John A. Sanford, an Episcopal priest, analyst, and author of Mystical Christianity, takes a hard and long look at the thorny, perennial problem of evil. He sheds light on the subject with assessments that are psychological, mythological, literary, philosophical, and biblical.

Sanford explores the concept found in the Hebrew Bible that Yahweh is the originator of evil. In New Testament texts, Satan plays a large role and is responsible for a multitude of sins. The author defines the shadow as the dark, feared, and unwanted side of our personality and then goes on to show how Paul's high standard of goodness denied too much of the vital energy within human beings. He contrasts this with Jesus who side-stepped the spiritual dangers of self-righteousness by saying: "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."

Sanford hits high stride in his analysis of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It illustrates the folly of any person who tries to escape the tension of the opposites within.