God in the Shadows

God in the Shadows
Brian Morley
Christian Focus Publications 2006

This book is subtitled "Evil in God's World" and is a good overall textbook on what theologians and philosophers call "the problem of evil". This treatment of the subject is written from an evangelical Christian perspective.

The problem of evil can be stated quite simply in this question: How can it be that there is evil in the world created by a all-good and all-powerful God? The problem being, so philosophers state, that if God can stop evil but doesn't then he isn't wholly good, yet if God cannot stop evil but would, then he isn't all-powerful.

Brian Morley's book looks at this issue and these presuppositions and subjects them to biblical and theological examination.

The book begins with looking at what Morley - and Christian theism generally - would say are wrong answers to the problem which include:

1. There is no God
2. There is no real evil
3. God is not really all-powerful
4. God is not really all-good

He then examines a number of answers that have been put forward to show that there are reasons why an all-good and all-powerful God might nevertheless permit evil to exist in the world he created. These include the following arguments:

1. The free will defence - God gives human beings real choices. We are not mere robots or actors who don't realise we are acting out a pre-written play. As soon as freedom is given to a moral creature, it is possible to choose evil instead of good.

2. That suffering is used to build character - in other words, that there are ways in which our character can be shaped through the suffering we go through. For example, suffering the grief of losing someone close to us might give us the empathy, sympathy and compassion to help other people who are grieving in ways that wouldn't be the same if we hadn't gone through it. I don't think this is a strong argument as it doesn't really explain why there is suffering in the first place; rather it is an argument for how some good can come out of evil, but for me that's a different point.

3. The justice defence - that the world is sinful and we are all sinners. Sometimes, "evil" or suffering comes to us in response to our own actions. On some occasions, the link is natural: if we do harmful things to ourselves like over drinking, taking drugs or smoking, for example, then there is a price to pay for this. If our health suffers as a result, such suffering should be expected. Sometimes the link is moral: although it is unpopular to say it, Morley doesn't shy away from saying that sometimes bad things happen to bad people. Finally, there are times when there is no link and a person suffers who has "done nothing to deserve it." However, in a fallen world where sin has consequences, there is often what military theorists would call "collateral damage". Morley points out the Bible has a different understanding of responsibility to our western philosophical ideas. Sometimes there must be corporate responsibility and individuals suffer because of the sins of a nation or a society.

There are a number of other chapters dealing with subjects such as illness, war, poverty, etc. And there is a useful chapter on looking at the world from the eternal viewpoint of heaven and hell to come (putting suffering now in perspective).

I thought this was an excellent book addressing some of the most difficult theological and pastoral problems. Definitely recommended.