GOD AND INTERVENTIONS

I recently read a new novel by a friend who has strong evangelical convictions.
I thought of that novel as I wrote my previous blog "the Battle of the Books".
Once again I have the feeling of a situation that is inexplicable to me.
Below I have posted my book notes, which I shared with the author. She elected to blog the crucial portion of it and, more important, to provide her answer to what I consider to be inexplicable.
http://members.authorsguild.net/shannonvan/blog.htm
As I re-read her blog I see once again that the answer she provides is based on a book. In this case the Bible.

"Van Roekel, Shannon. Desert Fire 2009.

A contemporary novel of the genocide taking place in Darfur. It is vivid in its depiction of the death, pain and suffering of the villagers of the region and preachingly seems to say that the prayers of the evangelicals who talk with God "is obviously our best recourse" [author's note"].

It is short on politics [oil is mentioned only once] and on regional separatism [Southern Sudan not mentioned] neither of which are within the scope of the novel. A clever story line deftly unfolds as a young woman journalist gains entry to the region and finds friendship, daily Christian charity in action, love of a good man, and finally faith for herself.

For me, more than the suspense of the story line, was the suspense of how the author would reconcile the evil of the genocide and the pain of the faithful with the religious underpinnings of an all powerful, just, and loving God. Recourse to prayer occurs frequently in the story and seems to imply that God is unaware of events and unwilling or unable to intervene to prevent the horror of genocide.

The novel is certainly ambitious seemingly aimed at two irreconcilable beliefs. One is that indescribable, deliberate, preventable horror of pain and death can exist. The other is that that an all-powerful and all knowing God that "so loved the world…" exists yet chooses not to intervene.

Shannon can certainly create and sustain an intriguing story line."