LECTURE 1 - Cru



LECTURE 5

The “Problem” of Evil

I. INTRODUCTION

II. UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF THE “PROBLEM”

A. Three important points

1. There is no such thing as the problem of evil.

2. The specific “problem” depends on the system in which the alleged problem arises.

3. We must remember that the problem is person (& worldview) - relative.

B. An Important Distinction

1. Logical (or philosophical) problem of evil

a. The issue:

b. The problem stated

i) If God were all-loving he would destroy evil.

ii) If God were all powerful he could destroy evil.

iii) Evil is not destroyed

iv) Therefore, an all-loving all-powerful God does not exist.

c. Two types of evil

i) Moral evil

ii) Physical (or natural) evil

2. “Religious” problem of evil

a. The issue

b. Implications

III. APPROACHES TO THE PHILOSOHICAL PROBLEM OF EVIL

A. The concept of “theodicy”

B. Two classical theodocies

1. The “Free-will Defense” (St. Augustine)

3. The “Soul-making Defense” (Irenaeus)

C. All world-views must attempt to account for the problem of evil

1. Atheism

2. Pantheism/illusionism

3. Dualism

D. Implications and perspective:

IV. BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS ON EVIL: THE NEED FOR A FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION

A. The framework of the Bible’s story-line

B. Implications from the Bible’s story-line:

➢ It is clear from the story that God is not the author of evil.

➢ Sin (and hence evil) entered the world through human choice.

➢ The Bible takes evil very seriously.

➢ Death is not merely the outworking of natural process, but it’s the price we pay for rebellion against God.

➢ God’s immediate goal is not merely to eliminate evil but to gather a covenant people.

➢ God understands our suffering because he has suffered.

➢ One day God will eliminate all evil.

➢ Story highlights the issue of waiting.

B. Two additional biblical “givens”

1. God is sovereign

2. Human beings are morally responsible

Examples of compatibalism

v) Gen 50:19-20

vi) John 6:37-40

vii) Phil 2:12-13

V. THE RELIGIOUS PROBLEM OF EVIL

A. The religious problem of evil does not raise the question of evil in general but why God allowed a specific instance of evil.

B. The religious problem of evil is not primarily intellectual but an emotional one.

C. A common mistake

VI. DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM OF EVIL IN MINSTRY

a. With Non-Christians

b. With Christians

APPENDIX 1

Thoughts for Christians: Fifteen "reasons" for evil

i. Testing - Job 1:9

ii. To show God's power - John 9:3; Rom. 9:17

iii. "Soulmaking" - Romans 5:1-5; Joel 2:12-13

iv. Retributive justice -Neh. 9:26-27; Amos 2:4

v. Personal sin -James 5:13-15; Mark 2:1-12, John 5:14

vi. Sowing and reaping - Gal 6:7-8; Hos. 8:7

vii. Biological usefulness - leprosy

viii. Human knowledge - Acts 5:5

ix. Satanic activity - 1 Peter 5: 6-8; Matt. 13:28

x. "God's megaphone" - 2 Cor. 12:7-9

xi. Discipline - Hebrews 12:5-11; Prov. 3:11-12

xii. Persecution - 1 Peter 2:20

xiii. Purification from sin, refining - James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 4:1-6

xiv. Sharing Christ's sufferings - 1 Peter 3:13-14; Col. 1:24

xv. "Higher ways" - Gen. 50:20; Hab. 1:5-6; 3:17

APPENDIX 2

Thoughts for helpers

PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS

• Let go of the health and wealth gospel - abandon it in light of Scripture.

• Realize that rebuilding a broken world takes time.

• How vitally connected is this incident to the person's self image?

• How vitally connected is this person to good relationships?

• How tenaciously will they hold on to their broken world view?

• How broken is their world?

• How used to being "real" are they?

STEPS TO HELP

1) Be there for them (Job 2:13)

2) Physical presence combats the nakedness and loneliness of a broken world.

3) Practical helps can make a huge difference - meals, rides, etc.

4) Offer to hear their story. Offer (but don't force) yourself as a concerned listener.

5) Practice reflective listening.

a) One of the biggest mistakes we make with others is that we assume we understand before we really do.

b) Reflective listening is not parroting; it is seeking to enter their world to understand exactly what they are struggling with.

c) Reflective listening shows love by seeking to understand, and it affirms the individuality of a person's pain.

d) Reflective listening can help the person put into words what he/she is feeling. "You sound like you feel abandoned.", "That feels really lonely.", etc.

6) Share and express your anger and sadness at this manifestation of evil in the world.

7) Let them know that it's OK to express their feelings to the Lord and to you.

a) Some people will feel guilty expressing any negative emotion to God

b) A look at the psalms shows us that honest hurt and anger can be expressed to God.

c) Journaling can help some people put their feelings into words.

