In Responding to Evil Joseph Kelly treats evil as a force in our personal lives. He talks about the impact of September 11 on the American consciousness and how that brought the question of evil front and center. Professor Kelly then looks at what evil does to us and how previous generations have dealt with it. By focusing on the sins people commit rather than the questions psychologists tend to focus on, such as murder or theft, or on tragedies that occurred in Rwanda or during the Holocaust, Kelly makes the discussion of evil relevant to readers like us who are not really "evil" but who face the problem of our own sinfulness every day. In taking up the intellectual question of how God and evil can coexist Kelly relates the ideas in the book to real-life situations, especially of good and caring people. Finally, he shares how we can respond to evil and looks at how some modern Christians, often ordinary people, have done so. "Every true theologian, we have come to understand, is a pastoral theologian. Joseph Kelly's narrative treatment of the problem of evil is clear, instructive, authoritative--and truly pastoral.
This timely book both enlightens and encourages at a time when responding to evil is a paramount responsibility for us all." Donald Cozzens, John Carroll University, Author, Sacred Silence and The Changing Face of the Priesthood "This well written treatise on theodicy and evil is an excellent resource for church and laity study groups, as well as for the college and seminary community. Responding to Evil is a very timely book that should be read by all." Valentino Lassiter, Pastor, Eastview United Church of Christ