Theological Fragments

The shooting in Connecticut today was a tragedy on a scale few of us can even imagine. The loss of so many people in one instant, most of them young children, shocks and saddens us all. In situations like these it can be difficult for us as Christians to know what to say. How do we confront evil on this kind of scale, and how do we begin to comfort those who were affected by the attack? What comfort can we offer to those who suffer in this world? On the one hand, this task is difficult because the typical answers have become cliche, and we know by now that they simply do not work. We could tell those who suffer that it is all part of God's plan; we can quote the scripture which says that God "works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose." But these answers do not comfort, and they do not suffice. It is not enough to tell a person surrounded by evil and pain that everything that has happened to them is secretly good...

[I debated whether to provide any context for this post. I've decided that it is important, for understanding the tone in which this fragment is offered, to know that I wrote this, not out of academic interest, but in response to an experience of pain. I am speaking to myself here more than anyone else.] The so-called “New Atheists”—Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, etc.—like to talk about the “Problem of Evil” (Which I think is more properly called the Problem of Pain) as a logical criticism of ethical monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). They treat it as a logical problem which they, or at least their scientific-minded predecessors, have discovered about the beliefs of those religions. If you’re not sure what the Problem of Pain is, here’s a brief summary: A.       Evil exists in the world, and pain happens. B.       A loving god who is all good would not allow evil or pain to exist if he could prevent i...