8) Ask questions to understand their situation better. Seek to diagnose their particular problem.

a) Does it feel like God is weak?

b) Does it feel like God is uncaring?

c) Does it feel like God is absent?

d) Does it feel like God is untrustworthy?

9) Offer to share some thoughts with them (whenever they are ready or interested) of how God helped you make some sense out of suffering.

a) Be careful not to compare your situation to theirs.

b) Be willing to let them come to you. If you are a good listener, they will come to you first.

c) Offer to be a sounding board, not an advice-giver.

10) Seek to introduce a Biblical grid to their situation, embracing the emotional content and the intellectual.

11) Ask them how they would have wanted the world to be. Would they rather be robots? Would they rather not have choices, even though sometimes they lead to horrible things?

12) Continue be their friend regardless of how they feel about their spirituality. Affirm them for beginning the process to rebuild their broken world.

13) Encourage every step that lays a Biblical foundation that will last. Encourage every thought that thinks Biblically about evil and suffering in the world. Respond to unbiblical ideas with, "Yeah, it sure feels like God is absent (or whatever), doesn't it?". Affirm the feeling but not the concept. Encourage them to be tenacious in their relationship with God. Assure them of God's help. Help them see the light at the end of the tunnel. (1 Pet. 5:10; Rom 8:31-39; 2 Cor. 4:17)

VII. FOR FURTHER STUDY

Basinger, David and Randall Basinger, eds. Predestination and Free-Will: Four Views of Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom. Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity, 1986. One of the issues that arises in handling the logical problem of evil is how one understands both God’s sovereignty and human freedom. Four writers (John Feinberg, Norman Geisler, Bruce Reichenbach and Clark Pinnock) each present a particular view of God’s sovereignty and human freedom and respond to each other.

Carson, D.A. How Long, O Lord? (Baker, 1990). This book is a must-have. Carson wrote this book not for non-Christians but for Christians. It contains insightful biblical reflections on both the religious and logical problems of evil.

Corduan, Winfried. Reasonable Faith. (Broadman & Holman, 1993).

Curtis, Brent and John Eldridge. The Sacred Romance (Nashville: Nelson, 1997). While this book does not address the problem of evil the authors have some helpful insights on dealing with the religious problem of evil viz. the story-line of the Bible.

Feinberg, John. Deceived By God? A Journey Through Suffering. Wheaton: Crossway, 1997. In this book Feinberg relates his personal experiences with the religious problem of evil.

________. The Many Faces of Evil. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994). Feinberg looks at how different theological systems attempt to resolve the logical problem of evil.

Frame, John. Apologetics to the Glory of God. (Phillipsburg: Puritan & Reformed, 1994). Frame’s book is an example of how one approaches the problem of evil from a “presuppositional” perspective.

Geisler, Norman. The Roots of Evil. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978).

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997). See especially chapter 16 on “God’s Providence,” pp. 315-54.

Hare, John. "The Problem of Evil" in Evidence for Faith, ed. J.W. Montgomery. (Word, 1991).

Helm, Paul. The Providence of God. Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity, 1993. This book presents an overview of the biblical doctrine of providence. Chapter eight discusses God’s providence and evil (pp. 193-216).

Lewis, C.S. A Grief Observed. (London: Faber & Faber, 1964).

_________. The Problem of Pain. (New York: Macmillan, 1962).

Soll, William. "The Israelite Lament: Faith Seeking Understanding" in Quarterly Review, vol. 8.3, 1988

Yancey, Phillip. Disappointment With God. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988).

____________. Where Is God When It Hurts? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977). Yancy’s books are particularly helpful in addressing the religious problem of evil.

Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom and Evil. (New York: Harper & Row, 1974). Plantinga presents a classic expression of the free-will defense in this book in response to the logical problem of evil.

Inclusivism and the Fate

of the Unevangelized

I. Introduction: Several Views on the Destiny of the Unevangelized

A. SENERIO TO DISCUSS:

You are part of a team preparing notes and articles for a new evangelistic study Bible aimed at those who have never read the Scriptures. The following article was written by a distinguished member of the committee (someone who you have never personally met). It was sent to you by the administrator of the project asking you to review it for Biblical and theological accuracy and applicability to this audience. What would be your response?

What about those who never heard of Jesus?

WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT CHRIST? IF JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE (ACTS 4:12), WHAT CHANCE DO THEY HAVE? THE ANSWER IS THAT EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO HEAR THE BASICS OF THE GOSPEL. ROMANS 1 DECLARES GOD'S CHARACTER AND NATURE CAN BE "UNDERSTOOD BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE, . . . SO THAT THEY [WE] ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE." COLOSSIANS 1:23 SAYS THE GOSPEL HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED TO EVERYONE UNDER HEAVEN, A REFERENCE TO GOD'S WORDS BEING SPOKEN THROUGH THE HEAVENS (PSALM 19:1-4). BUT EXACTLY HOW IS THE GOSPEL REVEALED TO ALL THROUGH THE CREATION?

