theodicy
A blessedly particular theology of evil
John Swinton writes about the nature of evil without a shred of metaphysical obscurity.
After my friend’s suicide, my theology was in shock
I’ve been offering my tangled knots of questions and memories as prayers.
A theological exploration in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure book
Bethany Sollereder explores different approaches to understanding suffering—and enacts one.
The book of Job is a parody
Sometimes I picture its author looking down at us and shaking his head.
Joseph de Maistre’s magnum opus is still perplexing after 200 years
Les soirées de Saint-Pétersbourg has often been dismissed as propaganda. It isn’t.
If God is almighty, why do we suffer?
A nine-year-old at my church wants to know.
N. T. Wright and Walter Brueggemann look to the Bible for wisdom during the pandemic
They both resist easy answers to the problem of suffering.
How people deal with pointless suffering
Scott Samuelson considers seven responses to the age-old mystery.
How Christian theology and practice are being shaped by trauma studies
Talking about God in the face of wounds that won’t go away
by Shelly Rambo
Letting go of the plan and embracing the dream
I used to have Jeremiah 29:11 in a frame on my wall. I don’t anymore.
by Debie Thomas
Jesus wept. Why?
Maybe Jesus’ tears at Bethany come from more than grief.
On grief, and not theologizing about it
My son’s death did not evoke in me an interest in the problem of suffering.
Theodicy in real life
William Abraham's theological affirmations of faith are shadowed by a persistent question: Why don't they work?
Why scientific thinking matters for society
Andrew Shtulman's book isn't just about understanding data. It's about moral concern.
Does God cause our suffering?
God works in mysterious ways, not sadistic ones.
When theology fails
After Ruth Everhart was raped, she had to rebuild her beliefs about God’s will.
Love in the time of evil
It's 2016 and the problem of evil is still unsolved. It's found a megaphone in Stephen Fry, who offers more rhetorical power than originality.
Prayer in the whirlwind
The answer that comes out of a tornado is not the kind of answer we want.
by Rodney Clapp
Abandoned in a storm
The “Jesus asleep in the boat during a terrible storm” story has always seemed unfair to me. I feel for the disciples when they wake him; they are understandably angry that he doesn’t seem to care that they are about to die. I’d be just as angry at Jesus for appearing so calm in the midst of real danger.
The disciples are uncomfortable that Jesus is not acting according to the category of “concerned friend,” much less “messiah”—so they kind of yell at him. And when it comes down to it, who hasn’t yelled at God during the storms of life?