Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/278977
IN THE BIOGRAPHY OF APPLE COMPUTER'S FOUNDER, STEVE JOBS, WE SEE HIM AS A YOUNG PERSON IN CONVERSATION WITH HIS PASTOR. HE ASKS, "DOES GOD KNOW EVERYTHING?" THE PASTOR ANSWERS UNEQUIVOCALLY, "YES." The next week young Steve brought to church a picture of starving children in Biafra and asked the pastor if God knew about that. The pastor's response was unsatisfying and Steve never went back to church. The wise preacher, A.W. Tozer, pointed out that whatever comes to your mind when you hear the word "God" is the most important fact about you. Steve Jobs is no different than most in that the reality of suffering and evil in the world deeply affects our image of God, that is, what comes to our mind when we hear the word "God." This is a time in history when we are slapped in the face by moral evils such as terrorism, school shootings, human trafficking, poverty, and oppression. In addition, many suffer the tragic consequences of the so-called "natural evils" that have resulted from the fall (see Gen. 3): tsunamis, earthquakes, cancer, birth defects, and the list goes on. Why doesn't God do something about all this evil? God is the creator and the sustainer of the universe who has all power. Would not a loving God use that power to put an end to evil? The problem of evil coexisting with an all-loving and all-powerful God (theodicy) has attracted the best thinking of philosophers and theologians for centuries. While philosophy and theology can provide us with profound insights, I would like to address the question from a biblical- pastoral-practical perspective, for even the skeptic philosopher David Hume said, "If your god is big enough, there is no problem of evil." My goal is not to answer the question, "Why doesn't God stop evil," but to so expand your image of God that the question might be less troubling. A PLACE TO STAND When questions of evil are transferred from the domain of academia into the realm of experience they are no longer matters of intellectual curiosity but of life and death. These are questions that must be addressed. How does a sane and responsible person live in a world that appears to be dominated by evil? How do followers of Jesus view their lives in this world when they are called to deny themselves and take up their cross daily? We all need a place to stand as we consider the complexities of living in a world fraught with evil and death. Therefore, we begin with our image of God, our assumptions about life and death, and our notions of good and evil. Most of us have been educated to interpret the world using a "hermeneutic of suspicion," that is, a way of determining meaning characterized by a lack of absolutes and a distrust of apparent reality. That approach may work well in the laboratory, but falls flat when dealing with the exigencies of life. I recommend a hermeneutic of faith. Let me suggest a few assumptions that grow out of a hermeneutic of faith that give us a place to stand in regard to evil: • God is the all-good, all-loving, and all-powerful creator. • The universe God has created is the best one possible. For example, instead of making humans in the image of God with creativity, free will, and personality, they could have been made without free will to ensure that evil would not enter the world. But neither would authentic love have entered the world, since genuine love requires freedom and is no longer love if demanded or forced. • God in Jesus paid the ultimate price to defeat evil, sin, and death at the cross. So when the question is asked in the midst of tragedy and suffering, "Where is God?" we can point to the cross saying, "God has taken all the evil of the world upon Himself in order to defeat it." • God is working, speaking, and present in every circumstance of life while at the same time respecting each person's freedom to choose evil. The Spirit of God woos, but does not force anyone into goodness. • God is love and is on our side. 8 SPRING 2014 MAKES YOU THINK Ruig Photography/Photos.com