Principles for Facing the Problem of Evil

Why We Need Principles

After looking at the unsatisfying alternatives—atheism, pantheism, naturalism, and idealism—we are left with the harder but more honest road: affirming all four truths. God exists. God is all-good. God is all-powerful. Evil exists.

But if we are to do this with integrity, we need to think carefully. Many poor answers to the problem of evil collapse because they begin with the wrong assumptions or abandon essential truths. Before we move further, then, it’s worth laying down a few principles for how to approach this most difficult question.

1. Begin with Data, Not Theories

Christian theology begins with what has been given: revelation and lived experience. We do not start by building a theory of God and then forcing reality into it. Instead, we start with the “data” God has revealed about Himself and what we know from experience: both the goodness of creation and the reality of evil.

The temptation of many philosophies is to smooth away the hard edges of reality in order to preserve their theories. But Christianity insists we begin with the data, no matter how uncomfortable.

2. Do Not Compromise the Data

Pantheism and naturalism compromise the data by reducing God. Pantheism makes Him morally ambiguous, naturalism makes Him weak. Idealism compromises the data by denying evil altogether. Each of these solutions only works by throwing away something essential.

Christianity refuses to do this. We cannot shrink God down to fit our reasoning, nor can we pretend that evil is only an illusion. If we are to be faithful, we must hold onto both sides: the greatness of God and the seriousness of evil.

3. Think Clearly, Simply, and Directly

Clarity is a virtue. Sometimes scholars bury truth under layers of complexity. But truth itself is not complicated, even when it is profound. If we cannot explain the problem of evil in a way a child can grasp, then we do not understand it ourselves.

Think of the Apostles: ordinary men who were sent to proclaim the gospel to fishermen, farmers, and families. If the truth about God and evil cannot be explained to them, then it is not truly understood.

4. Think Logically

Emotion and compassion are vital, but so is logic. To think logically means:

• Use clear definitions.

• Start with true premises.

• Draw valid conclusions.

  
  

Every argument can be answered if we identify where it goes wrong: an ambiguous term, a false premise, or a logical fallacy. The problem of evil is serious, but it is not immune to reason. Logic does not solve suffering, but it can prevent despair by showing that faith is not irrational.

5. Do Not Chase Originality

The truth does not need to be reinvented. In fact, most of the deepest answers to the problem of evil were given long before us. Our task is not to be clever, but to be faithful.

In every age, there is a temptation to say something “new” that will make us appear wise or relevant. But in the face of evil, people do not need originality. They need truth—truth that holds firm when their world is falling apart.

6. Begin with Real Definitions

This may seem technical, but it is crucial. Much confusion comes from fuzzy thinking about terms like “good,” “evil,” “power,” and “happiness.” The first act of the mind is to understand the nature of a thing, its essence, its “what.” Unless we define what evil really is, we will be arguing about shadows.

This is where the next stage of our series will turn: defining evil itself. Is it a thing? Is it a force? Or is it something else? Augustine’s great breakthrough was to see that evil is not a being but a privation: a lack of good where good ought to be.

From this point, the Christian response begins to come into focus.

Looking Ahead

We now have a framework:

• Start with revelation and reality, not theory.

• Do not compromise essential truths.

• Think clearly, logically, and faithfully.

• Define terms carefully.

In the next post, we will take up that last principle and ask: What is evil? Is it natural? Is it moral? How do the two relate? The answers will shape everything that follows.