The Problem of Evil...

The problem of evil is the perennial philosophical issue for philosophers and skeptics alike.  For the past few centuries, the problem of evil has been one of the major chapters in many a philosophy textbook and conversation of God.  However, once the terms are hashed out and the Scriptures are brought to bear upon the conversation, the problem of evil is dissolved to another issue altogether.

The philosophical problem of evil in its most basic form goes something like this: (1) God is infinitely powerful and infinitely good, (2) Evil and suffering exists in the world, therefore, (3) God either (a) does not exist, or (b) this God is unable to stop evil and suffering.  The essential argument goes that because evil and suffering do exist, then God is either not powerful enough to stop it or He is not a benevolent being that desires to stop evil and suffering in the world.

At the onset, two things need to be asserted: evil and suffering do exist and they do not conflict with God's self-existence, His omnipotence, or His infinite goodness.  However, because evil and suffering do exist, the question of why is relavant and real for every human.  And how we answer this profound and important question has ramifications for how we live, how we relate, and how we deal with evil and suffering when we face them in our own lives.

To be sure, evil and suffering, though they are present in the current world, were not a part of the original, good creation of God.  Evil, pain, and suffering come from the freely willed sin of Adam.  And although God could have destroyed creation and create a new painless, evil-less version, He has, in His good will and infinite wisdom, determined to let this creation continue.

The issue, then, is not why is there evil and suffering in the world; instead, the question is why is there good in the world at all  Sin occurred.  Mankind's identity in God was severed and yet goodness was still present in the world.  The reason for this is that all humans are made in the image of God.  Every human being continues to bear God's image, and therefore understands and participates in the goodness of God through that image bearing, if only to a limited degree.

The very assertion that evil exists is, in fact, an assertion that good exists.  Moreover, to assert that evil exists requires that we, humanity, has some sort of common ideal of what is actually good, which is God's image which is born in the human.

Additionally, evil and suffering, though perceived negatively, have profoundly positive effects.  Consider Hurricane Katrina.  It was a horrific natural disaster that devastated the Guld Coast.  And yet that devastation became a powerful rallying cry for brotherhood and social care for a community that was, pre-hurricane, already beaten and broken by the social ills.  Or think of a child with cancer, though tragic as it is, can be a great source of fellowship and strength for a family or individuals.

In the end, this is far-too-brief a dialogue on this dense and important topic.  However, once the terms of the engagement are clearly defined and the theology of Scripture is brought to bear on the perceived dilemma, the issue changes the human from one that seeks to out God to one that cries out to Him.  Perhaps this really is the appropriate response whenever we find evil and suffering in our midst, not to indict God who is, but to cry out in praise that He is who He is.