue of theodicy in Habakkuk 3, which, he admits, "is not completely answered in the text" (p. 254). In the end, L. argues that Habakkuk 3 is meant to be experienced...

“Anatheism” within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to theopaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics

The Syrian and refugee crises, the violent radicalisation in Europe, and global xenophobia stir up anew the link between the human quest for meaning and hope within the realm of human misery and destructive acts of severe evil. The article focuses on the problem of theodicy and its link to God images. It discusses both inclusive and exclusive approaches to the theodicy issue, and proposes a paradigm shift from threat power to intimate, vulnerable power. A diagram is designed in order to identify different metaphors for God in pastoral caregiving. With reference to a pastoral approach, lamentation is viewed as an appropriate variant for theodicy. In the attempt to return to ‘God after God’ (anatheism), lamentation could help reinterpret the ḥesed of God in terms of our human predicament of ‘undeserved suffering’.

Elementi leibniziani nella discussione dei problemi di teodicea in Rousseau

This article deals with the presence of Leibnizian philosophical elements in Rousseau’s theodicy. According to critics, theodicy is a large and complex problem that involves the whole of Rousseau’s thinking. In formulating a new and original solution, Rousseau often refers to Leibniz’s use of notions of universal order and harmony. An analysis is made of Rousseau’s texts that are more directly concerned with the problem of evil, namely Lettre a Philopolis, presumably written in 1755, Lettre a Voltaire dated August 18, 1756, Profession de foi du vicaire savoyard, and Lettre a M. de Franquiere, January 1769. These texts show that, starting from the Second Discourse, Rousseau reflects deeply on the issues of theodicy referring constantly to the notion of harmony and order arrived at by Leibniz. On this basis, he is able to reinstate in opposition to Voltaire the role of Providence by taking up and reinterpreting Leibniz’s solution.

Theodicy and End-of-Life Care

This article examines theodicy—the vindication of God's goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We focus on the thought processes that chaplains, social workers, and other professionals may use in their care interventions to address issues of theodicy for patients. Theodical issues may cause anxiety and distress for believers, but they can also potentially be a source of relief and release. Palliative care patients with a religious worldview often struggle with whether God cares about, or has sent, their pain. How social workers and other clinicians respond to such questions will have a great impact on how patients express themselves and use their religious beliefs to cope with their situations. For patients holding religious/spiritual perspectives, discussion of theodicy may facilitate closer relationships between patients and their caregivers and result in more compassionate and empathic care.

Boèce et Augustin : la Consolation de Philosophie comme nouveau De ordine ?

Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy has often been compared to Augustines’ Cassiciacum Dialogues. This paper intends to establish this comparison with Augustine’s Dialogue De ordine, in which Augustine asks himself how evil is included in the order of divine Providence. Concerning the issues of Fortune, chance, destiny and evil, one tries to compare their point of view. Each of them asserts that divine order keeps evil at bay. Apart from this important issue of theodicy, both works share other common themes like poetry, liberal arts and ethical education. They combine in a different way neoplatonic and stoic sources. Even if it is difficult to be sure, it can be presumed that this Dialogue had a real influence on Boethius.

The incompleteness of science: reflections for Christian teachers and for others interested in the science–religion relationship

Science and religion complement each other in the search for truth. The intrinsic unpredictabilities discovered by twentieth-century science can be interpreted to show that physics has not established the causal closure of the universe and that belief in human and divine providential agency is not forbidden. A new natural theology can interpret the deep intelligibility of the universe as a sign of the mind of its Creator and the fine-tuning of physical law to permit carbon-based life as an indication of divine purpose. Understanding an evolving universe as a creation in which creatures can ‘make themselves’ offers theology some help with issues of theodicy.

Hoe kan God dit toelaat? ’n Bibliologiese verryking van die teodiseevraagstuk uit ’n vergelyking tussen Openbaring en 4 Esra

How can God allow it? A bibliological enrichment of the theodicy issue from a comparison between the Book of Revelation and 4 EzraIn the process of understanding and defining the relationship between God and man, the theodicy issue frequently floats to the surface. A long strand in the history of philosophy and theology has addressed itself to the task of reconciling God’s omnipotence and benevolence with human suffering and the existence of evil. Some of the philosophical and theological views are represented in this article. According to reformed scholarly presentation, theodicy should seriously take into account the soteriological and eschatological hermeneutical views. This is confirmed by the Old Testament, intertestamental literature and the New Testament. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the apocryphal 4 Ezra which puts surprising views about theodicy on the table.

