Book Review

Note: I’m a writer, which means I read constantly (I know just one writer who doesn’t, and thereby hangs a tale). So I’ve decided to begin posting brief occasional book reviews.

Sanguine, but far from naïve, Nothing is Wasted is a thoughtful consideration of the ageless “why does God allow suffering?” question. The book begins with inspiring stories (my least favorite section, but the part some will prefer), then goes on to plumb murkier depths.

Effectively employing reasoning, metaphor, and examples, author Joseph Bentz* argues compellingly that our world is striated with veins of redemption. The stories that live in our collective conscience, the lives of our greatest artists, the patterns that occur in nature–all that we experience, including our own little epic journeys–are part of a greater saga of redemption. Nothing is Wasted starts like a “feel good” book, standard Christian bookstore fare, but ends as a much more memorable “think good” book. If your heart is open, Nothing is Wasted will cause you to think good.

Or gooder, at any rate.

Recommended?  Yes  (Also recommended: The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis)

For Whom? Humans. Fellow pilgrims. Searchers.

Warnings: None

*Disclaimer: Joe and I are longtime friends, having begun teaching the same year at Azusa Pacific University in California and having founded a writers group together. That said, I’ve attempted an honest review here. Had I not found this book worthy (in my godlike wisdom), I would have demurred with some equivalent to what you say to your amateur actor friends after the show: “Boy, how did you remember all those lines?” Fortunately, no such diversionary tactics are necessary in this case. Mr. Bentz is a genuinely gifted communicator.