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Randal Rauser

Home of progressively evangelical, generously orthodox, rigorously analytic, revolutionary Christian thinking (that's what I'm aiming for anyway)

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theodicy

The Question that Never Goes Away: A Review

August 29, 2016 by Randal

Philip Yancey. The Question that Never Goes Away (Zondervan, 2014).  Philip Yancey launched his illustrious publishing career close to forty years ago with the publication of Where is God When it Hurts? In his aptly titled 2014 book The Question that Never Goes Away Yancey returns to the enduring question of evil and suffering: why?  Three events in 2012 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: pastoral theology, Philip Yancey, problem of evil, providence, theodicy

Does God demand love under threat of damnation?

June 2, 2016 by Randal

A reader emailed the following question to me. With permission, I’m reproducing and responding to the question here: One recurring thought I keep having that I’d be interested in reading your thoughts on relates to the nature of salvation vs punishment and the way in which Scripture seems to call us to respond to God. Now, […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, God, heaven, hell, theodicy, theology

95. The Problem of God-Breathed Violence

June 2, 2016 by Randal

Over the last several years I’ve reflected, written, and spoken extensively on the problem of biblical violence. So when I was recently invited to present a devotional at a board meeting, of course I decided to talk about the Bible and violence. In this episode of The Tentative Apologist Podcast I read that devotional reflection […]

Filed Under: Podcast-The Tentative Apologist, The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, biblical violence, hermeneutics, inspiration, theodicy

If atheists are offended by a theodicy, does that give them a right to be rude?

May 30, 2016 by Randal

In my interview “God and the Problem of Suffering: An Interview with Paul Buller” Paul provides a brief summary of his theodicy according to which God allows at least some evil as a means by which moral agents can acquire moral virtue. The article prompted a long comment from The Atheist Missionary (TAM) which concluded […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, atheism, debate, discourse, Golden Rule, public square, theodicy

God and the Problem of Suffering: An Interview with Paul Buller

May 26, 2016 by Randal

In this interview I discuss that most difficult of problems, God and suffering, with Christian apologist Paul Buller. Paul is a co-founder of the Network of Christian Apologists in Calgary, AB and the author of the book Suffering: The Heart of the Matter. But while Paul loves to pursue the intellectual side of Christian faith, his perspective on suffering […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, evil, interview, Paul Buller, problem of evil, suffering, theodicy, theology

Stephen Colbert on providence and the problem of suffering

August 24, 2015 by Randal

Stephen Colbert is one of the funniest and smartest comics/entertainers around. He was always engaging, thought-provoking, and hilarious playing his satirical conservative pundit on The Colbert Report. And he promises to carry that same brilliance into his new role in network late night in a couple weeks. Last week GQ published a fascinating profile on […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: problem of evil, providence, Stephen Colbert, suffering, theodicy

God and the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald

August 23, 2015 by Randal

The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was a mighty Great Lakes freighter which sank in a storm on Lake Superior in November, 1975, taking 29 sailors to a watery grave. The tragedy was immortalized in Canadian folk rock balladeer Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting 1976 hit “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald“. I’ve listened to the song innumerable times […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: natural evil, problem of evil, theodicy

Christology, Anthropology, Theodicy. Inconsistency?

August 7, 2015 by Randal

1 Corinthians 15:45: “So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.’” The underlying premise of any self-respecting Christian anthropology is found in this maxim: Christology is anthropology. That is, if you want to understand the essence of humanity you should not look back to the […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: anthropology, christology, problem of evil, theodicy

Animal Resurrection

June 6, 2015 by Randal

Philosopher Dale Tuggy of the “Trinities” podcast recently posted a two-part podcast interview with Trent Dougherty on the problem of evil and animal suffering. (Part 1; Part 2). The second podcast focuses on Dougherty’s recently published book The Problem of Animal Pain: A Theodicy For All Creatures Great And Small. In the book Dougherty argues […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: animal pain, Dale Tuggy, theodicy, Trent Dougherty

Honor and the Problem of Evil

March 16, 2015 by Randal

Let’s return to the brief testimony of the wounded soldier (Rory Hamill) that I recounted in “The Man I am Today: One soldier’s testimony and the problem of evil“. In the interview clip Scott Pelley noted that President Obama awarded Hamill with an honor. Hamill recalls: “He awarded me with a Purple Heart. It was amazing. It was an […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: God, honor, problem of evil, theodicy

7. The 59-Second Apologist: The Argument from Divine Hiddenness

December 8, 2014 by Randal

The Argument from Divine Hiddenness, first developed by philosopher J.L. Schellenberg, seeks to argue that God doesn’t exist based on the existence of reasonable non-belief. In this episode of the 59-Second Apologist Randal offers a quick summary of the argument along with two replies. Click here to read J.L. Schellenberg’s forthcoming paper “Divine Hiddenness and Human […]

Filed Under: Podcast-59 Second Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, divine hiddenness, J.L. Schellenberg, problem of evil, theodicy

On calling God a murderer (Part 2)

August 29, 2014 by Randal

I ended part 1 of this discussion with two questions, the first of which I will begin to address here: “when does the death of an individual constitute God’s killing that individual?” Note that by addressing this question we are not yet discussing God’s murdering anybody since killing and murdering are not the same thing. To […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, divine action, God, murder, theodicy

On calling God a murderer (Part 1)

August 27, 2014 by Randal

Over the years I have often heard the charge made: if God exists, then he is a murderer. As a piece of rhetoric, I suppose such charges satisfy those making them. But as a serious accusation they commonly leave much to be desired. In this series of posts I’m going to discuss the complexities inherent […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: God, murder, natural evil, problem of evil, theodicy

Do you dare place God on trial?

May 23, 2014 by Randal

“He gave us the Law. And to debate the Law even on such a terrible subject … is a kind of prayer.” Do you know God well enough to charge him with covenant unfaithfulness? Do you dare place him on trial for the evils in the world? Can you conceive of that very interrogation being itself […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, covenant, film, God on Trial, Jew, Nazis, problem of evil, theodicy

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