I came across an interesting “Blogalogue” (i.e., a dialogue in blog format), by two prolific New Testament scholars on the problem of evil, pain, and suffering and God’s (if there is such a being) relation to it. I, of course, am a theist and a Christian at that. And there are different ways to address this issue (from the logical or evidential to the personal / existential). It is worth a read…I enjoy NT Wright’s work.
(from beliefnet) Is our pain God’s problem? If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow so much suffering? These kinds of questions—sometimes called the problem of theodicy—have long bothered believers and nonbelievers alike. These questions are especially pressing now as we face the AIDS pandemic, widespread hunger, and environmental degradation—not to mention the grief that humans can cause one another. Our two guests for this new Beliefnet Blogalogue have devoted part of their lives to addressing these issues. Bart Ehrman is James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the author of God’s Problem and Misquoting Jesus, among many other titles. N.T. Wright is the Bishop of Durham for the Church of England and has taught at McGill, Oxford, and Cambridge. His books include Surprised By Hope, Evil and the Justice of God, and several other titles.
To read this interesting and revealing interaction, click here.