“In this extraordinary memoir of grace, one of the foremost human rights advocates of the last half century shares her brutally and hilariously honest story of finding God on one of the most unlikely, irreverent, and utterly beautiful pilgrimages through life as it actually is.” —Gary A. Haugen, president and CEO, International Justice Mission

Good God, Lousy World, & Me: The Improbable Journey of a Human Rights Activist from Unbelief to Faith by Holly Burkhalter

About the author: After a long career working in Congress then joining with Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights as a leading human rights policy advocate in Washington, Holly Burkhalter joined International Justice Mission as vice president for government relations. Burkhalter has published frequently in The Washington Post and testifies often before Congress. She and her husband, John Fitzpatrick, live in Washington, D.C., and have two teenage daughters.

About this book: “It used to be that my own religious philosophy was to work hard, charm everyone within spittin’ distance, and do a lot of crafts. So how did this hard-core leftist skeptic find peace and happiness among Bible-quoting, praying-out-loud, born-again evangelicals? I realized that my two choices—the existence of a loving God or the reality of evil—weren’t the only options. Option three is that God is good and the world is lousy. But wait. There’s more. God knows the world is lousy. Knows it, hates it, and wants us to do something about it…” —Holly Burkhalter, Good God, Lousy World & Me

For over thirty years, Holly Burkhalter has worked as an international rights advocate for victims of genocide, rape, and injustice.

Throughout most of her career, the heartbreak she encountered around the world—and in her own life—had convinced her that there was no such thing as a loving God. How could there be? If God  wasthere, he should be charged as a war criminal for tolerating atrocities against the young, the poor, and the vulnerable.

Then, Holly discovered a new truth: God was there—in the grief, in the violence, in the questions. And God was good.

It was the greatest, hardest, most radiant surprise of her life.

This is her story.

Genre: Religion/Memoir

Judge this book by its cover? Understated but appropriate.

If this book were a documentary, I would rate it: PG-13. Some language and content intended for more mature audiences.

Reminds me of… Sober Mercies: How Love Caught Up With a Christian Drunk by Heather Kopp; Faith and Other Flat Tires: Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt by Andrea Palpant Dilley

You’ll want to buy this book if…you’re a man or woman who asks questions about the intersection of faith and social justice.

Why did I read this book? For Convergent Books for review

Would I read another by this author? Anytime.

My take: My interest in Holly Burkhalter’s story began when I learned of her connection to International Justice Mission (IJM), but it did not end there. (I’ve been a fan of IJM since its inception several years ago. In its global campaign against social injustice, IJM sets itself apart with its staunch, overt Christian identity.) Burkhalter traces her involvement with IJM from its early days, when she was an atheistic outsider, to her embracing Christianity and joining the IJM staff. Her memoir is a gut-honest, intelligent response to the question any thinking Christian must eventually ask: Given the wretched state of our world, how can a good God exist? I like how the author structures her story, coming right out with the salient question at the beginning and then looking back over the years, through a new lens of faith, to see what she missed the first time: the presence of God in some very terrible situations. I found her full-circle examination of her grandmother’s mental breakdown especially moving.

Good God is a mildly gritty, always compelling read, and Burkhalter positions herself as an author who is not afraid to be deeply real.

Would reading this book bring someone to faith who wasn’t already on her way? Doubtful. Belief begets belief. But it is an incisive examination of so many issues that keep many seekers and skeptics alike from taking a closer look at Christianity.

Do I agree with every position Burkhalter takes? No, and I rather expect she wouldn’t want me to. But I do completely agree with her ultimate conclusion: “…believing there is a possibility of some higher goodness in all situations has allowed me to think about the world differently and to start to reconcile the polar opposites of a loving God and a wretched earth.” (p. 141)

Thanks to Convergent Books for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

Learn more about Holly Burkhalter’s work with IJM here and read here her recent interview with Faith & Leadership in which she discusses why everyone is a part of the mission. In the video below, Burkhalter explains why it’s important for common people to voice their concern about modern-day slavery to Congress and the President. Join me in taking action by visiting The Freedom Commons.