The Beauty and the Horror: Searching for God in a Suffering World - Paperback

by Richard Harries (Author)

'For anyone who is fascinated by the phenomenon of religion, this is a deeply interesting book.'
Mary Warnock

Although we can all give meaning to our lives by trying to live well, is there some given meaning to be discovered?

Science cannot answer this question, and philosophical arguments leave the issue open. The monotheistic religions claim that the meaning has been revealed to us, and Christians see this is above all in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Described by Rowan Williams as 'that rarity, a Christian public intellectual', Richard Harries considers the Christian claim in the context of an in-depth discussion of the nature of evil and how this is to be reconciled with a just and loving God. Drawing on a wide range of modern literature, he argues that belief in the resurrection and hope in the face of death is fundamental to faith, and suggests that while there is no final intellectual answer to the problem of evil, we must all, believer and nonbeliever alike, protest against the world and seek to change it, rather than accept it as it is.

Author Biography

Richard Harries is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Honorary Professor of Theology at King's College, London. On his retirement as Bishop of Oxford (1987-2006) he was made a life peer (Lord Harries of Pentregarth). He is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Hearing God in Poetry (SPCK, 2021), Seeing God in Art (SPCK, 2022) and his moving autobiography The Shaping of a Soul: a life taken by surprise (John Hunt 2023). Art and the Beauty of God (Continuum, 1993) was selected as book of the year by Anthony Burgess in The Observer. A much loved voice on BBC's Today programme, he has contributed to 'Thought for the Day' for more than 50 years.