Can God Be Trusted? Finding Faith in Troubled Times

For his latest book, Williams, a Catholic priest and CBS Vatican analyst, gathered a team of researchers and asked people for their views on trusting God. He incorporates their responses—some in the form of breakout boxes—in what amounts to a gentle defense of God's trustworthiness. Adept at making the Christian faith accessible to general audiences, Williams looks at why trust in both God and people is important and why it is difficult, especially once lost. He examines how education, wealth, personal networks and ideologies compete with people's reliance on God and, in a section on “God's Nonpromises,” explains how trusting God doesn't necessarily result in perfect justice, explanations for why bad things happen, knowledge of what's coming and inner consolation. Williams also devotes a chapter to the need for balancing trust in God's care with personal responsibility and concludes by referring readers to the biblical book of Psalms, which he recommends as a resource for growing in trust through prayer. This is good reading for anyone who has asked the questions Williams poses. (Oct.)