A bracing, scripture-driven case for a God who heals rather than harms.
Porter’s debut installment in the Truth About God series is an impassioned, scripture-rich challenge to a familiar explanation for human suffering: that God causes or allows tragedy because some greater good will eventually emerge. Written especially for readers carrying grief, illness, or spiritual disillusionment, the book argues that such thinking fundamentally misrepresents God’s character.
Porter’s central assertion is simple but far-reaching: God is the source of life and love, not sickness, destruction, and premature death. “God is not guilty,” she declares, a conviction that drives her examination of biblical stories commonly associated with divine punishment. She distinguishes among the Law of the Spirit of Life, the Law of Sin and Death, and the Mosaic Law, arguing that Satan’s rebellion introduced sin and death while the Mosaic Law offered temporary protection until Christ provided lasting redemption.
The author’s interpretations are often unconventional. In her reading of Eden, Adam and Eve fall by accepting Satan’s deception, while their clothing in animal skins foreshadows sacrifice and Christ’s eventual atonement. Noah’s ark becomes evidence of a rescuing rather than a destructive God, and Job’s suffering is attributed to Satan rather than divine testing. Porter similarly expands the Easter narrative, arguing that after the Crucifixion, Jesus preached to the dead before His resurrection.
Porter is most persuasive when theology meets lived pain. Her conversational voice gives the study warmth and urgency, particularly when she questions teachings that can leave grieving people angry with God. Her own spiritual searching lends the argument emotional weight. “I wanted to live and not die, and I meant it,” she recalls of a transformative personal experience. Rather than treating suffering as an abstract theological puzzle, Porter keeps returning to its human consequences—fear, grief, confusion, and shaken faith. This personal dimension gives her scriptural arguments an immediacy..
The extensive Scripture quotations, repeated assertions, and lexical examinations occasionally make the presentation more expansive than necessary, while some interpretations will challenge readers from more traditional theological backgrounds. Still, Porter’s conviction never wavers. Rather than offering suffering as an inscrutable component of divine purpose, she presents God as humanity’s advocate against it. Fans of Harold S. Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People and Philip Yancey’s Where Is God When It Hurts? will appreciate Porter’s compassionate examination of faith in the face of tragedy.
A provocative, deeply compassionate biblical inquiry that seeks to separate God’s character from the tragedies people endure.
***
Trilogy Christian Publishing
Pub date June 11, 2024
ISBN 979-8893331554
Price $8.28 Paperback, $9.99 Kindle edition
