A challenging and thoughtful reflection about the question of how a merciful God can allow evil.

Inspired by the Book of Job, Out of the Whirlwind is a reflection on the challenge posed to the existence of a good and powerful God by the issue of innocent suffering. It takes the form of the author's reflections as he sits in a children's ward by the bedside of his disabled son, who is dangerously ill and may be about to die. The reflections include personal reminiscence, a consideration of some traditional theodicies along with objections to them, and a couple of dream sequences, at the end of which, like Job himself in the biblical tale, the narrator receives God's answer “out of the whirlwind”.

Out of the Whirlwind by Roberts was published by Sacristy Press in December 2019