Dr Dirckx addresses topics such as:
If God exists, why would he make a world with earthquakes and tsunamis?
Why is there so much suffering in a natural disaster?
Are natural disasters God's judgement?
Is my illness a punishment from God?
What kind of God would allow natural disasters and diseases?
If you have ever struggled to reconcile the idea of a loving God with all the pain in our world, this book will encourage you that belief in such a God is not as unreasonable as it may seem. In fact, it may be where God is revealed most profoundly.
Available as paperback and eBook.
Broken Planet: if there’s a God, then why are there natural disasters and diseases?
Every few weeks another natural disaster is reported, and we stare at the TV in disbelief. Our hearts go out to people whose lives have been upended in an instant through no choice of their own. Why do catastrophes such as these happen? How are we to make sense of tsunami, pandemics, earthquakes and more? Our insurance policies protect us from ‘Acts of God’. Is this what natural disasters are? Why would a supposedly good God allow them to happen?
In Broken Planet, Dr Sharon Dirckx takes an honest look at the difficult questions we ask about natural disasters, combining insights from the sciences, philosophy and theology with stories of first-hand experience that are grounded in the gritty reality of life. Those who have lived through disasters such as the Haiti 2010 earthquake and 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami share their stories of hope and goodness, even in the midst of catastrophe and trauma.
More Resources.
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Credo: How to make sense of an earthquake if God exists
I cannot stop thinking about the Turkish grandmother on the radio two nights ago. The voice of someone beside themselves with grief goes to the core of our humanity. Her granddaughters were gone, buried beneath a building and unlikely to have survived the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday. This lady is one of thousands…
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Sharon Dirckx with Sean McDowell
Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, forest fires, viruses, and cancer: How could a loving God allow such devastation and suffering from the natural world? How much does human choice play into this? Today I talk with Cambridge University trained scientist and author Dr. Sharon Dirckx on the problem of natural evil and why God allows things like natural disasters and diseases in our world.
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Speak LifeWhy Does God Allow Natural Disasters? With Sharon Dirckx on THE WAY BACK
Glen Scrivener interviews Dr Sharon Dirckx about her new book 'Broken Planet - If There's a God, Then Why Are There Natural Disasters and Diseases?'.
What others are saying
“Natural evil is one of the toughest questions that Christians grapple with. Sharon has combined real-life accounts with insightful theological reflections to create a book that will help anyone looking for answers. Most importantly, Sharon explains why, despite the suffering and evil we face, Christians can offer the redemptive hope of Christ to a broken world. Thoroughly recommended.”
Justin Brierley, host and author of Unbelievable?
“Broken Planet is an honest, insightful and much-needed book. Dr Dirckx does not shy away from the intellectual and emotional challenge of natural disasters. As a scientist, she brings a unique perspective to the difficult question of how a loving God could allow earthquakes, forest fires, viruses, tsunamis and other kinds of natural forces that often cause such pain and devastation. This is my new go-to book on the natural problem of evil.”
Sean McDowell, Professor at Biola University and the author or co-author of more than twenty books, includingEvidence that Demands a Verdict
“How can there be a good God when there are hurricanes, tsunami and starvation? This question is often overlooked in conversations around the problem of evil. Rather than shying away from disaster, disease and death, Sharon Dirckx demonstrates that Christianity has the resources to face these issues – as well as to give us hope in the midst of them.”
Lee Strobel, New York Times bestselling author and founding director, Lee Strobel Center, Colorado Christian University, USA
“Using stories, science, Scripture and philosophy, Sharon helps us to think through the problem of suffering caused by natural disasters. This moving book is honest, and yet it is grounded in the hope of the Christian message.”
Clare Williams, founder of Get Real Apologetics
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‘I don’t recommend this book for bedtime reading, for it raises profound and disturbing questions. But therein lies its greatest value. Sharon Dirckx offers no easy answers. In fact, she makes clear that we will never fully understand natural disasters this side of eternity. But her book compelled me to examine my shallow assumptions and dig down to bedrock truths about God, our broken world and our ultimate hope.’
Glenn Oeland, Senior Editor, National Geographic
“Broken Planet is a book that speaks deeply to the question, “If there is a good God, why is the created world riddled with natural disasters which wreak havoc and devastation?” In this honest and profound exploration, Broken Planet addresses the pain that can be associated with this question, while opening up fresh and meaningful avenues for thought and consideration. Amongst these perspectives are moving and inspiring accounts of humanity’s longing for justice, restoration, hope and a willingness to sacrifice for others, which provoke one to consider the power and presence of goodness within a broken planet. Sharon has provided a helpful and impressive response to a difficult question.”
Lara Buchanan, Speaker, OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics
“If you’ve ever thought that belief in God cannot be squared with the existence of a natural world that teems with viruses, parasites, earthquakes, tsunami and a host of other horrible ways to kill us, then this compelling, informative and lucidly argued book will make you think again.”
Professor Nick Megoran, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, UK, and author of Big Questions in an Age of Global Crises
“The occurrence of disasters and all the associated grief and suffering that they cause poses a major problem for both religious and secular people. In a series of thoughtful chapters, Sharon Dirckx discusses how we might approach this problem, finally landing on a Christian perspective of hope even in the midst of perplexity. The chapters are interspersed with moving personal reflections from both survivors and aid workers that keep the discussion grounded; they brought tears to my eyes.”
Bob White, FRS, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, University of Cambridge, UK