The Many Faces of Evil (Revised and Expanded Edition)

The Many Faces of Evil (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Author: John S. Feinberg
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2004-05-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433517272

In this examination of the questions posed by the problem of evil, John Feinberg addresses the intellectual and theological framework of theodicy. Beginning with a discussion of the logical problem of evil, he interacts with leading thinkers who have previously written on these themes.

The Many Faces of Evil

The Many Faces of Evil
Author: Amélie Rorty
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2001
Genre: Good and evil
ISBN: 9780415242066

The first anthology to present the range of the forms of evil, from vice, sin, cruelty and crime to disobedience and wilfulness. The readings are drawn from an array of perspectives and each one is introduced and set in context by the author.

The Wonder of the Cross

The Wonder of the Cross
Author: Richard A. Shenk
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2013-05-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1610978692

When considering and confronting the problem of evil, we may be asking the wrong question: Why is there evil in the world if God is good and powerful? It may be wrong because it smuggles in an unbiblical premise: God can and should use his coercive power to relieve suffering since he is both good and able. But what if coercive power does not work to accomplish God's goals? This book is an investigation into the possibility that the noncoercive power of the Cross must be at the center of this issue, and that the Cross could reform this question. We could ask, instead, How is God destroying evil and suffering--and why is he taking so long? The answer to this reframed question might be: He is using evil and suffering to destroy evil and suffering for His People; this is how long it takes. While not a "solution" to the problem of evil, could this help us learn to delight in God in a world in which evil and suffering seem at times so relentless?

The History of Evil in the Medieval Age

The History of Evil in the Medieval Age
Author: Andrew Pinsent
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2018-06-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1351138502

The second volume of The History of Evil explores the philosophy of evil in the long Middle Ages. Starting from the Augustinian theme of evil as a deprivation or perversion of what is good, this period saw the maturation of concepts of natural evil, of evil as sin involving the will, and of malicious agents aiming to increase evil in general and sin in particular. Comprising fifteen chapters, the contributions address key figures of the Christian Middle Ages or traditions sharing some similar cultural backgrounds, such as medieval Judaism and Islam. Other chapters examine contemporaneous developments in the Middle East, China, India and Japan. The volume concludes with an overview of contemporary transpositions of Dante, illustrating the remarkable cultural influence of medieval accounts of evil today. This outstanding treatment of the history of evil at the crucial and determinative inception of its key concepts will appeal to those with particular interests in the ideas of evil and good.

The Redeemed Good Defense

The Redeemed Good Defense
Author: Anthony MacPherson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2021-07-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666709840

"Why God?" Everyday this question is uttered in sorrow, bewilderment, or anger. This cry is the problem of suffering. It is also known as the problem of evil. It asks why a good, all-powerful God allows evil and pain. Theodicy is the name of the theological responses that seek to defend God against charges of unfairness. Traditional theodicies have been accused of intensifying the problem by claiming that God is justified in allowing evil because he uses it to bring about a greater good. This greater-good approach has been criticized in more recent times. It seems to uncomfortably align God and evil too closely together. Does God need evil in order to bring good? This study explores an alternative stream of theodicy found in the idea of cosmic warfare. In this theodicy God fights evil in its moral, physical, spiritual, and supernatural forms. This book explores the world of theodicy and its cosmic warfare forms. It navigates the theological and ethical minefields involved. Building on the idea that God is in the midst of a great cosmic controversy, it seeks to further the conversation and articulates a new alternative "redeemed good defense."

The Problem of Evil

The Problem of Evil
Author: Marilyn McCord Adams
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 240
Release: 1990
Genre: Good and evil
ISBN: 0198248660

This collection of important writings fills the need for an anthology that adequately represents recent work on the problem of evil. This is perhaps one of the most discussed topics in the philosophy of religion, and is of perennial interest to philosophers and theologians.

Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed

Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed
Author: Chad Meister
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2018-02-22
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1501324284

Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed is a lively examination of the philosophical and theological problems raised by the existence of widespread evil. It explores classic debates around this problem and also engages with more recent ones, from new challenges posed by scientific advances in evolutionary theory, neuroscience, and cosmology, to concerns of climate change and environmental degradation, to questions raised by increasing religious and secular violence. This second edition also contains new chapters and topics such as Jewish, Christian, and Islamic responses to evil and skeptical theism. The result is an even-handed guide to both traditional and contemporary issues raised by the reality and ubiquity of evil.

Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed

Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed
Author: Chad V. Meister
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 137
Release: 2012-04-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441175326

One of the most perplexing problems facing believers in God is the problem of evil. The words of Epicurus put the point concisely: "Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?" This is a difficult problem to unpick and it remains an issue that continues to concern people and inspire debate. The problem has taken a variety of forms over the centuries; in fact, there are numerous "problems" of evil-problems for theists but, perhaps surprisingly, problems for non-theists as well. Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed explores, in a rigorous but engaging way, central challenges to religious belief raised by evil and suffering in the world as well as significant responses to them from both theistic and non-theistic perspectives.

Evangelical America

Evangelical America
Author: Timothy J. Demy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2017-09-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 161069774X

An essential new reference work for students and general readers interested in the history, dynamics, and influence of evangelicalism in recent American history, politics, and culture. What makes evangelical or "born-again" Christians different from those who identify themselves more simply as "Christian"? What percentage of Americans believe in the Rapture? How are evangelicalism and Baptism similar? What is the influence of evangelical religions on U.S. politics? Readers of Evangelical America: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Religious Culture will learn the answers to these questions and many more through this single-volume work's coverage of the many dimensions of and diversity within evangelicalism and through its documentation of the specific contributions evangelicals have made in American society and culture. It also illustrates the Evangelical movement's influence internationally in key issues such as human rights, environmentalism, and gender and sexuality.

The Evidential Argument from Evil

The Evidential Argument from Evil
Author: William L. Rowe
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2008-10-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0253114098

Is evil evidence against the existence of God? A collection of essays by philosophers, theologians, and other scholars. Even if God and evil are compatible, it remains hotly contested whether evil renders belief in God unreasonable. The Evidential Argument from Evil presents five classic statements on this issue by eminent philosophers and theologians, and places them in dialogue with eleven original essays reflecting new thinking by these and other scholars. The volume focuses on two versions of the argument. The first affirms that there is no reason for God to permit either certain specific horrors or the variety and profusion of undeserved suffering. The second asserts that pleasure and pain, given their biological role, are better explained by hypotheses other than theism. Contributors include William P. Alston, Paul Draper, Richard M. Gale, Daniel Howard-Snyder, Alvin Plantinga, William L. Rowe, Bruce Russell, Eleonore Stump, Richard G. Swinburne, Peter van Inwagen, and Stephen John Wykstra.