Humble-hearted examination of nature is sufficient to convince anyone that a Creator exists and that He is powerful and wise. The extent of the Creator's provision for His creatures speaks of His love, and our awareness of right and wrong tells us a standard of rightness, or holiness, also exists.

Sooner or later, we discover that even with our best efforts we can't consistently do right. We see that we fall hopelessly short of the Creator's perfect standard and even our own. But surely a Creator who is so loving, powerful, and wise would have provided a way to rescue us. There must be a Rescuer, a Redeemer. If we trust our lives totally and only to this Rescuer-Redeemer, we will be saved. This, in a nutshell, is the gospel. And it is information attainable though God's creation. Anyone who discerns and accepts this much truth about God's Rescuer and comes to Him for deliverance from his or her helpless, hopeless inability to live rightly will be saved. There is nothing magical about any of the more than 50 names for Jesus in the Old and New Testaments. It is his character and mission we must trust in, not any particular title.

A good example of someone who (by God's Spirit) discovered and received the gospel as he examined God's creation is Job (Job 7-19). Of course, not everyone is as humble as Job. That is why missionaries are needed. But in the same passage that the apostle Paul emphasizes the need to send out missionaries (Romans 10:14-15), he quotes King David's declaration in Psalm 19 that God's message, written upon the heavens, has been sent out to all the earth (Romans 10:18).

B. “Open” views toward the unevangelized

1. Justin Martyr (2nd century apologist)

2. Ulrich Zwingli (Reformer)

3. John Locke (British philosopher)

4. John Wesley (18th cent. evangelist): “No more therefore will be expected of them then living up to the light they had. But many of them . . . we have great reason to hope, although they lived among the heathens, yet were quite of another spirit; being taught by God, by his inward voice, all the essentials of true religion.” (From a sermon)

5. C. S. Lewis: “There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ with knowing.” Mere Christianity, 176.

The Emergence of Catholic Inclusivism

C. “No salvation outside the church”

D. The Second Vatican Council (1962-65)

1. A revised theological framework

a. Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and humankind; salvation is found exclusively through him.

b. God desires everyone to be saved (often referred to in Catholic theology as “God’s universal salvific will”).

c. The Church is necessary for salvation in such a way that those who have heard the gospel and reject Christ and his Church cannot obtain salvation.

d. Nevertheless those who through no fault of their own have not heard the gospel, can obtain salvation. Three conditions must be exist

1) The person must be ignorant of the gospel and the (Catholic) Church.

2) The person must seek God with an open heart.

e. Moved by grace the person must seek to do God’s will.

Through the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit the benefits of Christ’s death are made universally available to all humankind. However, only God knows the means through which salvation outside the Church occurs.

f. The Church seeks positive relations with adherents of non-Christian religions.

g. Non-Christian religions are to be viewed positively insofar as they contain elements of “beauty and truth.” These elements may be viewed as preparatory for the gospel.

1 Significance of Vatican II

2 In the years since Vatican II, two principle positions have emerged among Catholic theologians:

2. P1: While salvation (in a Christian sense) is available outside the visible Church, it is not mediated through non-Christian religions.

3. P2: Salvation (in a Christian sense) is not only available outside the visible Church, but it is also mediated through non-Christian religions such that these religions are to be viewed as vehicles of salvation.

Evangelical Inclusivism

E. Several proponents:

1. Clark Pinnock – A Wideness in God’s Mercy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).

2. John Sanders – No Other Name: An Investigation into the Destiny of the Unevangelized (Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns, 1992)

3. Amos Yong – “Discerning the Spirit(s) in the World Religions: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions,” in No Other God’s Before Me? Evangelicals and the Challenge of World Religions, ed., John G. Stackhouse (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 37-61.

The latest stir: Rob Bell in Love Wins

A. Do we believe most will suffer in hell forever?

BELL EXAGGERATES THE EVANGELICAL POSITION

A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It‘s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus‘s message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.

Rob Bell, Love Wins, p. viii.

1. I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.‖ Revelation 7:9 (TNIV).

2. What about Matthew 7:13-14? "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.‖ (ESV)

3. How hard is it to be saved? (Hard? Easy? Impossible?) After the rich man went away sorrowful, Jesus told his disciples, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." Mark 10:17-27 (ESV)

B. Will God get what He wants?

BELL ON GOD GETTING WHAT GOD WANTS

“God wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2).

So does God get what God wants? How great is God? Great enough to achieve what God sets out to do, or kind of great, medium great, great most of the time, but in this, the fate of billions of people, not totally great. Sort of great. A little great . . . . Will all people be saved or will God not get what God wants? Does this magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?

