THE PROBLEM OF GOOD

The problem of good for many Christians is two-fold. The first is how to make sense of the "good" found in people who are not Christians. If they can produce good works, both ethically and aesthetically, how necessary is the gospel? And if non-Christians can be relatively moral and loving, how justifi ed is the concept of hell? Such questioning has led many Christians away from their faith. The second problem for Christians is whether one can benefit from the contributions of the unsaved, and if so, then how? What do we do with the intellectual contributions in all fields? A suspicion of the works of non-Christians has led many Christians to separate themselves from the world and their neighbours and reject even their thoughts that are in keeping with Scripture. An understanding of common grace resolves these confl icts and gives guidance for interacting with the world. Contributors include: Philip Ryken, Steve Lawson, Sean Lucas, Derek Thomas, John Leonard, Ruth Floyd, David Skeel, Gene Veith, Paul Tripp, Marion Clark and Rick Phillips