Good God, Lousy World, and Me

October 15, 2013
Human rights activist Burkhalter begins her journey of faith in 1990 in West Africa as thousands of Liberians were displaced from their homeland by rebel forces. Weary and heartbroken from the ongoing violence, she wasn't a Christian thenalthough her grandparents were Mennonite missionariesor quite an atheist. Instead she was a twisted, pissed-off, betrayed former Christian. She discusses the numerous reasons to believe in God and, paradoxically, to not believe. She rails against an indifferent God even as she offers anecdotes about the believers she meets. She discusses, too, unconditional love (her very personal story about her beloved German shepherd will break every dog lover's heart). Gradually, things change: she and her husband adopt two children from Asia. Her friendship with Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission (IJM), a Christian organization that speaks out against violence and injustice, sealed the deal. IJM taught me, she writes, that the atrocities that broke my heart broke God's more. A moving memoir on the joys and agony of faith.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)