The problem of evil

Give the three common solutions to the problem of evil, and your evaluation of Erickson’s response to these solutions.

The problem of evil, and more importantly, the explanation of its source has been the source of debates for many generations and will continue to be for many generations to come.  Many of the most intellectual Christian minds still disagree on a solution for how to explain the problem of evil.

There are three solutions that have been proposed in order to make an attempt at some explanation.  The first is finitism, which would reject the idea that God is omnipotent.  The second involves modifying the idea of God’s goodness.  The third solution is to deny that evil exists.

Finitism is well represented in the work of Edgar Brightman.  In the video, Dr. Mitchell pointed out that the idea of limiting God’s omniscience proposes dualism which would say that there is a power out there that God cannot control.  This position would make it hard for someone to place their faith in a God that may or may not be able to follow through on His plan for their life.

The second solution, which calls for modifying the idea of God’s goodness, is well represented in the work of Gordon Clark, a well-known Calvinist.  He makes the point that he doesn’t believe that human’s have free will and that God is the cause of everything.  Our book quotes Clark, “Let it be unequivocally said that this view certainly makes God the cause of sin.  God is the sole ultimate cause of everything.  There is absolutely nothing independent of him.  He alone is the eternal being.  He alone is omnipotent.  He alone is sovereign.”  Of course, one funny thing to point out is that Clark’s position on the problem of evil is in direct contradiction to Brightman’s idea of finitism.

The third proposed solution is simply to deny the existence of evil.  Dr. Mitchell used Mary Baker Eddy as a great example of this point of view.  As a Christian Scientist, she believed that evil is a false belief.  She did not believe in disease or death and even promised to call her followers from the grave just to let them know that she was alright and there was no such thing as death.  The phone company finally cut the service off to the phone when she never called!  Erickson points out that this solution doesn’t address the fact that even if you deny the existence of evil, you can’t deny that the illusion of evil exists.

After the explanation of each of the three solutions, Erickson goes on to talk about the fact that these solutions really aren’t that plausible because of a variety of reasons.  First, he points out “not all instances of evil are of the same fundamental type.”  Second, he points out that “we must not overemphasize one type of evil to the neglect of others.”  Erickson concludes by pointing out that “the problem of evil is a result of a misunderstanding or overstatement of one or more of these factors.”

In his lecture, Dr. Mitchell made a great point when he said, “Evil is a great laboratory experience which provides the opportunity to refine the soul.”  When we encounter evil, it is an opportunity for us to share Christ and to see His glory triumph.  I heard a preacher ask one time if we consider evil and the problems we encounter to be more like a prison, a hospital, or a seminary?  I hope that we can all say a seminary.  I know that looking back on my life, some of the most growth has occurred when evil entered a situation and tried to steal my joy and tried to hold me back from the perfect plan that God has laid out for my life.  The problem of evil is one that we will always have to deal with, but it started when Adam made the choice to sin and we have all continued sinning.  We will never be able to avoid evil until we are in heaven and reunited with God in a place where sin is not even possible.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *