{ } = endnotes

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL AND HUMAN SUFFERING

The problems of evil and human suffering have always been complex.

Human suffering is a common denominator to man. Grief, pain,

disappointment, heartache, heartbreak, trials and tribulations often

occur in our lives. Having an adequate answer to the suffering found

in the world is something that is a "must" for the Christian. There

are three axioms which the Christian must affirm: (1) God is good and

wise; (2) God is all-powerful, and has the ability to achieve His

purposes, and; (3) Evil, both physical and moral, is a fact. With

these three axioms in mind, these questions then arise: "Why has God

allowed evil to exist?", "If God could prevent evil but will not, can

we then say that God is perfect in goodness?", "If God wishes to

prevent evil but cannot, can we then say that God is omnipotent?", and

"If God has both the power and the will, then why is evil still here?"

It is not the purpose of this paper to prove the existence of God.

We will, for our purposes here, presuppose the existence of God

(`i.e.': the God of the Christian theist). The challenge being dealt

with here is not "prove God." The challenge under consideration is

"reconcile the God of the Christian with the existence of evil." This

paper is concerned with whether or not evil in this world is, in fact,

enough evidence to disprove God's existence.

Good and Evil'

Almost from the beginning of time, as recorded in Scripture, we

have had the existence of good and evil. As we consider the book of

Genesis, the first portion of the book states, "In the beginning,

God...." When we speak of God we think of the spiritual Being who has

created, or brought into existence, all things past and present. We

know that during God's creative activity He created man and woman and

at the end of that creation stated, "It is very good." Shortly after

their creation, however, both good and evil existed on the earth. Man

and woman sinned by being disobedient to God and because of their sin

were driven from the Garden where God had placed them. With every year

that has passed, the problem of good and evil has con

tinued to plague man. Sometimes this occurs due to man's own inability

to understand why things happen. It is shortly after the fall of Adam

and Eve in the Garden that we find Cain slaying his brother Abel. Why

did Abel suffer? As God's creation, we have continually searched for

the answer concerning the problem of good and evil. Though we can

understand somewhat the cause of, and subsequent sorrow resulting from,

the departure of Adam and Eve from the Garden, it is difficult to

understand why a person like Abel suffered even when he was pleasing to

God. Actually this is where the problem lies.

Our difficulty stems `not' from trying to understand why the

`unrighteous' suffer, for in the minds of most men when the unrighteous

suffer they receive what they justly deserve. The difficulty in

understanding occurs when the innocent' or `righteous' suffer.

The Goodness of God

Let it be stated at the very outset that God is infinitely good

{1}. Let this not, however, become a problem which would cause faulty

reasoning in our life. Part of the problem arises from a

misunderstanding of the definition of the word "good," and using it in

reference to God. Paul Little states:

"Part of our problem arises from our limited definition

of the word `good' and our applying this term to God. Hugh

Evan Hopkins observes, `In his famous essay on Nature, John

Stuart Mill clearly sets out the problem with which thinkers

all through history have wrestled: If the law of all creation

were justice and the Creator omnipotent, then in whatever

amount suffering and happiness might be dispensed to the world,

each person's share would be exactly proportioned to that

person's good or evil deeds. No human being would have a worse

lot than another without worse deserts; accident or favoritism

would have no part in such a world, but every human life would

be playing out a drama constructed like a perfect moral tale.

Not even on the most distorted and contracted theory of good

which ever was framed by religious or philosophical fanaticism

can the government of nature be made to resemble the work of a

being at once both good and omnipotent.'" {2}.

"Perhaps the greatest test of faith for the Christian today

is to believe that God is good. There is so much which, taken

in isolation, suggests the contrary. Helmut Thielecke of Hamburg

points out that a fabric viewed through a magnifying glass is

clear in the middle and blurred at the edges. But we know the

edges are clear because of what we see in the middle. Life,

he says, is like a fabric. There are many edges which are

blurred, many events and circumstances we do not understand.

But they are to be interpreted by the clarity we see in the

center--the cross of Christ. We are not left to guess about

the goodness of God from isolated bits of data. He has clearly

revealed His character and dramatically demonstrated it to us

in the Cross. `He that spared not His own Son, but delivered

Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give

us all things?' (Romans 3:32)." .{3}.

