fretheim's book is a marvelous example of inductive logical organization and rational approach to a complex topic. his argument is well-formed and easy to follow. the reader may be confused as to why a book called "the suffering of god" takes over one hundred pages to actually discuss any pain endured by the deity, but fretheim is not rushed into embracing a position before laying the biblical and philosophical groundwork necessary to support that position. indeed, laying the foundation is the difficult part. after chapter six, the reader already anticipates the conclusion.