Biblioblogging, 'Religion', and the Manufacturing of Catastrophe

Building on a previous analysis of 'biblioblogging' and its relationship to the mass media, this article looks at the ways in which 'bibliobloggers' handled the recent tragic events in Haiti. As is typically the case in the handling of US foreign policy, biblioblogging largely fell into line with the dominant positions in the mass media on the specific problems faced in Haiti which mask or deflect colonial/postcolonial interventions. Similarly, some bibliobloggers turned to the issue of theodicy with significantly vague concepts of 'religion' and 'God' being used to both (partially) explain suffering and deflect the more troubling narratives. Finally, some consideration is given to the ideological function of loving to hate the far right, with particular reference to the ways in which Pat Robertson's comments on Haiti were discussed by bibliobloggers.

Conceptions of God, Freedom, and Ethics in African American and Jewish Theology (review)

Conceptions of God, Freedom, and Ethics in African American and Jewish Theology, by Kurt Buhring. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. 262 pp. $79.95 (c); $40.00 (p). Conceptions of God, Freedom, and Ethics in African American and Jewish Theology is a scholarly text, geared toward, but not written exclusively for, teachers and students of theology, religion, and ethics. Anyone who has ever struggled with reconciling belief in a benevolent and omnipotent with the enormity of evil or random suffering, or asked the Why do bad things happen to good people? question, is wrestling, as Buhring does in this work, with the issue of theodicy, the branch of theology and philosophy that deals with the problem of the existence of evil. The existential insecurity that can result is derived from cognitive dissonance between our understanding of who or what is, who we are in relationship to God, and our responsibility as human beings for what happens to us. Readers from other disciplines, with an interest in the foundation, form, and content of ideas that have contributed to social policy, can derive some benefit from Buhring's in-depth analyses of the work of the theologians that he has chosen to interrogate for this study. His primary thinkers, James Cone and Emil Fackenheim and the supporting cast of eight theologians included in the text, in discussing theodicy have raised issues and concerns of broad applicability, well beyond the sphere of religion. Within this deceptively compact text, Buhring uses an efficient compare and contrast strategy to explain some rather complex liberative theologies, alongside his distinctive perspective on the nature of God, suffering, and evil that he describes as humanocentric theism. He borrows the term from theologian William R. Jones, without necessarily rejecting out of hand, as Jones does, an underlying methodological and theological assumption of an all good and all powerful God. Chapters Two and Four provide the essence of the theologies that he has selected from his primary pillars, James Cone and Emil Fackenheim respectively, while Chapters Three and Five speak to critiques and affirmations of Cone and Fackenheim from the eight theologians (described here as secondary thinkers) that are as broad and balanced as Buhring promises in Chapter One. From the very beginning Buhring makes it clear that in proposing humanocentric theism as his to thetheodicy question he isaffirm[ing] the reality of evil, the goodness of God, and reinterpret [ing] the nature of God's power (p. 7). Like Fackenheim, who has written extensively on postHolocaust Jewish theology, and James Cone, the foremost apologist for Black Theology in the United States, Buhring maintains that social, cultural, and historical forces are inseparable from the form and content of one's theology. To that end, with no shortage of events with which to illustrate the challenge that theodicy presents to belief in a benevolent and all powerful God, Buhring chooses two of the more extreme examples that, as he says, so profoundly rupture[s] our conceptions of God (p. 5). It is certainly likely that the notion of for people of faith affected directly and indirectly by the horrific events of the Shoah or genocide of approximately six million Jews, and the enslavement and oppression of African Americans caused in part by continuing individual and systemic racism, would, at the very least, have undergone a metamorphosis. Chapter Two is a careful analysis of James Cone's theology, which Buhring describes as a response to the problem of suffering and moral evil more than . …