Rob Bell, Love Wins, pp. 97-98.

1. Does God always get what He desires? (Want Adam and Eve to disobey? Secretly hoped Satan and a third of the angels would rebel? Was pleased when His beloved only Son was betrayed and murdered?)

2. This is why theologians distinguish between the “perfect” will and “permissive” will of God.

C. Is universalism a mainstream, orthodox Christian belief?

BELL ON THE “WIDE STREAM” OF CHURCH HISTORY

At the center of the Christian tradition since the first church have been a number who insist that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins and all will be reconciled to God.

Serious, orthodox followers of Jesus have answered these questions in a number of different ways. Or, to say it another ways, however you answer these questions, there‘s a good chance you can find a Christian or group of Christians somewhere who would answer in a similar way. It is, after all, a wide stream we‘re swimming in.

Rob Bell, Love Wins, pp. 109-110

HAMM CRITIQUES BELL’S VERSION OF CHURCH HISTORY

Bell overstates his case for Christian universalism being simply one of many mainstream thoughts in Church history. His appeal to several early church leaders is somewhat misleading; many of the ―universalist impulses of these early leaders (especially in the case of Origen) were rejected outright for much of Church history. Additionally, some of Bell‘s claims about other historical figures have been challenged or denied by church scholars over the years. While it‘s been speculated that Gregory of Nyssa and Clement may have believed in eventual universal salvation, it‘s by no means Christian historical consensus. Bell‘s use of a Martin Luther quote (―Who would doubt God‘s ability to do this?) to suggest the possibility of postmortem salvation also hardly seems fair when confronted with the full context of Luther‘s quote.

Ryan Hamm, ―Review: Love Wins, by Rob Bell‖ Relevant website, .

D. Is Rob Bell a universalist?

1. He strongly states that He is not.

2. I would call him a “maybe universalist.” See Alan‘s blog in CruPress Green at



E. Arguments in support of Evangelical inclusivism

4. Moral argument

5. Argument from general revelation

6. Argument from God's love

“If God really loves the whole world and desires everyone to be saved, it logically follows everyone must have access to salvation.” Clark Pinnock, Wideness in God’s Mercy, 157.

7. Analogical argument from the case of infants

8. Argument from God's universal presence

9. Argument from the scope of the atonement

10. Distinction between Christians and believers

11. Misunderstanding of traditional exclusivist passages

F. Questions raised by Evangelical inclusivism

▪ Are the “unevangelized” in a different category from the “lost”?

▪ What warrant exists for believing that men and women may be saved apart from explicit faith in Christ?

▪ Can general revelation save?

▪ How should be understand God’s salvific will expressed in passages like I Tim. 2:3-4?

▪ Is it appropriate to draw a comparison between Old Testament believers and the unevangelized?

An Evaluation of Inclusivism

F. Strengths

1. Means of salvation

2. Common ally

3. Scripture

G. Weaknesses

1. Salvific role of general revelation?

2. Problem of context

3. Distorts the “love of God”

4. God’s wrath and justice

5. Distorts NT understanding of “faith”

6. Comparison to OT believers?

What can we know with certainty?

H. God loves lost people everywhere

I. Christ’s death is the only basis for salvation.

J. God will judge everyone justly.

K. Everyone has some light for which they are accountable.

L. God is holy.

M. The gospel is the only means described in New Testament through which people are saved.

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” 1 Cor. 1:21

N. Those who reject God's provision are eternally damned (2 Thes 1:8-10).

O. Those who seek God seem to received the light of the gospel.

P. We are commanded to take the gospel to every nation.

Q. Will there be people in heaven who have never heard the gospel?

The fate of the unevangelized in evangelism

R. Resist the pressure to offer a definitive answer.

S. Help reframe the issue for people

T. Focusing on the central issue,

For Further Study

Whitmer, Michael E., Christ Alone: An Evangelical Response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins (Grand Rapids: Edenridge Press, 2011). [exclusivist]

Carson, D. A., The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996). [exclusivist]

Crockett, William V. and James G. Sigountos, eds., Through No Fault of Their Own? (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991). [both exclusivist & inclusivist positions presented]

Dixon, Larry. The Other Side of the Good News: Confronting the Contemporary Challenges to Jesus’ Teaching on Hell. Wheaton: Victor/BridgePoint, 1992. [exclusivist]

Nash, Ronald J., Is Jesus the Only Savior? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994). [exclusivist]

Okholm, Dennis L. and Timothy R. Phillips, eds., More Than One Way? Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995). [both]

Pinnock, Clark H., A Wideness in God’s Mercy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992). [inclusivist]

Sanders, John, No Other Name: An Investigation into the Destiny of the Unevangelized (Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns, 1992). [inclusivist]

________, ed., What About Those Who Have Never Heard? Three Views on the Destiny of the Unevangelized (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1995).

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