In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis articulates, with sensitivity and clarity, his reply to the most important and most forceful anti-theistic argument of all. Is the quantity and variety of suffering in the world inconsistent with, or at least is evidence against, an omnipotent and perfectly loving God?

Lewis begins by putting his reply in a proper context. He asserts that religion does not have its origin in a philosophical inference, but rather in certain revelatory experiences.

The heart of his argument centers on the nature of divine omnipotence. An omnipotent being cannot do things that are "intrinsically impossible", as he calls it. Lewis goes on to ponder the necessities and impossibilities facing God when he created persons with free will. He points out that God's options may have been very different from what some would think and that, for all we know, God prevents as much suffering as he can without making matters worse over the long run. The essence of God is love, not raw power.