My Tsunami Journey

“In his stunning book, Dowd leads us on a frank, moving, and beautiful journey into the hardest challenge to faith: radical evil, especially in its most opaque form, natural evil—epitomized by the Asian tsunami of 2004. . . . His personal journal of faith and despair has now culminated in this most remarkable story. I urge everyone interested in such gut-wrenching events to read Mark’s book—again and again.”


—Robert John Russell, Founder and Director, Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences





“Dowd’s own experience of loss and his own distinctive journey of calling and discovery are woven into a really compelling narrative. This is a book of great and transparent humanity.”


—Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury





“Mark Dowd is a gifted storyteller on TV and radio and in print, with his own revealing reactions always part of the story. My Tsunami Journey brings this skill to bear on the problem of evil. Where this topic is normally addressed via analysis, Dowd goes for real-life stories that challenge the faithful and nonbelievers alike. Like the extraordinary TV documentary that began the project, this written continuation is both moving and inspiring.”


—Christopher Jamison, OSB, author of Finding Sanctuary





“Twenty years on from the great Asian tsunami, this is a tantalizing but ultimately satisfying read for all those of us whose daily prayer is ‘Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.’”


—Julian Filochowski, Chair, The Archbishop Romero Trust





“That suffering, whether in our intimate circle or on the incomprehensible scale of the Asian tsunami, is a challenge to faith in God has been comprehensively explored in writing. What makes Mark Dowd’s account . . . so readable, compelling, and intimate is how he manages to capture so well both the human capacity to bear the unbearable and the nuanced, subtle part faith, against all expectations, can play in that.”


—Peter Standford, author of What We Talk about When We Talk about Faith





“Mark Dowd invites us to accept that we are part of an evolutionary process constituted by cycles of death and renewal without denying the tragic aspect of suffering which seems to exceed any natural necessity. Dowd offers no platitudinous solution but seeks inspiration from those who embody compassion in the midst of intolerable anguish. Rather than debating the existence of God, we can draw hope from the very fact that such people exist.”


—Tina Beattie, author of The Good Priest