Out of the Whirlwind

A challenging and thoughtful reflection about the question of how a merciful God can allow evil.

Inspired by the Book of Job, Out of the Whirlwind is a reflection on the challenge posed to the existence of a good and powerful God by the issue of innocent suffering. It takes the form of the author's reflections as he sits in a children's ward by the bedside of his disabled son, who is dangerously ill and may be about to die. The reflections include personal reminiscence, a consideration of some traditional theodicies along with objections to them, and a couple of dream sequences, at the end of which, like Job himself in the biblical tale, the narrator receives God's answer “out of the whirlwind”.