Looking the Problem of Evil in the Face

Rich Holland is initiating a series of posts on the problem of evil at his blog, "Befriending Wisdom." Over the next few days and weeks, he is going to address the various manifestations of the problem and attempt to deal with them as a Christian theist.

Dr. Holland's conviction on the problem of evil is that it may be the most significant challenge to belief in God, and belief in Jesus. How could an all-loving and all-powerful God allow so much evil in the world, and evil that seems to be spread so unevenly in the world? We should all benefit greatly from Holland's even-handed and readable treatment of the problem.

One important note that Holland gives to Christians is that we must be honest and sensitive as we address the problem with non-believers.

What are your thoughts on this statement he makes at the end of today's post?

My point here is that if we are going to “solve” the problem of evil (and I think we can do something like that), we must do it with genuine honesty. If God does not exist, then I am wrong about a great many things. In fact, I am confident that God does exist. But if we are not willing to admit – at least in principle – that we can be wrong, then our belief in God is empty and useless, and atheists have no good reason to listen to what we have to say.

Read Holland's entire piece here.