Resources by Topic: Suffering and Evil

I recently had the privilege of visiting the Joni and Friends headquarters in Agoura Hills, California. While I was there, I was asked to record a few episodes for their podcast, including one about the journey Nanci and I have been on since her diagnosis with colon cancer in early 2018.  We talked about our relationship, hope, and practical ways to encourage those who are facing similar challenges.

Most of us don’t give focused thought to evil and suffering until we experience them. This forces us to formulate perspective on the fly, at a time when our thinking is muddled and we’re exhausted and consumed by pressing issues. Those of you who have “been there” will attest that it’s far better to think through suffering in advance.

Those who choose to follow Jesus instead of their own path enjoy the peace and freedom of living the way He made us to live. And one day they will receive what they want most: life with Him on the New Earth where all the old bad stuff will be wiped away.

One of the best-known photographs from the Vietnam War is a Pulitzer Prize–winning picture of a young burn victim running in terror. After months of hospitalization and multiple surgeries, nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc returned to her family. What doctors couldn’t heal, Kim Phuc says, was her heart: “The anger inside me was like a hatred high as a mountain.”

Consider God as the great Storyteller. With grand artistry, He writes into the story the characters, both angels and people, with different names, personas, and circumstances. 

Here are three things to remember when we’re called upon to comfort those who are grieving, especially during this holiday season.

That Bart Ehrman was a “devout and com­mitted Christian” is his claim, not mine. What isn’t debatable is that he once was part of the evangelical subculture. Unfortunately, Ehrman’s Christian-to-non-theist testimony gives apparent credibility to his claims, so he functions as a winsome evangelist for atheism.

While people living in relative comfort reject faith in God due to the problem of evil, those subjected to the worst evil and suffering often turn to God. Isn’t it remarkable that from Sudan to China to Cambodia to El Salvador, faith in God grows deepest in places where evil and suffering have been greatest?

One reason the problem of evil and suffering can seem so acute to us is the cumulative weight we feel from media oversaturation. At most, people used to bear the sufferings of their own families, communities, or nations. Now, through instant access to global events, we witness the sufferings of an entire world. 

Last year John Piper wrote an article titled “No Maverick Cells in Me: My Deepest Hope During Cancer.” Nanci and I first read this while she was undergoing cancer treatments, and it really encouraged us. It’s an apt reminder for us again, as we are in another season of waiting and uncertainty related to Nanci’s latest test results.

Years ago I was asked, “Have you ever been personally aware of being in the presence of demons? Have you ever been aware of a guardian angel doing something on your behalf?”

In this article, John Piper answers the question, “Does God Scare Us into Saving Faith?” Given the way that the doctrine of an eternal Hell is under attack even in many Christian churches, this is an important topic to think through.

I lost my son last year in an accident. I know he is in Heaven with Jesus, but I miss him so much. He was a wonderful person. Why does God allow people like him to die while evil people still live on the earth?

Last Saturday, April 20, was the 20th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School. Like many of us, I vividly remember the shock as the events unfolded