Evil and the Justice of God

Great book.

Wright's book was developed out of five lectures he delivered at Westminster Abbey in 2003 and, in summary form, through a television program which first screened in the U.K. on Easter Day 2005. Its approach is biblical, practical, even intuitive, but not philosophical. As he states in his preface after reflecting on the recent natural disasters caused by tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes and the 9/11 attacks: "They are a reminder that 'the problem of evil' is not something we will 'solve' in the present world, and that our primary task is not so much to give answers to impossible philosophical questions as to bring signs of God's new world to birth on the basis of Jesus' death and in the power of his Spirit, even in the midst of 'the present evil age.'" This primary task underlies Wright's approach to what he calls, in chapter 1, 'the new problem of evil'. The old problem was a metaphysical question, asking why evil exists if there is a wise, good and supremely-powerful god. Contrary to some, Wright thinks this is a futile question, and one the Bible does not answer in any way satisfying to contemporary philosophers. The new problem in its present metaphysical form, he says, has been around for at least two-and-a-half centuries, beginning with the Lisbon earthquake on All Saints' Day 1755. He agrees with Susan Neiman's assessment in her book, Evil in Modern Thought, that Europe's philosophical history is best understood as people trying to cope or come to terms with evil. This includes Enlightenment-modern thinkers as well as postmodern ones. However, Wright sees the lines of thought that emerge from these attempts to understand the world in general and evil in particular as unsatisfactory. This includes the popular doctrine of automatic progress which, he affirms, post-modernism rightly deconstructed although it too leaves us without any satisfying solution. The 'new problem of evil' leaves us ignoring evil when it doesn't hit us in the face, surprised when it does, and reacting in immature, dangerous ways.Wright seeks for a biblical, practical solution to evil that focuses on what God has done, is doing (including through us) and will do about evil. His summarizing journey through the scriptures is impressive, and his focus on the healing nature of divine and human forgiveness as rooted in "the victory of the cross" (favoring the Christus Victor theory of the atonement) is welcome. But take the book for what it's worth. It is not a comprehensive or balanced treatment either of the problem of evil or the meaning of Jesus' crucifixion, things which Wright admits in his preface. Although he asks the question "What is evil?" up front, one doesn't get anything like a definition until the middle of the book, in chapter 3: "Evil is the force of anti-creation, anti-life, the force which opposes and seeks to deface and destroy God's good world of space, time and matter, and above all God's image-bearing human creatures" (pg. 89). Again, his approach to evil is not philosophical. If you want to know "the ultimate reason why suffering exists," then see Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor, where Piper offers a Christ-centered one, but don't expect it to be satisfying to many contemporary philosophers.In addition to Neiman's book, mentioned above, Wright also references C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, Desmond Tutu's No Future Without Forgiveness, and Miroslav Volf's Exclusion and Embrace, among others, the last two relied on to expound on forgiveness in the last chapter. In terms of a recommendation, possibly no greater one can be given than that of Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland: "From now on, it should be the first work consulted by Christian philosophers and theologians working on the problem of evil, and pastors, laypeople and Christian workers should read and internalize the perspective of the book to insure a distinctively biblical approach in ministering to people in the face of evil."

