At its most basic level, the "joy" of cynicism speaks of the age-old tendency where it's so much easier to view things like God or truth or justice as the stuff that only fools or con artists profess to believe in. The reasons for such cynicism are varied and complex. To better understand them, this work traces the history of humanity's attitude toward God and the world, marred as it is by the presence of evil, particularly in terms of what is communicated in The Bible.

That's because cynicism as a by-product of hope disappointed is by no means a modern condition. In fact, it's as old as the most ancient dramas depicted in Scripture. As a result, what begins as a straight- forward discussion of the causes of cynicism in a modern world soon takes an unexpected turn as we journey forward through time, age after age, in a quest for an antidote to the most corrosive force in God's creation.

In the process of that search, we find ourselves surveying familiar territory, although it's territory that takes on new meaning in this ages-long quest. More importantly, our investigation will reveal a startling twist, because in examining the history of humanity's relationship to God's creation, we confront many facts that no typical science lesson ever imparts.