The problem
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes happen?
Why are some struck by lightning or dragged out to sea by sharks?
Why are some children born handicapped and others die young?
Why doesn’t God simply prevent freak accidents from happening?
Atheism
Stuff happens; there is no reason why
Pantheism
Pain is an illusion; enlightenment is found through detachment
Biblical Responses
The devil did it (2 Corinthians 4.4)
Results of the fall (Romans 5.12; 8.22)
Judgment of God (Genesis 19.13)
All things work together for good (Romans 8.28)
Death is a wakeup call for the living (Ecclesiastes 7.2)
Not enough faith to be healed (Matthew 13.58)
Time and chance overtake us all (Ecclesiastes 9.11)
Dealing with Suffering
Don’t deny evil (psalms of disorientation, i.e Psalm 88)
God suffers with us; we are not alone (Hosea and Gomer)
God knows what it is like to lose a son! (John 3.16)
Hope, living hope! (Revelation 21.1-7)
We may not have the answer to why God allows this or that to happen. However, we can provide people with the ultimate solution—the kingdom of God (when God makes everything wrong with the world right).
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