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| Hoosier United Methodist News |
May 2002 |
Mini homily:
The Theodicy dilemma
By Rory Stauber
Why does God permit evil in the world? Now, that is one hot potato. I can't claim to be able to provide an adequate answer to that question. But, hopefully, I can stimulate your thinking a little bit.
The first problem is the question of the origin of evil. Given a Creator who is all good, how did evil get factored into creation? Secondly, how do we reconcile all the pain and suffering in the world with God's mercy and justice? Together, these questions form what philosophers call "theodicy," from the Greek words for "God" and "justice."
The problem of theodicy is often put in the form of a dilemma: If God is perfectly good, God must want to abolish all evil; but evil exists. Therefore, either God is not perfectly good or God is not all-powerful.
Chew on that one for a while!
The Hebrew Scriptures are a good source for reflection. The book of Psalms and Proverbs extol the justice and righteousness of God and claim to see its manifestations in the world. But later, prophets like Jeremiah and Habakkuk see a different reality that seems to run counter to the moral order. The question they pose is, "Why do the wicked seem to prosper?"
It all comes to a head in the book of Job. Here the emphasis is on the suffering of the righteous. One is bound to question the entire moral order when one contemplates the fate of poor Job. Finally, however, the author of Job rejects the notion that God's rule is separate from morality and order. God appears in the end and Job experiences God's grace. Certain of the divine majesty, Job accepts the principle that God's ways are hidden from humankind.
The final word of the Bible on the theodicy problem is that despite experience to the contrary, faith in God necessarily includes faith in God's moral order. The Christian continues to affirm both the goodness and righteousness of God.
Last updated on 01/14/2004The Rev. Rory Stauber, a SIC pastor, is chaplain at Union College, Barbourville, Kentucky.