by Gordon Wong
Armour Publishing, pp 154
“I don’t understand your God, Bryan! How can he allow so many innocent people to die from starvation yet call himself good?” my army friend asked. “To me, your God is a bad God,” he asserted firmly.
God made no sense to him. God’s seeming indifference to sin and suffering was enough for my friend to dismiss the faith. I was quite stunned by his insistence that Christians do not have a coherent understanding of how God relates to a broken world. How should one begin to respond?
Rev Dr Gordon Wong, with his experience as a local theologian and minister, brilliantly addresses the question of suffering, sin and significance that festers in our minds – yes even for us who have followed Christ for years.
What good is a God who allows the suffering of many? Why does God not stop perpetrators of sin from causing more harm? Why is our search for significance an empty pursuit – a chasing after the wind? Does God make sense in view of all these?
Wong responds confidently with a strong affirmative “Yes” in God Makes Sense (Even When Life Doesn’t). He details how the Christian belief of God’s love demonstrated by the death of Jesus on the cross is God’s personal answer for our questions. We are invited to completely trust and place our faith in Him. This is a faith that is reasonable, rational and relevant. Even more so, faith in the God of the Christian Bible guides us to appropriately respond to our struggle with suffering, our shame from sin and our search for significance.
God Makes Sense is, in essence, a written defence for the Christian faith and an invitation for readers to hold God’s answer as an anchor for their souls, amidst the tumultuous waves of life. Wong’s masterful ability to communicate profound biblical truths in a conversational and simple manner makes this book an easy read for all. His use of amusing anecdotes and even pop culture references brings life to his illustrations, occasionally giving us a chuckle or two. Where points of contention may arise from his conclusion, Wong tactfully presents his argument in a clear and succinct manner.
I would recommend this book as a primer, especially to readers who are new to the study of Christian apologetics (defense of Christian beliefs). This book is also suitable for our friends who have yet to know Christ and are seeking answers! May this book be a timely exhortation for us to “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks (us) for a reason for the hope that is in (us).” 1 Peter 3:15b
Reviewed by Bryan Au
Treasure Trove Team Reader
