some answers to the problem of evil and suffering

My homegroup is looking at ‘what is your picture of God?’ and particularly as people look at the problem of evil and suffering. This week broke into debate and I was looking for the place of being understanding/ a bridge-builder, and also trying to be clear about my own views. Unfortunately, I don’t think I did either well (darn it). So now I have that desire to get it out there and tell you what I think. (I know, many of you are crinkling your foreheads and trying to decide if that’s a good thing.)
Most Christians are committed to the idea that God is all-powerful and is thus able to do as He wishes so for me the question comes down to “why does God *not* fix this?” And I’ve encountered a wide variety of answers that usually start in one of two ways: “God choose/appointed this suffering/evil for you because…” or “God did not choose this for you and the only reason He hasn’t stopped it/fixed it is…” So, I’m going to comment on the answers I’ve heard. Understand, all of these views come from a scripture (or several) and the people saying them usually love God dearly. While I will be direct in my opinion, I recognize that these are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Further, I think it’s important because I meet the people who wanted to love 
God, do, still in their hearts, but they’ve been battered by the church and some of these answers contributed to the problem.

So here are the answers I’ve encountered:
“God choose/appointed this suffering/evil for you because…
answer A) He then gets the glory when He redeems it/you.
This comes from both John 9 and Job. I think they’ve misunderstood these passages and ignored several other passages that speak of God’s love and motivation. The problem I have with this is that it characterizes God as only interested in Himself and willing to use and abuse us to glorify Himself. Further, this view makes it very easy for pastors/leaders to abuse and use their congregations. Also, it makes redemptive efforts seem contrary to God (why try to cure cancer, doesn’t that steal glory from God?)
answer B) He is trying to teach you a lesson/make you more dependant on Him.
This primarily comes from the experience that we do draw closer and see that we’re more dependent on Him when we deal with times of suffering but it makes God a rather confusing and harsh teacher if we believe that He causes/appoints suffering and evil for that reason. It also, strangely, puts the focus on us instead of on God. The person with this view is scrabbling around to figure out what is wrong with them/what they should learn; their eyes are on their suffering and what they could possibly change. It also makes things seem like that person’s fault, as though they wouldn’t have had problem X if they were better learners or better Christians. I’ve heard people I deeply respect espouse this view but I must disagree.
answer C) He has a plan and His ways are higher than our ways so we must simply trust that this is good.
While there are certainly mysteries about God and He doesn’t answer every question the second we ask it, this answer feels like an evasion. It seems to say, “I don’t know so don’t ask so many questions.” It also tends to give the impression that one should check their brain at the door and simply obey the pastors and leaders, which often leads to spiritual abuse.
answer D) He looked at all the possible futures and this version of reality had the most number of people saved and the least overall evil/suffering.
I hold a different view but I can see how this one makes sense. It assumes that God is all-knowing and loving and is trying to get the best possible outcome on a bigger playing field. It is centered in His love and it holds firmly to values that God does have—the wish for all to be saved and the end of evil and death. It can lead to deism or to fatalism but it is one of the better views.

“God did not choose this for you and the only reason He hasn’t stopped it/fixed it is…”
answer A) you lack faith
While there are passages that mention faith, this is a gross misinterpretation of them. It conveniently blames the person suffering and averts the need to help them or show any brotherly compassion. It also encourages a kind of magical thinking where the person feels that if they get the faith part just right then they’ll get whatever they want. Of course, it’s impossible for us to measure the faith of another.
answer B) this world is broken and we are reaping the sin and death of the Fall.
This has real validity and is a major reason that we experience suffering and evil. The only problem I have with this is that sometimes we can forget that we have a God who is bigger than our world
answer C) this world is in the grip of intense spiritual warfare and while the war has been won on the Cross, there are still battles to fight until the ultimate conclusion.
Again, this is valid and true and we see this in both scripture and experience. The only problem I see with this is that a few people get overzealous and forget that some things are natural—it may be warfare causing person J’s anxiety or it may be physiological or psychological or a blend.
My answer is to make a hybrid of answers B and C.
It doesn’t take the pain away, but it makes it easier to lean on God and to see that He’s not capricious or playing favorites, which is how some of the other answers strike me.

Obviously, I have skimmed and summarized a lot here. (This is an insanely long post and I want you to make it to the end at least the second time you notice it.) I hope I’ve not been too confusing. I didn’t bring up many scriptures directly to keep from getting too detailed. I always come back to “God is love.” For me that is the beginning and ending of all theology. Our worship begins with Him loving us, then we love Him and also each other. I expect to see this core truth in the answers to suffering as well.

and the goose is getting fat?

