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Excusing God: A Critique of Christian Solutions to the Problem of Suffering & Evil
The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus famously summed up the
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is not benevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
Christian thinkers have struggled with this “problem of suffering and evil” for two thousand years. More recently the New Atheists have made it the centerpiece – and their most damning argument – in their case against the Christian God.
In this book Marshall Davis, author of “Thank God for What Christians Can Learn from the New Atheism” tackles the problem. Davis is a Christian, yet he takes atheistic critiques of Christianity seriously. Building on recent works by both atheist and Christian writers on the subject, Davis examines nine strategies that Christians use to justify God. They
The Justice Defense
The Testing Defense
The Spiritual Growth Defense
The Eschatological Defense
The Free Will Defense
The Duality Defense
The Mysterious Purpose Defense
The Empathy Defense
The Patchwork Defense
He evaluates the effectiveness of these arguments and concludes that Christian attempts to excuse God are misguided. In his words “theodicy is dead.” A new approach that “questions the question” of the goodness and omnipotence of God is needed.
This book takes the reader beyond traditional justifications for God’s actions – and inaction – and points Christians in a direction that redefines the traditional understanding of God.
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is not benevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
Christian thinkers have struggled with this “problem of suffering and evil” for two thousand years. More recently the New Atheists have made it the centerpiece – and their most damning argument – in their case against the Christian God.
In this book Marshall Davis, author of “Thank God for What Christians Can Learn from the New Atheism” tackles the problem. Davis is a Christian, yet he takes atheistic critiques of Christianity seriously. Building on recent works by both atheist and Christian writers on the subject, Davis examines nine strategies that Christians use to justify God. They
The Justice Defense
The Testing Defense
The Spiritual Growth Defense
The Eschatological Defense
The Free Will Defense
The Duality Defense
The Mysterious Purpose Defense
The Empathy Defense
The Patchwork Defense
He evaluates the effectiveness of these arguments and concludes that Christian attempts to excuse God are misguided. In his words “theodicy is dead.” A new approach that “questions the question” of the goodness and omnipotence of God is needed.
This book takes the reader beyond traditional justifications for God’s actions – and inaction – and points Christians in a direction that redefines the traditional understanding of God.
45 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 10, 2017
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