soul-making

Death Row Letters: End Times Hope

Rick Tryon1 Comment

Greetings, from your fellow death row occupant.

In my previous letter I talked about the ‘Soul-Making’ theological explanation for why God allows natural evil to happen to innocent folks. Meh, I’m not really convinced by that argument but I think we can learn from it.

In this letter I want to discuss the Eschatological (end-times) Hope explanation. I like this one. It makes a lot of sense and is fairly easy to understand. It goes something like this:
all suffering and evil will be redeemed by God in the future, so trust in the ultimate purpose and plan of God to make things right.

But what about the people who suffer and die in earthquakes and from diseases and such through no fault of their own?

Good question, in fact that is THE question.

The Eschatological (end-times) Hope argument is based on the total trust and confidence in a just and righteous Creator, who even in the midst of the evil and darkness of this present age intends to bring about the redemption of the entire creation and put an everlasting rightness to things.

As Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18

Or another way to put it, as I once heard someone say, is this – everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright it’s not the end.

Okay, in the next letter let’s get into the ‘Mystery of Divine Providence’ explanation for why evils exists.

Until then,
Your death-row-sitting compatriot

Death Row Letters: Soul-Making

Rick Tryon1 Comment

Greetings,

Just a follow-up to our last letter concerning the two kinds of evil – natural evil and moral evil.

Let’s look at natural evil first. Why and when does God allow natural disasters and diseases etc. to occur? That’s the question I left off with last time.

As to the ‘why’, there are several theological attempts at answering that question, including the soul-making theory, the eschatological (end times) hope idea, and the mystery of divine providence explanation. I’d like to discuss each of these ideas in turn with you over the next few letters if that’s okay.

So, let’s start with the soul-making theory, which was advocated by a guy named John Hick who once said, “A world which is to be a person-making environment cannot be a pain-free paradise but must contain challenges and dangers, with real possibilities of many kinds of accidents and catastrophes, bringing pain, suffering, and sorrow.”

I take that to mean that God allows natural evil, like earthquakes, floods, and cancer in order to create virtuous people of high character who have been forged in a fire of calamity and danger.

Well, there are some Bible passages which seem to support this view.

1 Peter 1:6-7 – “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

How about this one? James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

The soul-making theory makes sense in some ways, but the Bible verses I cited here, and some others like Hebrews 12:11 and 2 Corinthians 4:17, don’t come right out and say that God intentionally created, or allows, natural evil in order to produce virtue in folks.

Granted, one of the results when natural evil happens could be perseverance, stronger faith etc., in believers, but other results are definitely the death and injury of innocents, destruction, pain, and massive sorrow and grief.

So, to me soul-making isn’t a completely satisfying answer as to why natural evil exists, it’s more like a possible side positive benefit stemming from some very disturbing and terrible happenings. But let’s continue to consider it as a part of understanding the whole.

In our next letter we should talk about the eschatological (end times) hope idea to explain the occurrence of natural evil in God’s creation. Sound good?

Until then,
Your fellow death row occupant