Some years I get excited and I feel Christmas coming for weeks and I’m ready. This year it has seemed to sneak up on me. The number of Christmas related activities seems to multiply. And I find I’m tired. I end up in these unfortunate pockets of crankiness and unhappiness. Earlier today I was in a sad mood, mulling over old rejections that there is no way to resolve, and I had to treat myself like a small child. I gave myself simple, reasonable answers and then put myself down for a nap. It was amazing, shortly after resting, I was able to make sense of the answers I already knew but hadn’t been able to consider in the midst of my mood. So I found a temporary footing, but I haven’t really grasped Christmas yet. Usually, I get caught up in the humanity of Christ—for me, the fact that He came as a baby and had to go through all the normal life moments seems a restoration of dignity of human-beings. And while the thought has crossed my mind, I haven’t rested on it.
I’m trying to find the Christmas zone though. We watched two versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and one of them I love and the other I had not seen before and won’t bother with again. But we got to the end of the good version and I was teary-eyed about Scrooge’s transformation. I was especially struck by Scrooge peeking in at his nephew eating and asking if he could come to dinner—earlier, he had been there with the Ghost of Christmas present and had wanted to linger and I found it humorous that he was begging to stay as an invisible observer at a party that he’d been invited to. Now, here he was with his hat in hand, hoping to be welcomed… And his nephew had always been more than happy to have him, had gone out of the way for him, even when Scrooge was being a jerk. I’m sure there’s a lesson for me in that, maybe more than one.
Just as I am typing, it occurs to me that another important piece of Christmas is God’s willingness to get involved, not as a ghostly observer, but as a participant, a guest at the table. He is not detached in any way, He is very much involved. Jesus doesn’t just touch our lives, he got down in the dirt with us. But, I think God is more trying to tell me the second point, I was always welcome and that he made a supreme effort, even knowing what a jerk I can be.
But I have digressed from the main point. Really, I’m trying to get in my head that Christmas is almost here. And I want to pass on a Merry Christmas to you. So eat a lot of food and wrap a lot of presents (hey, that’s what the dollar store is for, right?) and play with your new toys.
KP

a brief overview

Right now I'm in the process of applying for grad school. (Please pray that I get in and get a position as a GTA). This means that I have a number of papers to prepare. One of them is an autobiographical statement intended to tell the committee about me as a potential student, writer, and instructor (GTA). My first draft was so stiff and formal that I scrapped it. The second version was a bit too conversational. This is the third draft. I thought I'd share it with you since I tend to assume my readers know this stuff about me, but some of you may not. Here you go:


I was an amateur poet in high school and college and occasionally I composed a short story. At the time, I saw writing as a hobby, though I took a couple of poetry writing classes. I wasn't serious about my education, and unfortunately my grades show it. But I did grow up during those years and I did complete my B.A. in March of 1995. While I was in school, I met and married my husband and spent the next couple of years waiting tables and staying involved at church.
Towards the end of 1996, we moved to Florida. There I briefly worked in an office, discovering that the corporate world was not for me. I went on to take a job as an instructor at Full Sail, a technical college offering associates degrees. I enjoyed teaching both lectures and computer labs. I liked to think up better ways to convey the concepts and projects to our students. Since we developed many of our course materials, I had opportunity to write non-fiction for work. I also volunteered to write for church related projects. The teaching element in generating non-fiction makes it satisfying.
I also found myself drawn to writing fiction. Story ideas and characters came to me and I committed myself to produce a novel. I had dabbled in fiction before but it soon supplanted poetry as the writing of choice. In addition to the novel, I have a number of story ideas and scenes, which all clamor to be completed.
In 2000, I had a child and focused on caring for him. Two years later, our family moved back to the Central Ohio area. The first draft of my novel was complete but it required revision, so I joined a writers’ group. There, I found both the camaraderie and the feedback I needed to progress. As I reworked the novel, I found myself trying to answer questions about the back story and the history of its world, which led to another novel.
Currently, I’m in the challenging process of marketing these pieces. Some say that it takes bravery to write, but I disagree; the writing is engaging and has a flow. Attempting to publish one’s work is where courage and perseverance are absolutely required. I’m also involved in taking care of my eighteen-month-old niece through the rest of this school year.
I intend to return to school in order to develop as a writer, to learn to navigate the publishing industry, and to reengage in the teaching process. My eventual goal is to publish a book per year and teach undergraduate students as either an adjunct or a professor.