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The Answer To Evil…Already?
Scott Christensen takes the first part of the introduction to his book “What About Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory” and does something interesting – he gives you the answer to evil at the start!
First, he presents the idea that there does, in fact, exist evil and suffering in the world and that it is one of the biggest arguments people cite against Christianity. The Christian worldview is not devoid of an answer to this and so the theodicy is laid out in response to people like Epicurus and David Hume.
We are presented with six main answers to the problem of evil from the Christian point of view:
1) The Free-Will Defense
2) Natural-Law Defense
3) Greater-Good Theodicy
4) Soul-Making Theodicy
5) Best-of-All-Possible-Worlds Defense
6) Divine-Judgment Defense
Christensen introduces these answers but also provides us his answer to the problem of evil. It is one that he believes is the most biblical, Reformed, and God-centered which should be the Christian’s focus. He gives a logical breakdown of his answer and sets up the rest of the book to follow.
Timeline:
00:00 – Introduction
01:46 – Do I Have To Read “What About Free Will” First?
02:11 – There Is Evil & Darkness In The World
03:50 – What Is Theodicy?
05:57 – Epicurus’& David Hume’s Argument
08:05 – The Faulty Christian’s Answer To Evil
11:53 – The Good Parts About The Problem Of Evil
12:43 – Mapping Out The Problem Of Evil Responses
13:45 – 1) The Free-Will Defense
15:38 – 2) Natural-Law Defense
16:48 – 3) Greater-Good Theodicy
20:39 – 4) Soul-Making Theodicy
23:01 – 5) Best-of-All-Possible-Worlds Defense
25:18 – 6) Divine-Judgment Defense
27:07 – The Answer To The Problem Of Evil
29:29 – The Greater-Glory Theodicy
31:20 – How The Fall Of Man Brings Greater Glory To God
33:15 – The Answer To The Problem Of Evil Must Be God-Centered
34:14 – Conclusion
The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep139
Video Links
01:20 – Scott Christensen Interview
Books mentioned in this episode:
What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen
Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt
Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6
Logos Link
ChristianBook Link
What About Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty by Scott Christensen
Kindle – https://amzn.to/37SNE6i
Paperback – https://amzn.to/37ZLyl7
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