Dr Paul Allen

If God is good, why is there so much suffering? Most of us have probably sought explanations for suffering in light of our faith in God, or else evil may have contributed to our doubts about God’s existence. If you have spent any extended amount of time thinking about these questions, you are exploring the problem of evil, a term that refers to analyzing challenges that the existence of evil causes for various religions. What is the problem of evil? Technically, we would do well to speak of multiple problems of evil. Each religion may face unique challenges (is karmic suffering really just, as Hinduism suggests? Is evil an illusion, as some Buddhists claim?), but this article will consider the problem of evil in Christianity in three forms.  The logical problem of evil is a philosophical attempt to argue that a theistic God cannot exist if evil exists. The evidential problem of evil argues that a specific kind or example of evil makes God’s existence improbable. The existential pr...

QUESTION ASKED: What would have happened if Adam and Eve had not eaten from the tree of the knowledge? Would there still be original sin? How would they have been able to have children without eating from the tree? DICK HARFIELD'S RESPONSE: In point of fact, Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree of knowledge. I can say this with complete assurance because the story of the Garden of Eden is known to be a myth that was adapted from the much older Epic of Gilgamesh. The concept of original sin was developed by Augustine of Hippo in the Christian era, but was not fully adopted as doctrine by the Orthodox Church or by Judaism (the religion in which the story was originally written).  MY RESPONSE: The answer provided by Harfield contains a mix of solid points and some claims that warrant closer scrutiny. The answer provided by Harfield contains a mix of solid points and some claims that warrant closer scrutiny. What holds up well: Correctly noting that original sin as a formal doctri...

“Give What You Command, and Then Command Whatever You Will”:  Augustine, Pelagius, and the Question of Original Sin   By  Brad Green Original sin, in particular the relationship between Adam and the rest of humanity, is one of the most vexing doctrines in the history of Christian thought. Henri Blocher captures it well when he refers to the doctrine as a “riddle.”1  Often, the best way to come to terms with a complex theological issue is to go at it through a close study of a key historical controversy that surrounds the doctrine. The doctrine of original sin would entail an analysis of the pitched theological struggle between Augustine and Pelagius (and the Pelagians). This was a literary battle, as Augustine never met Pelagius, although they both were in Rome simultaneously.  1 Henri Blocher, Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle, NSBT 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997). Note: the enumeration of these footnotes differs from those used in the full chapter sin...