Theodicy Archives - CultureWatch

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Commenting Rules

Readers are welcome to post comments on the material posted here, but some simple rules apply:

No trolls allowed
I reserve the right to refuse comments.
This site is meant to express my point of view. If you are looking for a soapbox to promote your own views, create your own website or blog site.
Comments should be brief (preferably under 100 words), polite, constructive and informed.
Comments which are simply attacks on myself, or are done in bad taste, or use rude language, or are possibly defamatory will not be posted.
You must state your full name to have your comments posted.
I may reply to some of your comments but will not be able to respond to all.
Needless to say, not everything found in the comments posted here are points of view I approve of or agree with.

If you are happy to abide by these rules, then by all means, send in your comments. Happy writing!

Disease, Disaster, Evil and Worldviews

Aug 10, 2020

One’s worldview determines how we approach things like the corona crisis:

Two nights ago on television there was a replay of the 1996 film Independence Day. You know the story: a bunch of nasty aliens come to earth levelling

Yes, Seek Justice and Vindication

Aug 4, 2020

Christians should pray the imprecatory psalms:

While divine justice will fully and finally be meted out in the next life, Christians can and should seek to see justice carried out in the here and now. Indeed, that is what I

A Spiritual Take on the Victorian Disaster

Aug 3, 2020

We SHOULD be angry about what is happening. But how we deal with that anger is crucial:

I have much more time to write articles than normally: one, I am basically under house arrest, as are all poor Victorians; and

C. S. Lewis and The Problem of Pain

Jul 26, 2020

There is so much to be gleaned from this terrific book:

Having just bought a number of new editions of some old C. S. Lewis classics, I am reading through them once again – but as if for the first

Christians should have a far different response to suffering than atheists:

Can one accept the reality of God and of suffering, and not have a fundamental contradiction? For thousands of years philosophers and theologians have argued that we can indeed

Dealing With Pain, Suffering, Loss and Grief: A Reader

Jul 2, 2020

Here are a number of important books dealing with suffering, pain and evil and how we might respond:

We all suffer in various ways, so to offer a reading list on how to cope with, how to understand, and how

We all can learn so much from the life and writings of Elisabeth Elliot:

Many of you know about the remarkable American Christian missionary and author Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015). What she went through has more than qualified her to

Divine Hiddenness: On God’s Silence

Mar 28, 2019

Many believers throughout the ages have experienced what appears to be the silence, absence, distance, hiddenness, or unresponsiveness of God. Prayers seem to be unanswered, God seems to be nowhere near, and we can have a sense of divine abandonment,

Seven Helpful New Books on the Problem of Pain and Suffering

Sep 18, 2018

Suffering is a perennial problem and we are all affected by it at least to some extent. It is part of what it is to be human in a fallen world. And we all have varying bouts of hardships and

Spurgeon and Suffering

Aug 3, 2018

Did you know that one of the greatest, most loved, and most influential preachers of all times not only suffered greatly in the flesh, but in spirit as well? His physical ailments were outdone by mental and emotional ailments such

Suffering as Divine Discipline

Feb 18, 2018

Suffering is a universal phenomenon. We all suffer in various ways, and we all have questions as to why we do. Like Job of old, we may have plenty of questions about suffering, but we may not always get the

The Inseparable Nature of Love and Pain

Feb 16, 2018

One common complaint made about God is that if he is so loving, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world. This is an age-old complaint, and it is part of what is referred to as the

Three Cheers For Lament

Jan 28, 2018

One might argue that only a morose and maudlin melancholic or a moody misanthrope would dare to write such a piece (let alone offer such poor alliteration). OK, I confess, I am not exactly Mr Joe Bubbly. But one need

A Review of Walking Through Twilight. By Doug Groothuis.

Dec 6, 2017

IVP, 2017.

There is nothing new about pain and suffering, and why God’s people have to endure so much of it. Job wrestled with these matters three millennia ago, and we still do today. There are no easy answers, but

Tears in Heaven

Nov 1, 2017

Life in this world is filled with tears. And if this life was all there was, then this would be terribly tragic indeed. But the Christian believes there is much more than this life, and that one day all tears

Thinking About God, Evil and Suffering – Again

Oct 23, 2017

One topic that will likely never go away is that of the vexing question about suffering and evil in this world, and why God – if he exists – might allow it. That of course has been the stuff of

Hurricane Irma: God and Natural Disasters

Sep 10, 2017

With North America at least very much conscious of natural disasters at the moment, old questions tend to resurface. With a number of massive hurricanes bearing down on America’s southeast, and the biggest earthquake to recently pound Mexico, many people

The Reality of Suffering Versus ‘Your Best Life Now’

Jul 18, 2017

There is much to celebrate and enjoy in life, and if you are a Christian you have plenty of reasons to rejoice and be glad. But that joy is in Christ, not in this world. Yes God is our source

Two Questions about God and Evil

Jun 10, 2017

God, and evil, are two of the biggest issues one can possibly discuss. And when they are brought together this is not something any short article can do proper justice to – not when entire libraries are filled with books

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Disease, Disaster, Evil and Worldviews

One’s worldview determines how we approach things like the corona crisis:

Yes, Seek Justice and Vindication

Christians should pray the imprecatory psalms:

A Spiritual Take on the Victorian Disaster

We SHOULD be angry about what is happening. But how we deal with that anger is crucial:

C. S. Lewis and The Problem of Pain

There is so much to be gleaned from this terrific book:

Suffering and Worldviews

Christians should have a far different response to suffering than atheists:

Dealing With Pain, Suffering, Loss and Grief: A Reader

Here are a number of important books dealing with suffering, pain and evil and how we might respond:

Elisabeth Elliot on Suffering

We all can learn so much from the life and writings of Elisabeth Elliot:

Divine Hiddenness: On God’s Silence

Seven Helpful New Books on the Problem of Pain and Suffering

Spurgeon and Suffering

Suffering as Divine Discipline

The Inseparable Nature of Love and Pain

Three Cheers For Lament

A Review of Walking Through Twilight. By Doug Groothuis.

Tears in Heaven

Thinking About God, Evil and Suffering – Again

Hurricane Irma: God and Natural Disasters

The Reality of Suffering Versus ‘Your Best Life Now’

Two Questions about God and Evil

Copyright

Useful Links

Newsfeeds

Billmuehlenberg.com