Book Review: The Problem of Pain (C.S. Lewis)
The problem of pain is a topic that touches every human on the earth. We all experience pain, and often we are left questioning why we went through that painful experience and how to prevent it from happening again. C. S. Lewis, in The Problem of Pain, touches on several of these difficult questions, and offers helpful answers to strengthen people’s relationship with God in the midst of suffering.
The first five chapters lay down the groundwork and foundation of Christian beliefs, how we became as broken as we are, and how pain is a key component to our growth and correction of our sinful nature. In chapter one, Lewis touches on his conversion and moves to answer the question, “Is there a God?” In the second chapter, he investigates this great and powerful being to see if he is truly sovereign and all-powerful. Chapter three pairs well with the last, where Lewis goes into the goodness of God and our relationship to him. This is where the author starts to dig into the purpose of pain and how God uses it to shape us back towards our original design, away from the distorted form we have taken on because of our sinful nature. Chapter four gives us the bad news of our condition, the lies we hear, and the hard work we put into believing that we are not as bad as the Bible tells us that we are. Chapter five continues the thought of the previous chapter and brings an interesting thesis, “Man, as a species, spoiled himself, and that good, to us in our present state, must therefore mean primarily remedial or corrective good.”
In the final five chapters, we explore the meaning and theology behind human pain, animal pain, Hell, and Heaven. Both chapters six and seven dig into human pain. We see the depths to which a soul can experience pain, and the good that pain actually can be for us. Chapter eight addresses Hell, its purpose, why it exists, and common questions about it. Chapter nine shifts topics into the questions and dilemmas of animal suffering in this world. The main theme is, what is the purpose of pain for a creature with no soul? The tenth and final chapter talks about the tension that some have about there being a heaven, what heaven really is, and why our souls are really longing for this reunion with God.
For anyone with questions on pain and suffering, read this book. It will bring clarity to so many of the hard questions we often wrestle with around these difficult issues. And it will help equip us to offer answers to those in the world who will inevitably come with the same struggles.