Why is There Evil in Our World?

Now that my class is over, I think it is time to write my second post. As part of the requirements, I had to have an email conversation with the TA. The question I had to respond to was, “What is the problem of evil?” I thought it would be a good thing to post, but I am hesitant because I realize this might open Pandora’s box. I realize this is an immensely complex issue…but I only had 500 words. Here is my response.

I think this is probably the most asked question. Many non-Christians definitely wrestle with this question and many times it seems to be the sticking point as to why they do not believe in God. However, this question plagues many Christians as well. To answer the question in short form, the problem of evil is this: “If God and evil both exist, either God is loving but is without power to eliminate evil, or he has the power but lacks the good will and love to do it.” (Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People). Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), Kushner, writing from a cynic’s perspective, has flaws in his logic. It sounds good to the ears, and he sets up the illusion of choice: either this or that. However, allowing evil or not having eliminated evil, does not necessarily disprove a loving God, nor does it say anything about God’s power to do so. Suffice to say that the question of evil is not a good starting point in terms of the existence and attributes of God. For a person using the question of evil as a starting point, there can be no satisfactory answer. Assuming, for the sake of this question, that there is a loving God, the question then becomes, “Why has God allowed evil into our world?”

Historically, answers to this question have not really been satisfactory. One idea coming from post-Enlightenment thought would say that, since God cannot be known, it is silly to ask why there is evil. Similarly, the naturalist/atheist answer is that good and evil have no intrinsic values, only what we assign to them. In this view, there is no such thing as good or evil as we know them, hence the question cannot be asked, and the universe just does what it does. The most common answer would be that God has allowed evil as a byproduct of allowing free-will. I think there is a lot of merit to this line of thought but there are also difficulties as well.

As mentioned before, if this is one’s starting point for believing or not believe in a loving God, one will not find a satisfactory answer either way. In our post-Enlightenment world we always want to be able to provide answers and to be able to explain our world perfectly. However, there are some ultimate things that cannot be answered without some kind of revelation from God. For whatever reason, the biblical authors are relatively silent on the issue of why God has allowed evil, suffering, and tragedy. There are, however, some points that the Bible does convey on the subject. Firstly, we should always acknowledge God’s sovereignty in preserving and governing the world. Secondly, for what C.S. Lewis called “complex good,” we do see that God can bring a great deal of good out of something bad. Thirdly, and most importantly, the biblical perspective on this subject is yearning for the end. That is perhaps what is so perplexing about evil and suffering; that there does not seem to be any end in sight for us. But there is. I am convinced that the primary purpose of the New Testament is an eschatological purpose. We are waiting for the final victory, the consummation of the Kingdom of God, when all things will be redeemed, goodness and truth will forever reign, while evil is forever put to death. The question of evil then becomes not “why” but “when.” A proverbial “How long oh Lord?” until you achieve final victory over evil.

Note: C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain is a great resource on this topic.