From the Pulpit...

In this part two of our mini-series on the problem of evil, we touched on several things. First, we discussed the importance of handling the issue fairly, including giving plausible explanations, and regardless of your view of the debate acknowledging explanations that are feasible. Second, we showed that it is not valid to demand our good God 'must' eliminate all evil. We understand that He has justified reason for permitting it, even if we cannot fully explain that reason. Then, we queried about natural evil: are certain natural events really evil if they do not harm anyone? And if they do harm a person, perhaps that harm was intended by God as judgment. Does that make God evil (Rom. 3:5-6)? Next we briefly considered evil as the absence of good, not a 'created thing' per se. Finally, we ended with a question that connects back to the first point: if you demand that God eliminate all evil, do you accept that you yourself will have to be eliminated since your sin is part of the problem of evil?