Unspeakable: Facing Up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror

We are still surprised by evil. From Auschwitz to the events of September 11, 2001, we have been shocked into recognizing the startling capacity for evil within the human heart. Many who speak unabashedly of evil are dismissed as simplistic, old-fashioned, and out of tune with the realities of modern life. Yet we must have some kind of language to help us understand the pain and suffering at the heart of human experience.

In Unspeakable, Os Guinness confronts our inability to understand evil, let alone respond to it effectively, by providing both a lexicon and a strategy for finding a way forward. In this expansive exploration of both the causes of modern evil and solutions for the future, Guinness argues that we must come to terms with our beliefs regarding evil to effectively join the fight against it.

Os Guinness is an author and speaker living in the Washington, D.C., area. Born in China during World War II, Guinness left in 1951, after the Chinese Revolution. A graduate of the University of London and Oxford, Guinness is a former visiting fellow of the Brookings Institution. He has written or edited more than twenty books, including The Call, Invitation to the Classics, and Long Journey Home.

“Os Guinness has set before us in clear and forceful language what our contemporary intellectual context finds unspeakable: the raw reality of rampant evil. He touches upon the deepest of issues, and, through his incisive analyses, gives us hope of being able to deal with evil in our personal lives and our social settings. A great accomplishment!”

- Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California and author of The Divine Conspiracy