Review: THE PROBLEM OF PAIN by CS Lewis

This is not a long book, which is a little strange at first. After all, Lewis was a masterful apologist, and the pain and evil is one of the strongest arguments against Christianity. But then Lewis didn't need much space.

The good news about Lewis is that he was a great writer, very clear and very concise. The bad news is that he can come across as analytical and even cold. He sometimes treats great problems as games to be won, so his answers seem like the results of an intellectual exercise than pastoral advice.

In a way that's good, because he was an intellectual but not a pastor. The downside is that the book doesn't seem very comforting. It's hard to imagine anyone drawing strength from this when they're hurting. Lewis' own A Grief Observed is more personal and better for that purpose.

All that said, this is still a great book, and I recommend it. Just don't expect it to be something it's not.