The horrors of the 20th century demonstrate the failure of secular and religious ideologies to answer the important questions of life. Is this God’s doing or is he absent, indifferent, or nonexistent? Does our experience of history leave us in an intellectually and morally vacant universe? What, in the face of human tragedy, are sensible answers about life, death, and the existence and character of God? Are we merely playing chess with the Grim Reaper, only to gain time?

Unfortunately, the manner in which religious and biblical texts are applied often leaves us with the image of an unjust and irrational God. Based on this prominent view of Scripture, the world is manifestly unjust, the human condition essentially tragic, and all of these events have been orchestrated by a sovereign God who requires from us a blind acceptance of the status quo. Is it any wonder that so many feel distant from and distrustful of this God?

In his new book, THE INNOCENCE OF GOD, author Udo Middelmann presents a startling catalyst for thoughtful dialogue. The book boldly challenges some fundamental assumptions the church, influenced by centuries of Calvinism, holds concerning the nature and character of God.

“The innocence of God is revealed in Scripture. Other religions attempt to cool your emotions, normalize your troubles, and merge you into an ‘eternal’ perspective where injustice loses its meaning. Judaism and Christianity, by contrast, call you apart: to think, learn, discover, and enjoy what God, the eternal Word, has spoken about the origin of the real mess we are in and how to clean it up,” Middelmann states. “The Bible speaks of a history that is torn open by the fall of Adam and Eve, as well as by Satan’s rebellion. There is now a gap between who God is and how humanity behaves. God is at work against the real-life troubles we experience in our daily lives. Why then do we still simply accept them and call on God to justify them?”

Udo Middelmann is the president of the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation and the author of two previous books, PRO-EXISTENCE and THE MARKET-DRIVEN CHURCH. With degrees in both law and theology, he is a highly skilled apologist. In recent years, many have noted a rapid spread of hard Calvinism in Evangelical circles, particularly on college campuses. THE INNOCENCE OF GOD provides a much-needed foil to the Calvinist description of God’s sovereignty, and the book is sure to promote a healthy struggle for true understanding of this defining issue of the faith.

As he reexamines key biblical passages, Middelmann presents compelling evidence that exonerates the God of Judaism and Christianity of the charges of both immoral sovereignty and divine weakness. Rather, the God of the Bible works, and invites us to work, against the flow of history with moral clarity and passion to repair in time a damaged world he deeply loves.

THE INNOCENCE OF GOD © Copyright 2011 by Udo Middelmann. Reprinted with permission by Paternoster. All rights reserved.