Visit https://www.bartehrman.com/courses/ to shop from Bart Ehrman’s online courses and get a special discount by using code: MJPODCAST on all courses.

The question has been around for millenia: if God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and benevolent, why do people suffer? The answers seem obvious to many (most?) people. It's because of free will. It's because of sin. It's because of the devil or other evil powers. It's because God is testing us. It's to make us appreciate the good. It is to make goodness possible. It will all be resolved in the afterlife. It's a mystery that only God can explain. Pick your answer! And there other options are out there! But is any of them ultimately satisfying? Do they really solve the problem? If not, where does that leave us? Is belief in an all-powerful, loving God possible?

Megan asks Bart:

-What does the NT say about evil and suffering? Is there any biblical explanation for why God doesn’t remove it?

-Could you tell us more about that syllogism?

-How do people try and explain how those three statements can be true?

-What do you think of those explanations?

-Where does this turn up in the NT?

-If suffering can occur because God is punishing someone, then how does the NT view demons and the devil? What purpose does that evil serve?

-Are there any other views or explanations of evil and suffering seen in the bible?

-Do you see in ancient writings this question of why can’t god create good without suffering, or is this something that develops later in Christian thought?

-Are there any modern explanations for the problem of suffering that differ substantially from ancient explanations?

-What other simple explanations have you come across?

-How does free will play into these explanations?

-When you were a Christian, how did you deal with this problem?