Author Brandon Ambrosino, in an interview with Sojourners, discusses his new book that challenges traditional theological concepts of a God’s omniscience, arguing that a more hopeful and compassionate view of God can be found by understanding him as a “fellow sufferer” in a world of tragedy.
In an interview with the publication Sojourners, author and theologian Brandon Ambrosino discussed his new book, Is It God’s Will?: Making Sense of Tragedy, Luck, and Hope in a World Gone Wrong. The book, which explores the complex relationship between faith and tragedy, was inspired in part by the death of actor Robert Redford’s mother and the profound loss Ambrosino and his husband experienced after the sudden death of their goddaughter’s father.
“After Mom died, I felt betrayed by God,” Ambrosino recalled Redford telling his biographer. This sentiment, along with his own personal grief, led Ambrosino to question traditional theological explanations for suffering. He told Sojourners that he wanted to explore whether theology could be “reformulated to help people deal with grief and tragedy in more productive, life-affirming ways.”
Ambrosino’s book challenges the common idea that hope is rooted in an all-knowing God who has a master plan. “What we lose is a God who is a fortune teller. And what we gain is a God who really is our fellow sufferer,” he explained. He argues that a God who is both all-knowing and all-powerful, yet allows immense suffering like the Holocaust, would be “monstrous.”
Instead, Ambrosino’s theology is centered on the resurrection of Jesus, which he views as a profound act of love proving that “love is stronger than death.” In his framework, God’s power is not about controlling every outcome, but about his ability “to always provoke us to hope, no matter what happens in the world.” He suggests that hope is not naive optimism, but rather the courageous act of persevering in the face of hopelessness.
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