Posted on Wednesday,

What is the Free Will Defense to the Problem of Evil?

Is the existence of evil a good reason not believe in God?

One of the most formidable challenges to the Christian faith is the problem of evil and suffering. In reality, there are actually several “problems” or versions of this objection. There are emotional and personal versions, but those are not the subject of this post.

What I want to do is briefly share a response to the logical problem of evil that I have found to be very helpful and satisfying. Here is the essence of the objection: It is logically contradictory for the Christian God and evil to coexist.

In other words, it would be like a saying a square circle exists or a married bachelor exists. Once you properly define, explain, and understand the terms then it is obviously impossible.

All that is needed to dispose of the charge of logical incoherence is to supply a logically possible, morally sufficient reason that a good God would allow evil (i.e., a defense). Note, this doesn’t have to be the actual reason God may have. Merely a possible one.

In response to the logical problem of evil, notable philosopher Alvin Plantinga describes such a possible reason in his famous Free Will Defense:

A world containing creatures who are significantly free (and freely perform more good than evil actions) is more valuable, all else being equal, than a world containing no free creatures at all. Now God can create free creatures, but He can’t cause or determine them to do only what is right. For if He does so, then they aren’t significantly free after all; and they do not do what is right freely. To create creatures capable of moral good, therefore, He must create creatures capable of moral evil; and He can’t give these creatures the freedom to perform evil and at the same time prevent them from doing so. As it turned out, sadly enough, some of the free creatures God created went wrong in the exercise of their freedom; this is the source of moral evil. The fact that free creatures sometimes go wrong, however, counts neither against God’s omnipotence nor against His goodness; for He could have forestalled the occurrence of moral evil only by removing the possibility of moral good. (From God, Freedom, and Evil by Alvin Plantinga)

It is widely recognized by professional philosophers that the Free Will Defense has “solved” the logical problem.

To read more about this fascinating discussion check out God, Freedom, and Evil by Alvin Plantinga.

If you found this post helpful, then you would enjoy this short video I shot discussing the problem of evil.

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Posted on Tuesday,

One Word That Makes Christianity Different From All World Religions

One word can make all the difference.

It certainly did for me this past week…

Last week my older brother lost his battle with cancer. At just 40 years old, he was way too young. He fought hard and outlasted all of the predictions for stage 4 melanoma. He was courageous and positive. I am grateful he is no longer suffering, but I will miss him deeply. I will miss all the years we could have experienced together.

But as we talked often these past few months, we were confident that this life would not be the end. In a word, we had hope. Not wishful thinking mind you, but solid hope in a future reality.

And it is this one small, but exceedingly powerful word that sets Christianity apart from all world religions.

A Living Hope

No other religion offers genuine hope. But it’s at the heart of Christianity:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” — 1 Peter 1:3-7

Hope provides the ability to suffer well.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” — Romans 15:4

God’s Word gives us hope because we see how God has acted in the ordinary lives of men and women of faith in the past.

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” — Hebrews 6:17-20

In the everyday circumstances of life our soul can wonder or want to shrink back, but we have an anchor of the soul to take hold of. Many times this anchor holds us.

Hope.

The Basis Of Our Christian Hope

The basis of our hope is the character of God and the reality of the resurrection. That is one of the lessons Easter teaches us. God does not lie and he has proven that this life is not all there is by raising Jesus of Nazareth from the dead.

Moreover, this life is not even our greatest good. Our greatest good is to know God and love him forever. My brother is now experiencing this in a way that I cannot yet. But one day we will share that experience. As will all who are a part of God’s forever family.

Islam does not offer hope because one could never be sure that one has a secure future and relationship with God.

Buddhism does not offer hope because desire is snuffed out along with your personal identity. You–quite literally–cease to be. Desire is then severed from hope itself and also your hope.

Only Christianity can offer genuine hope for the future.

I like how Gandalf puts it in the Lord of the Rings:

“End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it…White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.”

I am sad and hopeful. I grieve and am confident. So even as we live in a world full of not the way it’s supposed to be…take heart. As J.I. Packer puts it, “Though the Christian life is regularly marked more by suffering than by triumph…our hope is sure and our mood should be one of unquenchable confidence: we are on the victory side.”

Christianity is true. Jesus is risen. Our hope is secure…no matter what comes our way.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy Why Does Truth Matter?

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Posted on Wednesday,

How To Break Free From Skepticism With One Simple Question

We have all run into the buzzsaw of skepticism at some point in our lives and it’s not a fun experience.

Perhaps your conversation went something like this:

Skeptic: So as a Christian you must believe in God right?

You: Yes. I believe in God…don’t you?

Skeptic: Actually, no, I don’t. Are you saying that you have 100% certainty that God exists? I mean , isn’t it possible that God doesn’t exist?

You: umm…

There are several things going on in a scenario like this, but I just want to highlight one.

The One Question That Will Help You Break Free From The Grip Of Skepticism

Whether from a well meaning friend or an aggressive critic, the problem of skepticism can be hard to break free from. The unspoken assumption of skepticism is that if it’s possible you could be wrong about something, then you can’t know it. Usually this comes in the form a “How do you know that you’re not wrong?” (which could be repeated forever….)

