The theme of this book is the Christian and suffering. Six Christian writers are examined on various subjects: Lactantius on anger, Augustine on obsession, Luther on despair, Kierkegaard on anxiety, Bonhoeffer on disappointment and CS Lewis on pain.

The idea of the book is based upon that of sixth-century Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, which inspired other writers such as Thomas Moore in the 16th century and Alain de Botton in the 21st. All but one of this book’s six authors teach at Moore Theological College and the collected chapters were originally presented as papers at a conference in 2006.

Reading perspectives from Christianity’s greats gives us insights into the power of these experiences. Their voices offer a different perspective because they emerge from different eras.

Mark Thompson, in his chapter on Luther, states, “For Luther, theology, the knowledge of God was an entirely practical matter…Luther came to see that the struggle with despair and hope is the proper context in which real theology, the genuine article, is done”.

The chapters vary in quality, some being rather wooden at times, others brilliantly and clearly persuasive. Brian Rosner’s chapter on Bonhoeffer/disappointment, Mark Thompson’s on despair and Andrew Cameron’s on obsession stand out as beautifully readable, compassionate and learned (footnotes abound).

Robert Banks’ chapter on CS Lewis and pain weaves CS Lewis’ various experiences and statements together gracefully and seamlessly.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of this very stimulating book is that it sends us back to read the old writers for ourselves and to fossick for the treasure of consolation in the Bible itself.