The Problem of Evil

An episode of the Reformed Thinking podcast, hosted by Edison Wu, titled "The Problem of Evil" was published on August 5, 2025 and runs 22 minutes.

August 5, 2025 ·22m · Reformed Thinking

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Summary

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Problem of EvilBonsen (or Bahnsen) resolves the philosophical problem of evil by introducing a crucial fourth premise to the traditional argument against God's existence. The classic challenge posits that an all-good and all-powerful God cannot coexist with the existence of evil, suggesting a logical inconsistency.Bonsen addresses this by adding: "God has a morally sufficient reason for the evil which exists." When this fourth premise is included, he argues that the supposed logical contradiction vanishes; there is no logical problem between God's attributes and the presence of evil, even if humans do not know or are not explicitly told what that reason is.This shifts the nature of the problem for the Christian from a logical one to a psychological one. It is "emotionally very hard" for humans to have faith and trust God when the specific "why" behind suffering is not revealed, but the Bible calls for trust in God's sufficient reason.Furthermore, Bonsen contends that the problem of evil is primarily a philosophical problem for the unbeliever. To argue against God based on the existence of evil, the unbeliever must first assert that evil is objectively real. However, worldviews like atheism (which posits a universe of "time plus matter plus chance") cannot account for objective moral standards, reducing good and evil to "personal choice or feeling" or "cultural" constructs. When an unbeliever expresses "moral outrage" over wickedness (e.g., child abuse or Hitler's actions), they are "secretly rely[ing] upon the Christian world view" which provides a transcendent moral foundation for such judgments. Their argument against theism, therefore, "presupposes theism to make its case," highlighting a logical incoherence in their own position.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730

Episode Description

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Problem of Evil

Bonsen (or Bahnsen) resolves the philosophical problem of evil by introducing a crucial fourth premise to the traditional argument against God's existence. The classic challenge posits that an all-good and all-powerful God cannot coexist with the existence of evil, suggesting a logical inconsistency.

Bonsen addresses this by adding: "God has a morally sufficient reason for the evil which exists." When this fourth premise is included, he argues that the supposed logical contradiction vanishes; there is no logical problem between God's attributes and the presence of evil, even if humans do not know or are not explicitly told what that reason is.

This shifts the nature of the problem for the Christian from a logical one to a psychological one. It is "emotionally very hard" for humans to have faith and trust God when the specific "why" behind suffering is not revealed, but the Bible calls for trust in God's sufficient reason.

Furthermore, Bonsen contends that the problem of evil is primarily a philosophical problem for the unbeliever. To argue against God based on the existence of evil, the unbeliever must first assert that evil is objectively real. However, worldviews like atheism (which posits a universe of "time plus matter plus chance") cannot account for objective moral standards, reducing good and evil to "personal choice or feeling" or "cultural" constructs. When an unbeliever expresses "moral outrage" over wickedness (e.g., child abuse or Hitler's actions), they are "secretly rely[ing] upon the Christian world view" which provides a transcendent moral foundation for such judgments. Their argument against theism, therefore, "presupposes theism to make its case," highlighting a logical incoherence in their own position.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

https://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730