When I reviewed Alister McGrath's  Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life , Amazonians recommended the works of N.T. Wright, a British Christian theologian, for answers to the skeptical questions I raised about McGrath's book and theism generally.In "Evil and the Justice of God" Wright offers a critique of contemporary approaches to evil, and suggests that Christianity's approach is better.Alas, Wright's book casts great doubts on his capacity to solve any problem, let alone such grand complicated issues as Good, Evil and the existence of God. Wright's book is incoherent, obfuscatory, intellectually empty and morally bankrupt.The main question about Evil and God is why bad things happen to good people? If God is just, how come the world isn't? I believe that theologians have wrestled with this question for centuries. Wright offers a unique, two phase approach to this problem: 1. refuse to answer it. 2. blame those who even ask.Wright candidly admits that "I have ruled out... any immediate prospect of finding an answer to the question of where evil came from in the first place and what it's doing in God's good world." (p. 136). OK, so he chickens out from answering the tough questions. But then, he has the Chutzpah of attacking those who do: "much of the agonizing over evil as a problem in philosophy or theology is exposed as displacement activity, as moaning over spilt milk instead of mopping it" (p. 150).For Wright, the solution to the problem of evil is God as, literally, the ultimate dues ex machine. "The Ultimate answer to the problem of evil is in God's creation of a new world, new heavens and new Earth, with redeemed, renewed human beings ruling over it and bringing to it God's wise, healing order". Makes you wonder why God couldn't get it right the first time.But, Wright is concedes that he's open to the attack that, if everything is gonna be just fine in the new world, we shouldn't worry too much about this one. Deus Ex Machine comes to the rescue again: We should care about the here-and-now because God wants us to. If only God addressed the world's problems as effectively as he does the theologian's.Add to Wright's confusions in general his confusion about a specific thing - namely, what do we call evil. When Wright talks about Evil, he's not being metaphorical. He really believes in Satan, supernatural powers, all that "exorcist" stuff. "The Gospels tell the story of the deeper, darker forces which operate at a superpersonal level, forces for which the language of the demonic, despite all its problems, is still the least inadequate" (p. 81).But should we really look at evil as a "non-human being"? (p. 108). Personally, I cannot think about the concentration camps, Mao's Giant Leap Forward or the 9/11 attacks without the word "evil". And yet, "evil" is mostly not a very useful term for thinking about things. What does it mean to say, for example, that the Iraq war is evil? Is George W. Bush evil? I find that the terminology is unhelpful in either case. I don't think the questions of whether some things are evil or not lead to any real insight as to what to do about them.As if to illustrate my point, Wright offers a reading of the Old Testament as a narrative of God's continues engagement with, and judgment of, evil. When the people misbehave, he sends the Flood. When Pharaoh refuses to "let my people go", he sends the plague. When the Midyanites sin, he sends the Israelites to wipe `em out.This is a very forced reading. How can the murder of countless innocent first born be called "the Justice of God"? How can Genocide correspond to any concept of good that we would find palatable? What did the animals do to warrant their execution along with humankind in the flood?Now, we shouldn't expect the bible to embody the morality we hold today. It was written thousands of years ago in a completely different cultural context. But pretending that it does speak to questions of Evil and Justice in a way that's recognizable to us is just that - pretending.After this unconvincing spin on the Old Testament, Wright tries to discern the qualities of Heaven from a close reading of the book of Revelations. I will spare you the details - suffice to say that it would consist of a very beautiful, but physical place. "An incorruptible, unkillable physical world" (p. 116).Wright also offers some advice as to how to improve the world we live in today. He's not much of a political philosopher. He chastises the "Modern" view on the superiority of Democracy to other Governments. "Are we really so sure that Western style government is the only or even the best type?" And yet, immediately after that., he says "I still agree with Churchill that democracy is the worst possible form of government, except for all those other forms of government that are tried from time to time." Well, that ought to settle it, then, right? Apparently not "I find myself increasingly wonder[ing] ... [is it] right to expect Afghanistan or Iraq to adopt a version of [democracy?]" (pp. 35-36). Now I'm all confused. What form of government does Wright suggest would be better for Afghanistan or Iraq? A clerical theology? Another Saddam-esque dictatorship?Although he's not too high on democracy, Wright does like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (p.125). This is not the place to discuss the merits of these bodies, but I would like to know what biblical authority Wright Marshalls to support either. When the Israelites wanted to enter Israel, they did not call an assembly of the Nations and argued their case peacefully. No International Court judged Moses, Saul or David. It's nice that Wright has faith in the International Community, but this faith does not come from my bible.

Wright is an excellent writer and speaker, great book!!!!

Das Leid wird oft als der Fels des Atheismus bezeichnet.Wie ist es möglich einen gut Gott und Leid in der Welt unter einen Hut zu bekommen?Wright geht hier ein heißes Eisen an. Es ist ein Thema an dem sich Autoren versteigen können, oder sich auch die Finger verbrennen.Wright geht das Thema anders an.Nachdem er einleitend sich die Frage stellt wie das Böse heute in unserer Gesellschaft wahrgenommen wird, geht er im zweiten Kapitel auf die Frage ein wie Gott mit dem Bösen in unserer Welt umgeht. Hier kommt er nicht auf eine pauschalisierende Antwort, sondern er zeichnet Linien von Gottes Geschichte mit seinem Volk, und mit einzelnen Menschen wie Hiob nach. Er beschreibt hier Gott, der in seiner Welt handelt und der insgesamt das Problem des Bösen lösen wird.Im dritten Kapitel geht es um das Böse und um den gekreuzigten Gott. Wright beschreibt hier das Kreuz als Gottes Weg um das Böse, mit all seinen Wurzeln zu besiegen. Wright sieht hier eine Linie, die von Abraham bis zum Kreuz hin geht, die Gottes Weg mit dem Menschen beschreibt. (Nicht vertiefend eingehen kann ich darauf, dass Wright am Rande erwähnt, dass er das „Jesus-Viktor Modell“ eher vertritt).Dann schlägt Wright den Bogen zu Gottes erneuerten Welt. Er zeichnet auf, wie diese neue Schöpfung kein Leid mehr beinhaltet. Er schlägt aber auch Wege vor um als Christen in der Welt mit dem Bösen umgehen können, wie Versöhnung gelingen kann. Er sieht die Vergebung die wir von Gott empfangen und das vergeben unseren Mitmenschen gegenüber als den Weg an um das Böse zu bekämpfen.Mein Gesamteindruck war, dass dieses Buch einen anderen, spannenden Weg geht um das Thema des Leides zu behandeln. Ich konnte viele Gedankenanstöße bekommen, auch dann wenn ich nicht überall Wrights Weg 100% zustimmte. Es lohnt sich für die, welche sich weiter mit dem Thema auseinandersetzen wollen.

In se an excellent book, a very readable book too, which explains how God and man propose to deal with evil. Unfortunately, Prof. Wright is in the habit of explaining at such length that a reader may ask : "please, do make your point". Hence only three stars, I'm afraid.

Good work in looking at evil and how to be set free from it. Little work on how God will be the just Judge. This would bring in a little more awe into the holiness of God and my need for his loving forgiveness and grace. Would be helpful to portrait the exchange of injustice from me to my Creator when I forgive through Christ. A good book with much truth, worth reading by those looking for an answer to the problem of evil.

As ever written in a readable style, Wright is in command of his subject and has some very interesting insights. Necessarily he skims over some areas, normally noting "I have written more extensively on this elsewhere" but annoyingly not giving a note about where (at least not in the kindle version.)Some of his ideas about the centrality of forgiveness in the life of the disciple are very interesting.