In this first session of a new Sunday School series, we begin exploring one of the most enduring intellectual challenges raised against Christianity: the problem of evil. Why does suffering exist? How can belief in a good and all-powerful God be reconciled with evil, injustice, pain, and death? And why do these questions so often lead people away from the faith?
Approaching the topic philosophically and theologically, the discussion seeks to distinguish between the pastoral experience of suffering and the theoretical “problem of evil” as it is often presented in academic settings. We walk through several classic responses—including punishment theodicies, free will defenses, higher-order goods arguments, and skeptical theism—while also considering the limitations of each when treated as complete explanations for suffering in the world.
Throughout the lesson, there is a recurring emphasis on the importance of recovering the resources of the Christian tradition rather than attempting to defend Christianity solely on the terms set by secular modernity. The session concludes by suggesting that many contemporary discussions about evil begin with assumptions about God, reason, and neutrality that Christians need not accept uncritically.