Personal Theodicy: Why God Permits Evil in a Good World
This essay presents a personal theodicy — a justification of divine goodness in the face of evil — grounded in Christian theology. Drawing on thinkers such as C. S. Lewis, John Feinberg, Fred Berthold, and N. T. Wright, the paper argues that evil exists as a consequence of free will granted to both angels and humanity, and as the lasting effect of Original Sin. The essay examines philosophical objections to God's goodness, addresses natural evil, and contends that God's continued involvement in the world — most fully expressed in the incarnation and sacrifice of Christ — demonstrates that divine goodness and justice are compatible with the existence of evil.
- Introduction: The Problem of Evil and Divine Goodness: Defines theodicy and introduces Christ as God's answer
- Free Will, the Fall, and the Origin of Evil: Original Sin and free will as sources of evil
- The Philosophical Problem and the Role of Free Will: Feinberg and Berthold rebut Hume's skeptical objection
- Natural Evil and the Consequences of the Fall: Natural disasters and suffering explained by the Fall
- Conclusion: God's Justice, Love, and the Christian Answer: Christ reconciles divine goodness with existence of evil
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper integrates multiple scholarly sources — Lewis, Feinberg, Berthold, Wright, and Sheen — to build a coherent theological argument rather than relying on a single authority.
- It anticipates and addresses a core philosophical objection (Hume's skepticism) before rebutting it, strengthening the argumentative structure.
- The writing moves logically from abstract theological principles to concrete examples (the Fall, Christ's crucifixion, natural disasters), grounding the argument in both doctrine and lived experience.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of theological synthesis: it draws together patristic thought (Augustine via Berthold and Burns), modern Christian apologetics (Lewis, Sheen), and contemporary biblical scholarship (Wright) to construct a unified response to a classic philosophical problem. This shows how interdisciplinary sources can be marshaled to support a single thesis without contradiction.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by defining theodicy and establishing the thesis that evil results from free will and Original Sin. It then introduces C. S. Lewis's framing of Christianity as a catastrophic historical event and Christ as God's direct answer to evil. Next, it engages the philosophical objection raised by Hume and rebuts it using Feinberg and Berthold. A dedicated section addresses natural evil as a consequence of the Fall. The conclusion synthesizes the argument, affirming that God's justice and love are revealed most fully through Christ.
Introduction: The Problem of Evil and Divine Goodness
Theodicy is the vindication or justification of divine goodness in spite of the evidence of a world where evil exists. When one has faith in the divine goodness of God, the question of why God allows evil things to happen is not particularly troublesome; it is when one has no faith, or has doubts, that the question becomes pertinent. It is therefore helpful to explain how and why a good God would allow evil to exist and evil things to befall innocent people, so that others might come to believe, or might come to believe more strongly.
The main reason for the existence of evil is that God gave to men — and to the angels — freedom of will. Men and angels were given the choice, in other words, of whether they would serve Him or their own desires. The fallen angels (led by Lucifer, now known as Satan) chose to serve themselves, and thus became antagonists to God and all His creation. The first created man and woman (Adam and Eve) also chose to deny God His legitimate claim to their hearts, minds, and wills by breaking His commandment not to eat the forbidden fruit. In that moment, they sinned and brought the knowledge of good and evil to mankind,1 passing the effects of sin onto their children, as Paul writes to the Romans: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). Evil was thus introduced into earthly paradise by way of man's disobedience and God's just punishment of that sin.
Today, man must combat not only his own weak will and desire to serve self over God, but also the temptations of Satan, who seeks to destroy man's relationship with God. This is the root of evil — and God permits it because He wants man to have a free will to choose Him. Love that has no choice in the matter is not truly love.2 This essay argues that all evil is permitted as an effect of Original Sin and is allowed by a good God because, in the end, man's mind and heart are meant to be reminded that God alone is their home, refuge, and eternity, should they but choose to reach out to Him.
Bibliography
Berthold, Fred. "Free Will and Theodicy in Augustine: An Exposition and Critique." Religious Studies 17, no. 4 (1981): 525–535.
Burns, J. Patout. "Augustine on the Origin and Progress of Evil." The Journal of Religious Ethics (1988): 9–27.
Feinberg, John S. The Many Faces of Evil. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004.
Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. Quebec: Samizdat University Press, 2016.
Sheen, Fulton. Life of Christ. New York: Image Books, 2008.
Wright, N. T. Evil and the Justice of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006.
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