Believing that God is good convinces a person that man at

his very best is capable of being good, since he is made in

the image and likeness of God. We know that goodness is better

than evil. Kindness is better than cruelty. Love is better

than lust. Self-denial and sacrifice are better than self-

aggression and selfishness. If there is a God, His nature

must contain all of those things that are good. If His nature

does not contain them, then as His creatures that makes men

better than God, causing them to despise Him,.{4}. who in

that case would be just the opposite of good. Christ tells us

that God is good. Christ lived a perfect life, exemplifying

all goodness, and told us that God is like that. Therefore we

have to hold many things, like disease and evil , in abeyance,

awaiting further light. We must hold to the fact that it is

impossible to believe that God is evil. On the other hand, if

God is evil, then from where does goodness come? By saying

this, we have replaced the mystery of evil by a gre ater

mystery of good. There is not a single thing in this world

that has the power to separate us from the love of God in

Christ (Romans 8:35-39). It is with this thought, that God

will keep us in His loving care, that we find a God of goodness,

love, fairness to all men, and One who has the power and ability

to control life. God blesses all men because He is a God of

love and a God of goodness.

The Problem of Evil and Human Suffering

Perhaps the most puzzling problem to man in relation to God's

existence is the problem of evil and human suffering. Why must evil

and suffering, and even death, exist in the world today? Often the

question is asked, "Why are the evil blessed?" This can also be

reversed to ask, "Why do the innocent suffer?". Why is it that a baby,

born full of innocence and purity, has its life snuffed out as it is

growing up? Why is it that through wars thousands of innocent people

are killed? We wond er how it is that God, who loves man so much,

should allow suffering to come into his life.

A Christian must approach the problem of human suffering by neither

denying the reality of suffering, nor trying to offer an "easy" way of

escape. The world was created by God, yet evil is real. It surrounds

us every day and according to the Christian view, man, the creature

made in God's image, is involved in this terrible and very real

conflict. The problems found are intense and deep. The question is

asked, "Why doesn't God do something?" The answer is: God `has' done

something, and `is' doing something.

"...God `has' done something about the problem of evil.

He has done the most dramatic, costly, and effective thing

possible by giving His Son to die for evil man. It is possible

for man to escape God's inevitable judgment on sin and evil.

It is also possible to have its power broken by entering into

a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The

ultimate answer to the problem of evil, at the person level,

is found in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ." .{5}.

False Answers to Evil and Suffering

There are many false answers that are given to the problem of

human suffering, yet which are inadequate. In almost any book of

philosophy of religion that deals with the problems of evil and pain

and suffering in our world, you will find these answers discussed.{6}

One of the answers given by a few is that suffering is just an

illusion.{7} Mary Baker Eddy and her followers insist that all

suffering is a product of twisted thinking, rather than actual reality

in the physical world. That is to say, suffering is not something that

is real, but is instead something you only `think' is real. Most

people, however, find it difficult, if not impossible, to accept this

point of view. When a loved one, who has been an intimate part of our

home, is taken away from us, it is very difficult for us to believe

that the pain we suff er is not real, but simply the product of twisted

thinking. Such a description of suffering is, to say the least,

unrealistic. Or, when someone who has been in good health for many

years finds his life blighted with a painful and incurable disease , it

is rather unconvincing to tell him that it is all in his mind, or that

it is simply the product of the wrong kind of thinking. The great

masses of people today are too realistic to accept this explanation of

evil and suffering.

Another explanation sometimes given for the suffering and pain in

the world is that these things are the result of man's own sin.{8}

This has in it so much truth that oftentimes it is easy for us to feel

it is the `whole' answer. There are many evidences that suffering is a

result of man's own sin. The man who drinks heavily eventually pays

the price in his own body, and often in the tangled strands of his own

life. The person who misuses his body in any way will inevitably pay

the price. The liar, the cheater, the hypocrite also eventually will

suffer, sometimes in this lifetime, and invariably in the lifetime that

is to come. To say that this is the explanation of `all' suffering,

however, is to speak too quickly. It explains `much' suffering, but it

does not explain `all' suffering. Think of innocent people who suffer.

