Opus 2013-64: Book Review: When Bad Things Happen to Good People, part 1 of 7

I am by nature very cheap.  Or if you are offended by hate speech, I am very careful in how I expend my resources.  As a result there are many popular books that I don’t read unless I catch them in the library or until they reach the thrift stores.  Since the thrift stores are raising their prices I often am forced to wait until the library has a 50¢ sale or a give-away shelf.  This book I have been hearing about for years.  I finally broke down and bought it at 50¢.  How can you go wrong at 50¢, right?

I began reading with an open mind.  I have heard the book referred to many times over the years and my general feeling was positive reviews.  Warning flags began to come out of their lockers as I looked at the people praising the book on the back cover:  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Norman Cousins, Harvey Cox, Norman Vincent Peale and Art Linkletter.  These are all well known people.  Some I know to be well educated.  Some are recognized as authorities in their fields.  At the same time, all are people who range from the borders of heresy to rampant paganism. 

Kubler-Ross is known for the “five stages of grief” that we all studied in our psychology classes. 
Norman Cousins was, according to Wikipedia, “a tireless advocate of liberal causes, such as nuclear disarmament and world peace,...”

Harvey Cox was a liberal theologian who made his mark in the 60's with his book The Secular City.  Peale is famous for his book, The Power of Positive Thinking.  Linkletter was a TV personality that was famous for TV programs, among them, “House Party,” “People Are Funny,” and  “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”  I remember watching them.  A wonderful man but not someone I would consider an authority on moral or philosophical issues.

I am sure these are good people.  They would probably make good neighbors.  They might be wonderful to work with in the PTA.  However, they are not names that I, a Bible believing Christian, would consider recommendations to buy the book.  But lets give the author a chance.

To be continued...

Kushner, Harold S.  When Bad Things Happen to Good People.  New York:  Schocken Books, 1981.

homo unius libri