This Sunday we are looking at the opportunity of suffering. at church Specifically we will be thinking about how we share the Gospel in response to suffering. It seems strange to talk about suffering as an opportunity. We tend to talk more about the problem of suffering. This has been strikingly emphasised by an interview… Continue reading Why is suffering a problem for believers?
Tag: Theodicy
Why God is not an emotionless firefighter (or why we need to pick better illustrations)
One of the reasons why I think a lot of people struggle with the idea of “Divine Impassibility” is that sadly it is often badly represented. Take for example, an essay that Matthew Barrett wrote for The Gospel Coalition website. In the article, he talks about how whenever someone shares about a tragedy they have… Continue reading Why God is not an emotionless firefighter (or why we need to pick better illustrations)
Time to repent
In Jesus day, there wasn’t really any question that sin was a problem, nor that it deserved judgement.. A culture that accepted the reality of sin may seem a long way from our “sinless and shameless” culture today. However, there were questions about the nature of sin and more pertinently who was a sinner. To… Continue reading Time to repent
Does the Good Father really allow his children to suffer?
At one extreme during the COVID coronavirus was the claim that the pandemic was a judgement from God or at least a wake up call from him. I have responded to this claim frequently and in detail in the past. However at the other extreme is the argument that God cannot have sent the pandemic… Continue reading Does the Good Father really allow his children to suffer?
Scripture, sovereignty and suffering: Where might that conversation with a rabbi have gone?
Remember my aborted conversation with the Rabbi. The dilemma that was put to him was that if God had done the great deeds recounted in the rest of Torah building up to the point in Deuteronomy when the people are about to enter the land of Canaan, then why do does it fall onto the… Continue reading Scripture, sovereignty and suffering: Where might that conversation with a rabbi have gone?
An attempted conversation with a rabbi about God and Scripture
The other day I attempted to respond on Twitter to some provocative comments from a Rabbi about God and suffering. The Rabbi in question, Mike Harvey, claims to have written a best seller book about conversing with Christians and to be a leading expert on interfaith relations. He didn’t seem too interested in conversations with… Continue reading An attempted conversation with a rabbi about God and Scripture
Does God “give and take away”?
This question got asked by a thoughtful person the other day. Are we right to sing “You give and take away” in the song “Blessed be the name of the Lord?” The line of course is drawn from Job’s response to his suffering (Job 1:21). But was Job right in his assessment. We know that… Continue reading Does God “give and take away”?
Why does God allow suffering?
This is a big question. It’s big because it raises philosophical questions about God’s goodness (love, wisdom etc.) and his greatness (sovereignty, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence). Why do good things happen to bad people? How can a God of love tolerate suffering? God is sovereign -can’t stop the suffering If God is a God of love… Continue reading Why does God allow suffering?
God in the Dock (Romans 3:1-8)
Paul has argued that relying on ethnic pride does not work. Your genes will not save you, nor your knowledge of The Law. We are judged by our actual righteous, the good that we do or don’t do. Therefore Jews and Gentiles alike face judgement day. So, if a Jew cannot claim an exemption, is… Continue reading God in the Dock (Romans 3:1-8)
The biggest lie of all
I’ve been interacting with the big dark world of conspiracy theories in recent blogs and YouTube videos. One of my main arguments is that we don’t deal with “conspiracy theories” so much as “Conspiracy.” That in effect there is one viral lie that sheds into individual beliefs, communities’ religious groupings and political movements. The lie… Continue reading The biggest lie of all
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