This is mistaken. Here’s why.

Just because it’s possible I could be wrong about a belief, it does not follow that I am wrong about that belief.

In other words the mere possibility that I could be wrong doesn’t mean that I actually am wrong. I’m going to need some reasons to think my belief is mistaken before I should begin to doubt that particular belief.

There is a better way. Here is the basic template of a question you can ask when you find yourself dealing with a skeptic.

“That’s an interesting question. Just because it’s possible I could be wrong about a belief, it does not mean that I am wrong about that belief. Can you tell me why you think I am wrong about ______________ .”

Specific examples:

“I admit that it’s possible Christianity isn’t true, but can you give me some reasons why you think it’s not?”
“I admit that it’s possible God doesn’t exist, but can you give me some reasons why you think God doesn’t exist?”
“I admit that it’s possible Jesus didn’t exist, but can you give me some reasons why you think Jesus never existed?”

Bottom line. Don’t play the skeptic’s game.

Ask them this question and clarify what the real issue is and then have a productive spiritual conversation exploring the evidence together.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection

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Posted on Tuesday,

A Quick Response To The “Who Are You To Judge?” Objection

Raise your hand if you want to be seen as judgmental. Any takers? Me neither.

But how many times have you been shut down by this little slogan–“Who Are You To Judge?” After all, didn’t Jesus say “Do not judge so that you will not be judged?” Hmmmm….that does sound like something from the Bible…

Yes, Jesus did say that. But most people have misunderstood the point that Jesus was trying to make there.

And if you’re able to master the context of this oft quoted but frequently misapplied passage then you will be ready to help your friends and family think more clearly about important spiritual and moral truths. And every step towards the truth is a really big deal!

Move Over John 3:16…

Many people today may know John 3:16 is in the Bible and has something to do with Jesus, but Matthew 7:1 has surpassed it as the most quoted Bible verse in our increasingly secular culture.

Let’s take a closer look at this famous passage found in Matthew 7. For the full context, we will examine verses 1-6:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Is Jesus’ point here that we are not to say that what someone else is doing may be morally wrong or spiritually misguided? The short answer is clearly and unequivocally no. How do we know that? Because if so, then Jesus disobeyed his own command within only a paragraph!
Look at verse 5. Jesus calls people hypocrites. Gasp! Jesus was judgmental too? Actually, lets be more specific. Given this group’s behavior, he makes the informed judgment that they are hypocrites.

And in the next verse he makes another judgement that dogs don’t deserve what is sacred and pigs aren’t worthy of pearls. By the way, dogs and pigs represent people and their attitudes towards what is truly valuable–ouch.

So what is Jesus against?
Being self-righteous…

thinking that you are morally or spiritually superior to someone else or earning God’s special favor by obeying the rules.

Jesus both assumes and illustrates in his life and teachings that making judgements is not only unavoidable but completely necessary and appropriate.

The Bottom Line

Bottom line: Jesus is for making judgments between good and evil, what is morally right and wrong, and what is true and what is false. What he was completely against was people using knowledge of the truth to beat people up with, belittle, or make themselves appear morally superior.

Once we look at the context of this passage, it becomes obvious that we need to grow in our ability to make judgments. But we need to be aware of our hearts ability to become self righteous. There is no room for arrogance in the Christian life.

The psalmist’s prayer is a good reminder to check our hearts:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24

But we also need the moral courage to stand for truth in the midst of these common slogans and not buckle under the pressure of those who think God’s revealed truth is outdated.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection

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Posted on Tuesday,

One Question That Will Remind A Moral Relativist Of What They Already Know

In a culture that is caught in the riptide of relativism, how do you help people come to their moral senses?

Ask them a question.

In love, let them wrestle–and if need be squirm–as they process real world scenarios. Why? Because relativism flourishes in the abstract but evaporates in our everyday experience.

Help Your Relativist Friends Gain Moral Clarity By Asking A Question

Let’s imagine a typical conversation. Here’s how this might play out:

YOU: If I understand your view, are you are saying that what is right or wrong or good or evil depends on the individual or culture?

FRIEND: Yes. What is morally good for you may be different than what is morally good for me.

Here is the question…

YOU: That’s an interesting way to think about things. Can I ask you a question? Are you really saying that there is no moral difference between Mother Theresa and Adolf Hitler?

FRIEND: ummm….

YOU: It seems to me that moral relativism would leave us in the frustrating position of not being able to say that there is a moral difference between Adolph Hitler and Mother Teresa. But that is obviously false. The only way to do so would be to appeal to an external standard of morality beyond individual preferences or cultural agreement. Yet, this is precisely what moral relativism denies. But surely you would agree that such a conclusion is absurd? After all, Mother Teresa lived to save lives; Hitler lived to destroy them.

Pause.

At this point, the conversation could go several different ways (which I will leave for another post). Regardless of which way it goes however, you have accomplished something VERY important. You have taken the relativist out of the comfortable rarified air of the abstract and helped him or her grapple with real life.

That’s the power of asking good questions.

A well placed question helps remind people of what they already know (cf. Romans 1-2).

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy Moral Relativism and the Reformer’s Dilemma and How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection

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