Book Review – Defeating Evil by Scott Christensen

Much of this review will parallel the review for the longer book What About Evil. With Defeating Evil, Christensen has streamlined his argument while keeping a great deal of what made What About Evil my top recommendation for theodicy and one that has personally impacted me and my sanctification after reading it. Christensen does deal with other argumentation but boils down the Reformed/Arminian distinction to a few of the key distinctions.

Where this book shines is what was the biggest surprise to me when reading What About Evil, it’s the focus on why this is a theodicy (a reason for) and not just a defense of evil. The big focus on the theodicy being the means by which we see in Romans 9 why God allows for evil to take place – to focus on the glory of God in the fullness of revelation. While I do think the book loses some of the biggest apologetics in both theodicy and defense, I don’t think it suffers. It allows a certain group of readers who are apprehensive of reading an 800-page book but the message about the glory of God seen in all areas of life in this 300-page book is still useful and impactful. This is the book I would recommend to my friends at church while recommending them to checking out where I went through What About Evil on the Cave To The Cross website.