The example from the Old Testament is the man, Job. Most of the book

of Job is devoted to the arguments of his friends who said, "Job, you

must have sinned a grievous sin because you're really suffering." The

answer continually came back from Job, "I have not sinned. I am

innocent." Therefore, there must be another explanation of suffering.

In the book of Luke our Lord was faced with the question.

"Now there were some present at that very season who

told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled

with their sacrifices. And he answered and said unto them,

Think ye that these Galileans were sinners above all

Galileans, because they have suffered these things? I tell

you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner

perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell,

and killed them, think ye that they were offenders above all

men that dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye

repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-5).

The Lord is simply saying that these catastrophes did not come upon

them because they were more wicked than the rest. In the book of John

the same subject is discussed briefly.

"And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.

And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this

man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? Jesus

answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but

that the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John

9:1-3).

Taking the word of Christ as final authority, we must then reject the

idea that sin in one's life is the `full' explanation of suffering.

Much suffering and evil come to the innocent without their having

deserved it in any way.

There is another explanation of suffering that some people offer,

which states that God just simply cannot do anything about it.{9}

This idea says, in essence, that God does not `want' suffering here,

because He is an infinitely loving God; but He is powerless to put it

out of the world. This is sometimes referred to as the "finitenes

s" of God..{10}. Yet we must look deeper, for there are many other

factors involved. We have a number of statements in the Bible that

indicate God is powerful beyond our comprehension. In Daniel there are

three Hebrew young men who are cast into a fiery furnace, all the whil

e uttering the statement, "Our God is able to deliver us" (Daniel

3:17). Their meaning was that God was able to do anything that He

needed to do. The Bible also declares that "With God all things are

possible" (Matthew 19:26). The explanation, the refore, that evil and

suffering are in the world because God is unable to cast them out, is

totally false and to be rejected.

Having suggested just a few inadequate explanation of the total

problem of human suffering and evil, we need to notice some principles

that will bring us to the right answer. There are several principles

which will help us in understanding the difficulty before us.

Proposed Solutions to the Problem

The Power of God--God Limits Himself

One principle we must bring ourselves to comprehend in relation to

the existence of good and evil in the world is that God limits Himself.

{11} This, in some respects, has a likeness to the finiteness of God,

as viewed by some philosophers. However, this limitation is not a

limitation imposed upon God by some external force, for there is no

external force in the universe that can limit God's power. The only

limitation upon God's power is a limitation that must be placed there

by God Himself. The very nature of the universe which God created and

designed makes it impossible for Him to do things that are mutually

exclusive or diametrically opposed. For example, God cannot be both

present and absent at the same time. He cannot create a mountain that

He cannot climb. He cannot dig a hole He cannot fill. He cannot make a

square circle. Actually, these are childish conundrums rather than

real impossibilities. These are certainly not limitations placed upon

God by Satan or by some other external force. They are simply

limitations which God included in the make-up of the universe--limitat

ions which allow Him to be consistent with His own eternal nature.

The Bible, in fact, speaks of certain impossibilities for God. In

Hebrews 6:18 the Scripture says that it is impossible for God to lie.

By the very nature of God, it is not possible for Him to lie. In James

1:13 we learn that "God cannot be tempted with evil, and he, himself,

tempteth no man." This is another impossibility with God. In the Old

Testament (Habakkuk 1:13) we find the statement that God cannot look

upon or countenance evil. All of this simply means that when God

created the universe, He created it in such a way that His own nature,

being what it is, makes it impossible for certain things to happen.

This is not a limitation upon God in the ultimate sense. It is merely

a limitation because of the nature of God.

This background prepares us to understand that when man was created

by God, he was created with freedom of choice and freedom of will.{12}

When God chose to make man a creature of freedom, the inevitable result

was intended to be good. God determined that man should not be merely a

robot, but a creature of freedom who could choose good. When man

chooses to love God, it has a real and deep significance. Deciding

that man should have freedom made it ne cessary that this freedom

include the possibility of not only choosing good, but also choosing

evil. Because man has freedom of will, there have been mistakes,

blunders, and wrong choices. The events of history give sufficient

evidence of the fact that man often chose wrongly and suffered as a

result of that choice.

