On the Road to Emmaus

Meditations, musings and traveler’s tales…

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Category: Theodicy (Evil and Suffering)

Confronting the Sin of Despair – Hope as a Theology of Resistance

28 January, 2010 (22:09) | Eschatology (Last Things), Theodicy (Evil and Suffering) | 2 comments

It is not so much sin that plunges us into disaster, as rather despair (John Chrysostom)
Revelation 21:7-8 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But as for the cowardly (timid, fearful), the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, [...]

A Biblical Concept of God Gives Rise to Lament Not Apathy

25 January, 2010 (15:57) | Psalms, Theodicy (Evil and Suffering) | 1 comment

In the atmosphere of contemporary Western Christianity, when someone voices a lament with the intensity frequently found in the Psalms, it is not uncommon for them to be looked at aghast or derided for their deficient faith and concept of God, which has produced such a so-called absence of trust. “If you really knew who [...]

Asking God the Right Question

23 January, 2010 (20:17) | Psalms, Theodicy (Evil and Suffering) | No comments

Whenever there are times of great difficulty, pain or suffering, we naturally ask God questions. I once heard someone remark that in a certain instance people were “asking God the wrong questions.” The notion of asking God the “wrong question” struck me, so I made a quick breeze through the Psalms exploring what the God-inspired [...]

Being a Prophetic Voice in Times of Disaster

21 January, 2010 (01:25) | Jeremiah, Theodicy (Evil and Suffering) | 4 comments

The most significant aspect of being a prophetic voice is deeply knowing and clearly articulating the heart of God.
From the time when a major natural disaster strikes, one can hold their breath until people have quickly announced that such a tragedy (which incidentally, happened in a place far, far away and did not remotely touch [...]

A Thought on Suffering and Hebrews 12

9 February, 2008 (06:18) | Bible, Hebrews, Theodicy (Evil and Suffering), Theology | No comments

        Last night, I read an article in which the author asserted the notion that all suffering in the world has a divine purpose. This is not in the sense that God works good in all things (Rom. 8:28), but that God specifically plans and ordains all evil events as good, so far as to [...]

Will You Forget Me Forever?

28 February, 2007 (02:42) | Holy Week, Lent, Prayer, Psalms, Theodicy (Evil and Suffering) | 1 comment

“How long, oh Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” Psalm 13:1-2
How did these verses get in the Bible? [...]