Problem of Evil and the Power of God

Atle Ottesen Søvik, PhD (2009) in systematic theology, is a postdoctoral fellow at MF Norwegian School of Theology, working on a project on free will and naturalism. He has published various articles on the problem of evil and other subjects.

• Acknowledgements1. Introduction ... 1The Problem of Evil ... 1Responses to the Problem of Evil not Discussed in this Book .... 5Material ...13Method and Outline ...16PART ONEPRESENTATION OF THE FOUR THEODICIES2. Richard Swinburne’s Theodicy ... 23Greater Goods ... 25Necessary Evils ... 27Swinburne’s Theodicy ... 313. Keith Ward’s Theodicy ... 34Concept of God ... 35Goals for Creation ... 38Ward’s Theodicy ... 34. David R. Griffin’s Theodicy ... 47Critique of Traditional Th eism ... 49Introduction to Process Theism ... 52Griffin’s Theodicy ... 575. Johan B. Hygen’s Theodicy ... 61The Problem of Evil ... 61The Concept of Almightiness ... 66Hygen’s Theodicy ... 69PART TWOCRITERIA AND TERMINOLOGY6. First Criterion: Coherence... 81Puntel on Coherence ... 81Theory of Truth ... 85Value Judgments ... 897. Second Criterion: Authenticity ... 95Pannenberg on Systematic Theology ... 98The Philosophical Idea of God ... 106The Problem of Evil ... 1088) Terminology ... 112‘Evil’ ... 116‘The Problem of Evil’ ... 119‘God’ as Concept ... 121God as a Perfectly Good Moral Actor in the World ... 126God as Personal ... 128God as Immutable, Impassible, Timeless and Omniscient ... 129God as Trinitarian ... 134God as Necessary ... 136God as Infi nite ... 146God as Creator ... 150God’s Power ... 152PART THREEDISCUSSION OF THE FOUR THEODICIES9) Swinburne ... 161Some Evils do not Lead to Greater Goods ... 163God Ought not to Use Evils as a Means ... 173There are Better Ways to Reach God’s Goals ... 176Some Evils are not Outweighed ... 18510) Ward ... 196God Ought not to Allow Genuine Evils ... 197Independence does not Require Suffering ... 202Independence is not Worth the Suffering ... 213Less Independent Beings would be Better ... 21811) Griffin ... 220God’s Non-Coercion is Incoherent ... 221God’s Non-Coercion is Inauthentic ... 22912) Hygen ... 240Hygen’s God is not Praiseworthy ... 241Why does God only Perform Miracles Sometimes? ... 243There are no Supernatural Evil Powers ... 245God’s Fight is not Genuine ... 2413) Conclusion ... 252Constructive Proposals ... 252Final Conclusion ... 260Bibliography ... 265Index ... 269

Atle Ottesen Søvik deftly maneuvers through major options in theodicy, pointing out strengths and weaknesses in each. Time and again, issues of God’s power take center stage in his exploration. Readers would be wise to join Søvik in assessing significant ways of envisioning God’s power, while moving toward a conscientious response to the problem of evil. This book forces us to think more deeply than we are typically accustomed to thinking! - Thomas Jay Oord, Ph.D., Northwest Nazarene University, Author of Defining Love: A Philosophical, Scientific, and Theological Engagement“Søvik’s The Problem of Evil and the Power of God is an important contribution to research within philosophy of religion and theology. It holds a high international level and must be considered to be an outstanding work.” - Mikael Stenmark, University of Upsala.The author considers four modern attempts to deal philosophically with the problem of evil. He does so helpfully and clearly, and adds relevant comments of his own. This, in my view, is an excellent creative treatment of the problem which will be very helpful for students as well as for the general reader. - Keith Ward, Christ Church College Oxford, UK.The Problem of Evil and the Power of God is a brilliant and very well argued analysis of some of the most important modern Christian theodices. In particular, the author has developed a careful analysis of philosophers like Swinburne, Ward, and Griffin. The book is one of the best accounts of the challenges of modern theodices that presently exists. It is also highly readable. - Professor Nils Gilje, University of Bergen.