Can God Be Trusted?: Faith and the Challenge of Evil

William Glassman is a professor of psychology at Ryerson Polytechnical
University in Toronto.

One of the most basic problems for religion is understanding the
existence of evil in the world. In this book, John Stackhouse provides a
thoughtful analysis of the problem itself (e.g., the many varieties of
what can be called “evil”) and offers at least one argument for
trusting God. His initial discussion of the problem is clear and
attempts to be ecumenical in sketching how various religions have
defined the issue.

Given Stackhouse’s position as a professor of religion at the
University of Manitoba, his scholarly competence is understandable. As a
devout Christian, he also approaches the issue within a personal context
that both adds to, and detracts from, the end result. It adds, because
ultimately issues of religious belief are not simply intellectual
abstractions, but are connected to one’s own experience. At the same
time, the attempts at including other religions are thereby limited,
with more than a quarter of the book devoted to a purely Christian
analysis. In fairness, Stackhouse acknowledges his inability to do
justice to other religions’ analyses, but non-Christians may find this
portion of the book less rewarding.

Ultimately, the value of Can God Be Trusted? depends on the reader’s
expectations. As Stackhouse notes late in the book, his is an attempt at
intellectual justification (”warrants” for belief), not experiential
or religious justification. While acknowledging that no intellectual
analysis can ever be fully successful, he argues that even faith is
partly rational. Like other elements of his analysis, this view may not
appeal to readers who feel that trust in God (by whatever name) is
ultimately not about reason. Indeed, readers who are seeking a shot of
inspiration to renew their faith may well wish to search elsewhere. What
Stackhouse offers instead is a lucidly written attempt to deal seriously
with a question that has challenged many eminent thinkers.