is evil a problem?

One of the greatest arguments against belief in God is the reality of human suffering and evil. Historically, this is sometimes referred to as the problem of evil.

Some theists (believers in God), however, prefer to call it the so-called problem of evil. It appears to be a problem, but it really isn't one. To this end, a friend of mine recently asked me what I thought of the issue. I offered this brief reply.

This is a tough one. I think I'd say this:

(1) For us, evil is definitely a problem, both emotionally/personally and theoretically/ theologically. Obviously, we all grapple with evil and its many manifestations. Anyone who has encountered really bad stuff and believes in a sovereign God has to wrestle with this seeming inconsistency.

Why would a good God who possesses all power allow for such and such? And, if He is truly sovereign, how can He "get off the hook"?

While our experiences, emotional makeup, and theological assumptions all play a role in how we approach these matters, I cannot get away from the fact that–at least in my opinion–there is indeed some sort of "problem" with at least some of the manifestations of evil.

(2) Evil is not a problem for God. Since He is entirely good and wise, there is not taint of frustration on His part. He does not fret or ponder how He's going to explain this or that (though I believe He understands why we wonder about such things and is sympathetic).

The point here is that God has done absolutely nothing wrong, and in the end it will make sense (or at least sense enough).

(3) We accept by testimony of Scripture, personal experience, and through the use of our minds that evil is not ULTIMATELY a problem. All of this is–how shall we put it?–laced with faith? We "see" what we cannot currently see, and we trust that it will one day make sense, though it often
makes no sense now.

I suppose we could say that evil is a problem (for us), no problem for God, and we by faith accept God's verdict on the matter. We thus (like the biblical characters) complain about the real difficulties and inconsistencies we observe and feel, but our complaints are saturated by at
least some degree of faith. Indeed, when we express our doubts to God, our genuine ignorance and pain in the face of the apparently unfair, given that our complaints are made TO God, we are simultaneously expressing faith. :-)

Hope this makes sense!