Those daunted by the massive theology of the classic modern treatment of the problem of evil, John Hick's Evil and the God of Love, will find here a compelling alternative. With a wealth of vivid imagery, and illustrations from experience and literature, as well as theology and history, John Cowburn explores the problems caused by the existence of pain, suffering and evil and suggests how they may be understood and countered. Crucial to his argument is a distinction between evils which are to be found in a growing and developing world where human beings have been given freedom, the shadows, and the inexplicable existence of moral evil, the dark: 'The dark mystery of moral evil is in itself pure unintelligibility, and does not surpass our minds but is opposed to reason as such, and God understands it even less than we do.'