Source: Louisiana Christian University (LCU) Press Release
Why does God allow babies to die?
Why do Christians suffer from cancer or die from COVID?
These are questions believers struggle with to understand why a good God allows pain. And they are also used by atheists to deny that God even exists.
Christian apologist Frank Turek spoke on “If God, Why Evil?” at Louisiana Christian University’s final Christ-Church-Culture event of the semester Monday night and explained why evil is actually evidence of God.
“Why does He allow those who love Him to suffer?” Turek asked. “Why believe in this being?”
Turek specifically addressed:
• Does evil disprove God?
• What’s the purpose of evil?
• What’s God’s solution to evil?
While going through tragedy, Turek said, nothing makes sense or will make the pain go away, but it is evil that proves there is good.
“God is the standard of good that proves evil does exist,” he said. “There’s got to be an external standard for us to see that something doesn’t measure up.”
The reason God allows evil is because He created humans with free will.
“He gave us free will so we can do good, but because of that we can also do evil,” Turek said.
When humans are doing well and prospering, they often forget about God, but suffering develops character, he said. If humans got everything they wanted, they would be ruined and spoiled.
“We need difficulty in our lives,” Turek said. “With it we become more like Jesus.”
He said difficulties can make us better, or they can make us bitter.
Humans don’t have the perspective to understand the reason for all the calamites they face, he said, but God is outside of time and knows the purpose or end result of each individual trial or disaster that happens.
It’s the Ripple Effect, and God sees the whole picture.
About a dozen attendees asked questions following Turek’s talk.
Phoebe Lim, a junior public relations major, asked if humans really had free will if they were already pre-destined to spend eternity in heaven or hell.
Turek explained that “knowing something is going to happen is not the same as causing it. God knows what’s going to happen because He is outside of time.”
He used the example of the sun rising in the morning—just because we know the sun will rise tomorrow does not mean we cause it to rise.
Selena Torres, a junior music major, asked him how he would respond to a person who says God is a manmade idea.
Turek said the evidence for God is everywhere, and he would ask the person what evidence he or she has.
“Virtually every single culture in history has believed in some kind of God,” Turek said. “Why? Because we believe in cause and effect.”
Turek’s new book “Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case” provides evidence to show how atheists steal logic, reasoning and science from the Bible to support their claims.
The purpose of C3 events is to lovingly challenge the troubling culture we live in with the biblical truth and love of Christ. Previous speakers have addressed critical race theory, human sexuality, abortion, and many other hot-button issues.