The Nature of the Universe

A second observation which can be made is that the very nature of

the universe helps to explain some of the suffering and evil in the

world.{13} Think a minute of what man calls the "laws of nature."

As we look at the whole universe, it is a system of law and order a

system in which everything is good and faithful. Scientific

investigations made in one part of the world can be verified through

the same experiments in another. There is uniformity throughout the

natural laws of our universe. There must be, or the world would not

work properly. Principles true today must be true a year from today,

if they are indeed principles of law and nature. Principles true in

one part of the world must be true in another, else man would not know

how to build a civilization.

This uniformity, this system of law and order, also has much to do

with man's suffering in the world. For example, the natural laws of

the universe which God has created include certain principles which

enable man, if he uses the right elements and the right processes, to

create fire. Man does it now through the striking of a match, which is

simply a cooperation of the laws of the universe. The same principle

that enables man to have fire for cooking his meals and heating his

home also ena bles him to have fire which will burn his home and

destroy the lives of people. The principles that made it possible to

have fire for constructive purposes may be misused by man for

destructive purposes.

One of man's greatest achievements has been the production of the

automobile. But along with its fine uses, there have also been tragic

misuses. Similarly, steel, which makes great building possible, can

also be used for guns and tanks which destroy lives in war. The

principles of nature, if used properly, result in good; but if used

improperly, they have within themselves the power for destruction.

Laws Must be Constant and Faithful {14}.

The only basis on which a game can be played correctly is that

there are certain rules which must be followed in every instance.

Similarly, the only way in which a world can possibly work is for the

laws of nature and order to be constant and faithful. When man uses

God's laws of nature as he ought to use them, he prospers and is happy.

His well-being flourishes. But when he misuses those laws, he suffers.

The law of gravity is a wonderful and necessary thing, but its misuse

can bring tragedy, misfortune, and even death. So it is with the other

laws of our universe.

Now, apply these observations to the problem of suffering. When

God made man a creature of freedom, He opened the door to suffering.

It could be no other way. When God made the universe, He made it

possible for man to use his freedom to find the good. But this

inevitably included the possibility of evil and suffering. Why does

man suffer? It is often because he, or his ancestors, or his

neighbors, or his friends have misused their freedom. In some way they

have violated some of God's laws and have destroyed that which God

wished to be perfect and whole.

Is Suffering Always Evil?

When the subject of human suffering is mentioned, man generally

assumes that all suffering is evil. Let us examine this presupposition

to see if it is true. Is the negative value which we put on suffering

its `real' value in all cases?

Man's primary purpose in existing is to honor and gratify God.

This being true, everything that takes him away from God is evil, and

everything that brings him toward God is good.

When we accept this standard, we see the events of the world in a

different light. It is quite possible then that riches, honor and the

pleasures of this world are actually hindrances rather than helps. In

other words, they can be evil rather than good. It is quite

conceivable that illness, loss of money, or even the loss of friends

might ultimately serve some good purpose. Under certain circumstances,

poverty is better than riches. Jesus said, "A man's life consisteth

not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).

All too often worldly things blind us to the spiritual things and thus

they become curses to us instead of blessings--not just in this life,

but for eternity. Riches, honors, and pleasures are not necessarily

evils; they can be blessings. It depends on man's attitude toward them

and how he uses them. Do they draw him closer to God, or take him

farther away? No one would claim that suffering is good in and of

itself. But what is good is that through suffering man is often

brought into submission to God's will.

It is quite possible that the frowns of the world are better than

its honors. It is quite possible that illness is, in some instances,

better than health. Many would consider this completely unreasonable;

but remember, our primary concern in living is to honor and glorify

God. The man who spends some time on his back in a hospital room often

sees things in a clearer light than he ever saw them while he was going

through life without a care or a worry. This is not to say that when

we become sick there is rejoicing, but to accept illness in the proper

manner can be a blessing, both to the person involved and to those with

whom he comes in contact.

