Includes bibliographical references (page 167) and indexes.

1. EVIL IS STILL A FOUR LETTER WORD: The New Problem of Evil -- New Problem of Evil -- New Nihilism: Postmodernity -- Toward a Nuanced View of Evil -- Conclusion -- WHAT CAN GOD DO ABOUT EVIL? -- Unjust World, Just God? -- To Renew the Blessing -- People of the Solution, People of the Problem -- My Servant Israel, My Servant Job -- Conclusion -- EVIL AND THE CRUCIFIED GOD -- Rereading the Gospels -- Jesus Dealing with Evil -- Early Christian View of Evil's Defeat -- Results: Atonement and the Problem of Evil -- IMAGINE THERE'S NO EVIL: God's Promise of a World Set Free -- Interlude: Naming the Powers -- World Without Evil -- Intermediate Tasks -- Educating the Imagination -- Conclusion -- DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Forgiving Myself, Forgiving Others -- God's Final Victory of Evil -- Forgiveness in the Present -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Subject index -- Scripture index.

With every earthquake and war, understanding the nature of evil and our response to it becomes more urgent. Evil is no longer the concern just of ministers and theologians but also of politicians and the media. We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked. But, theologian Wright says, we should not be surprised. For too long we have naively believed in the modern idea of human progress. In fact, evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present?--From publisher description.