The Problem of Evil: Is God to Blame?'

How can an almighty, all-knowing and perfectly good God be responsible for a Creation with so much pain and evil? This dilemma lies at the heart of a new book by the former Master of Campion Hall, Oxford, Gerry J Hughes SJ.

Summarising the theme of the book, he writes: "We live in an age where war, natural disaster and terrorist atrocity are the fodder for our daily news programmes. The apparent relentlessness of such events can leave us feeling numb and helpless in the face of the suffering of our fellow humans. We may question how a perfectly good God, who can do everything, and knows all our actions, could be responsible for a creation in which there is so much pain and so much human malice and cruelty."

Is God to Blame? is a timely and highly accessible book, aimed at non-specialists. In it, key questions around 'The Problem of Evil' are examined, the question of whether God could do better is posed and the nature of human responsibility and the Christian understanding of suffering pondered to help us make sense of the dilemma: Is God To Blame?

first published LONDON - 6 June 2007 - 200 words