Reframing the problem of evil | N.T. Wright at UT Austin 

I love brother Wright’s answer to the question. Even if we don’t have all the answer’s doesn’t mean that God is behind evil that transpires on the earth. If we trust in God’s love I think we will conclude that just because we human’s can’t explain evil in all its form doesn’t mean there isn’t an answer that would make sense if we were told by the Divine.

Brilliant 👏

We were given dominion -- and the mind of God via the word and how to live according His ways…. We are our brothers keeper so either God destroys us all for we are all evil… or we live with the consequences of our choices

Dr Andy Woods is my preferred bible teacher as he actually explains things from the Bible in it’s context.

I really look forward to Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection' which I hear will attempt to elucidate the metaphysical reality of Jesus descending into the dead to bring about the mystery of redemption

What a mystery it is to be born, to live and to die as a human! The way NT Wright reframes the problem of evil in the terms it was posed by his interlocutor (and many others before him) is quite human. In that reframing, he emphasizes the darkness and strangeness of the cross, which is often sanitized by many Christians from having been overly familiar with that central story of the Bible. In my opinion, it is much more realistic to think of a loving God and evil-as expressed by the cross of Jesus-as a mystery that can hardly be comprehended from a purely rationalistic perspective, and Dr. Wright appropriately shudders at stating some of these things outright to people who are experiencing pain and suffering. Is not the "problem of evil" another deep, deep cry of anguish from humans puzzling over the mystery of life?

I wouldn't pass the exam if i refraimed the question, would i?

Genesis clearly outlines why things are the way they are today.

NT Wright uses more words to not answer questions than any theologian I can think of.

Mark 3 verse 28 "Every sin will be forgiven". That includes the sin of being an atheist, or far worse, the sin of not believing the sermons of N.T. Wright.

God doesn't allow natural disasters (I'm being idiomatic) God allows people to live in places that cause such natural disasters. The key is to create a way to escape from them safely.

His answer to the question was 'lets reframe the clear relevant question (which we can't answer and brings our whole story crumbling down) into something else entirely deformed to allow scripture to provide a response, the core of which is essentially "something somehow happened so evil doesn't really exist anymore because Jesus magic." Religion is often the demonstration of humanity's infancy in attempting to make sense of the world and sometimes it really shows when its best answers for itself are the equivalent of things toddlers say when telling stories.

Nt wright made a video that addressed this issue better called simply is god in control. NT wright is the world's leading New Testament scholar/historian so his arguments are sort of hard to understand from a certain point.

The Christian answer to the problem of evil must begin with Genesis 3 - the fall accompanied by divine curse. So, evil is not part of the original creation order. The problem now seems to be NT Wright being a non-creationist.

Why does god encourage evil by rewarding satan with mankind as a playground to torment and encourage evil/sin/disobedience/suffering?

Dr Wright offers a great reply; who can argue with it? I would add, however, that-and this also is not an answer, but another insight into the mystery of evil in the face of a good and sovereign God-all the great personages in the Bible, most especially Jesus Christ Himself, affirm without question the goodness and sovereignty of God, while at the same time declaring, as Jesus does, “in this world you will have trouble.” So too John, who, in the Apocalypse, foresees a new heaven and earth where death, pain, an sorrow will be no more. And yet he also vividly paints word pictures of horrible evil and suffering before that new reality arrives, all the while affirming the goodness and sovereignty of God. This is the tension of the mystery of evil vs a good and sovereign God. We only have insights to this question, not a neat answer. As to a question that lies within this tension, “Is God in control?” my answer is, “No, but in the splendour of His majesty, God reigns with sovereign wisdom, power, and authority.” Perhaps the best and most beautiful insight into this mystery is Job’s answer to his seemingly innocent suffering: the appearing of God Himself whose presence stills all our troubling questions. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

God allows evil because without knowing evil we couldn't be like God. Perhaps.

..well once a god ..🤪

If we can’t talk about it, let’s talk about talking about it. 😀 Maybe the answer is simply this. God is not omnipotent in the way we think of omnipotence. Certainly there must be some self-imposed restriction on his power over the cosmos and those who live in it for free will to exist at all. But that still doesn’t quite answer why the world is dangerous. Why do humans need danger to thrive? If God can create a heaven or a spiritual utopia for all people to live at peace for all eternity, why do we need this chaotic world at all? Or if, as you’ve said, the second coming is a merger of God’s realm with ours, why the separation in the first place? What’s it all about? And if this separation was the result of eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, why plant that seed in the garden at all? It’s already corrupted the realm. It clearly exists so that sin might exist. On some level, free will means very little without high stakes and without real temptation. Maybe the greatest act of love is for God to put mankind in a cruel and dangerous world so that we would be compelled to rebel against him so that our freedom of choice would really be that. Well that’s my current stab at it. What I think we can say is that human beings, as we are in this life, are incompatible with anything resembling a utopia though it should be our project to strive for as close as we can get imo. Without evil, we couldn’t make it in this world. I think this question really points back to the nature of human beings rather than the nature of God. 🤷‍♂️

God is not Father Christmas and this life is a place of suffering.

His answer is a non-answer

Didn't answer the question. Even admitted that he hadn't answer the question. Talked a lot but didn't really say anything. Disappointing.

I have a short answer. God allows evil as a temporary learning tool.

..you mean GOD existence ......😠😡👉, ..so then there can be no , GOD'S..

nonsense! He answered nothing in 1000 words.

First of all, God does not owe us any answers whatsoever regarding *why* things happen. He is God, The Absolute Ruler. We are His wretched creatures, who make a mess of everything we touch, and misuse the knowledge He allows us. Just look at how instead of using for good the scientific knowledge He allows us, we are using it for destruction and evil. Our disobedience, and knowledge in the wrong hands by the way, is the source of most, if not all the evil we see around us. Second of all, even if He told us *why* things happen, we still wouldn't understand. Our minds are too small and limited to understand God's Grand Design and His infinite wisdom. All we need to know is that He knows best, that we need to trust Him and His plans, and that His plans will ultimately be fulfilled. Hallelujah!

The Bible records that God created a powerful, intelligent, and beautiful angelic being, the chief among the angels, called Lucifer ( ‘Shining One’) - and that he was very good. But Lucifer also had a will with which he could freely choose.\ He chose to aspire to be like God - Isaiah 14.12-14 "' How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the North. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Wright doesn't really answer the question.

A profoundly disappointing answer.

"Problem of evil", what problem of evil? The Christian God is demonstrably evil, so where's the problem?

The only excuse that "god" has for all the evel and suffering in the world is that "he" does not exist!!!