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Title: Is God to Blame?: Moving Beyond Pat Answers to the Problem of Evil by Gregory A. Boyd ISBN: 0-8308-2394-8 Publisher: InterVarsity Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.18 (11 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: Boyd uses Bible inaccurately, selectively, biased
Comment: Other commenters have touched on major problems with the book and its theories. I will address one concern I had in reading this book carefully. That is: biased,selective use of the Bible to avoid evidence unfavorable to his falsifiable position.
Example 1: Boyd cites John 9 with the man born blind as an example of unexplainable tragedy. The trouble is, Boyd has to give us his own PERSONAL unsupported translation of the passage in question to satisfy the demands of his system.
With every version of the Bible I've read, the passage reads, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened/he was born blind in order that the work of God be displayed in his life." Here, to soften the implications and clear statement of Christ as to God allowing the blindness to display the work of God, Boyd claims the original Greek of the passage says,"Let the work of God be displayed in his life." There, of course, is no footnote or source cited to corroborate such a peculiar opinion. Justification is insufficient to discard the KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, Living Bible and most other translations of this passage. Actually, the Greek does not say "Let the work of God be..", but "in order that the work of God be.." Boyd will have to do better than appeal to his own preference/self-authority to persuade a thinking audience to adopt his novel version. At least, he should get the Greek right!
Example 2: Book of Job. Here, Boyd entirely misreads Job from how thousands of years of Judaism and Christianity have read it before. He totally reverses the clear statement of Job "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away," as Boyd's version of wrong theology. Because Boyd thinks it's wrong,he superimposes his opinion revisionistically onto the passage to 'prove' his point. In other words, Boyd's reasoning is: "What Job says is what people misbelieved back then. I feel it is wrong theology. Therefore, at the end of Job in Ch.42 when Job repents, he also is repenting of this 'wrong theology'." Quite a leap to say the least! Again, no citation or reference to supporting scholarship leaves his personal opinion unsubstantiated.
Plus, Boyd deliberately omits the critical verse 2:10 "'Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?' IN ALL THIS, Job DID NOT SIN IN WHAT HE SAID." The author of Job(God Himself) clearly says Job did not sin in what he said. If Job's theology was wrong as Boyd would have us believe, the author would not have written his remark. The Bible itself is definitive here vs. Boyd's fabricated spin.
The question for the reader of Boyd's book is: Who are you gonna believe?? The Holy Spirit or Gregory Boyd? The Bible as it is written, or how Boyd retranslates-revises it to his taste?
While the book at times is very engaging and appeals to the emotions with personal stories of tragedy the author has encountered, it is 'semi-Bible-lite' and never, ever mentions the wrath of God against sinners (Ro.1:18ff), and is quick to quote John 3:16, but conveniently bypasses John 3:36 "Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
It would also have been nice to see how Boyd deals with Paul's thorn in the flesh (2Cor.12) where God allows a messenger from Satan to torment the Apostle Paul. Though Paul pleaded with God three times for its removal (which only He could do/allow), God responded with the key to Christian suffering,"My grace is sufficient for you, for My Power is made Perfect in your weakness."
I find this book quite deficient in many respects, but especially on how Boyd mishandles the clear Bible texts to slant things to fit his 'warfare philosophy' of life. The reader is advised to have their Bible close at hand and check it out for oneself like a good Berean to see if what Boyd claims is even remotely close to what "is written".
Rating: 1
Summary: Just different pat answers
Comment: I was leaning a bit toward open theism before reading this book. But after seeing how the author handles Bible verses in trying to absolve God of blame for earth's tragedies, I am back to believing God has some purpose for suffering.
What Mr. Boyd doesn't seem to grasp with all his erudition is that he is trying to simplify something so incredibly complex no one can figure it out. His book comes across as another kind of patness.
Just because the author thinks most evil is gratuitous or purposeless or unforeseen in advance by God doesn't mean that's the way it is. Job teaches that 'The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.' 'Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?'
Boyd's thesis seems to be we're not expected to accept trouble as from the hand of God. It must be the devil or a fallen world, or just plain bad unfortuitousness(sp?) But that is just human oversimplification, in my view. God is sovereign even over the evil He sovereignly allows for His good purposes. He works all things for good to those who love Him, even unaccountable evil.
I prefer C.S. Lewis in his Problem of Pain for a more balanced and true to Christianity understanding of suffering. I think you will too if you feel the need to even read this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: heh
Comment: I personally loved the book. I'm not an open theist (and no, I don't go to his church...) and I was able to get the big picture of things, getting a general idea that God does not cause evil. That is a belief that I had before and a belief that I will carry throughout studies and ministry. Hopefully some will come out of their amen corner and see a more realistic view of things.
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Title: Satan & the Problem of Evil: Constructing a Trinitarian Warfare Theodicy by Gregory A. Boyd ISBN: 0830815503 Publisher: InterVarsity Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: God at War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict by Gregory A. Boyd ISBN: 0830818855 Publisher: InterVarsity Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God by Gregory A. Boyd ISBN: 080106290X Publisher: Baker Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.99 |
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Title: Seeing Is Believing: Experience Jesus Through Imaginative Prayer by Gregory A. Boyd ISBN: 080106502X Publisher: Baker Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Repenting of Religion: Turning from Judgment to the Love of God by Gregory A. Boyd ISBN: 0801065062 Publisher: Baker Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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