The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
APOL 104 | 3 credits | 12 weeks | Classic book-club rhythm

Course Description

The most honest, rigorous, and ultimately comforting Christian treatment of suffering ever written. This course requires two books, and is an outlier from the others works in this series.

Lessons 1-7: In ‘The Problem of Pain,’ C. S. Lewis, the cool-headed apologist builds the intellectual framework for why a good, omnipotent God permits pain.

Lessons 8–12: And in, ‘A Grief Observed’, Lewis the brokenhearted widower smashes that same framework to pieces after the death of his wife and then slowly watches God rebuild it in a deeper, more costly form.

Together they form one of the most powerful one-two punches in all of Christian literature.

Required Text

The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis | Amazon

HarperCollins
Any printing is fine.
ISBN 978-0060652964

THE PROBLEM OF PAIN
Copyright ©1940, C.S.Lewis Pte, Ltd.
Copyright renewed ©1996. All rights reserved.
Printed by HarperCollins Publishers, NY.

Required Text

A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis | Amazon

HarperCollins
Any printing is fine.
ISBN 978-0060652388

A GRIEF OBSERVED
Copyright ©1961, C.S.Lewis Pte, Ltd.
Copyright renewed ©1994. All rights reserved.
Printed by HarperCollins Publishers, NY.

Course Objectives

• Articulate the classic philosophical problem of pain and Lewis’s step-by-step answer
• Explain the crucial distinctions between God’s goodness, human free will, and the purpose of suffering
• Wrestle honestly with the raw emotional challenge to faith that real grief brings
• Hold together two biblical truths that seem to pull in opposite directions: a thoughtful defense of God’s goodness in the face of suffering, and the raw, honest cries of grief that Scripture itself gives voice to.

Weekly Rhythm

1. Read the assigned chapter(s).
2. Complete each weekly reading quiz (multiple choice / true-false).
3. Write a 300–400 word personal reflection (see weekly prompt below).
4. Post one discussion thread (200–300 words) + reply to two classmates.
5. Participate in live or asynchronous group discussions.
6. Write a final paper (1,200-1,500 words).

Grading

A = 270+, B = 240+, C = 210+, etc.