Suffering is Remedial

Much of the pain that we suffer is remedial in character.{15} It is

part of the deceitfulness of sin that so long as things are going well

with us there is little disposition to give up error and sin . It is

when we are hurt that oftentimes we see the need for God. It is by

suffering that we overcome. A man who has no sorrow in his life often

tends to be immature. Through suffering that accompanies hard work, we

develop physical stamina. I t is through suffering that we learn to

overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of

life. Things that once looked so glamorous to us lose their appeal

following crises in which we come face to face with the real issues of

life.

There is a passage in the book of Hebrews which says God allows us

to suffer because of His love for us:

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth

every son whom he receiveth. It is for chastening that ye

endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is

there whom his father chasteneth not? But if ye are without

chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are

ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we had the fathers

of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall

we not much rather be in subjection to the father of spirits

and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as

seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be

partakers of his holiness. All chastening seemeth for the

present to be no joyous but grievous; yet afterward it

yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised

thereby, even the fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:6-11).

This is also what David meant when he said, "It is good for me that I

have been afflicted; that I may learn of thy statutes" (Psalm 119:71).

Suffering and Trials Build Character

Suffering has the power to beautify and ennoble the character and

the spirit of the one who suffers.{16} Some people seem to feel that

the love of God guarantees that they will be able to have everything

they wish, that life will simply be a "bed of roses," untarnished and

untainted by anything. This is unreasonable. God's love for man is

never described in the Scriptures as the soft, indulgent honoring of

the child in the manner that sometimes is attributed to grandfathers.

Rather, the figures of speech which the Bible uses to convey the

infinite love which God has for man are of such a nature as to indicate

discipline rather than license. God is pictured as a builder who cuts

and places stones in such a way as to make a beautiful edifice. He is

a Shepherd who devotedly cares for, but also guides, His flock for its

own protection. A father who genuinely loves his child must, from time

to time, cause that child to suffer through the administration of

discipline, lest that child destroy himself and bring upon himself

greater suffering by his own blunders. Loving care involves discipline!

If God promised immunity from suffering to those who followed Him,

men would serve God only out of self-interest. As a kind of cosmic

insurance policy, men would become followers of God. It would be

foolish not to follow God, if to follow Him meant that one would

automatically be protected from illness, death, and disappointments of

every kind. But this would defeat the real essence of religion. The

earnest and genuine offering of worshipful love and devotion to God

from man is a free response. If God offered immunity from suffering to

all those who followed Him, He would also rob them of the means of

developing the beauty and strength of character for which all should

strive in this lifetime. God does not promise His children that they

will be immune to all suffering and evil. But He does say, in Romans

8:28, "We know that to them that love God, all things work together for

good, even to them that are called according to his purpose."

Because Men Live Together {17}

The answers already given indicate that even when evil and

suffering come to those who are innocent, there may be the possibility

of great good within that suffering. Further explanation of why the

innocent suffer lies in the fact that men live together on this earth.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 14:7, "None of us liveth to himself,

and none dieth to himself." The nature of the universe is such that

when certain causes are put into operation, certain effects inevitably

follow. Sin, which is essentially rebellion against God, causes

suffering. When God decided that men should live together upon the

earth, it was inevitable that the innocent should suffer. It should be

remembered that living together also brings many of the most cherished

blessings that mankind knows. To live alone, and thereby miss the

sufferings that one sometimes must bear because of his connections

with other human beings, would be a price too great for most men to

pay. Most men, were they given the chance to make the choice, would

choose to cast their lot among their fellow men, accepting the sorrows

and suffering along with the joys and the blessings.

Look Up Toward Heaven

The Bible describes man's existence on earth as a temporary

sojourn through which man is preparing for a better and a more

permanent abode. The Bible says that Abraham "looked for the city

which hath the foundations whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews

11:10). In the same chapter we read that Moses made his choice to live

and work among God's people rather than enjoy the pleasures of Egypt,

"for he looked unto the recompense of reward" (Hebrews 11:26). Paul

says, "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). He

emphasized,

"Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is

decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our

light affliction which is for the moment, worketh for us more

and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory....For we

know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved

we have a building from God, a house not made with hands,

eternal, in the heavens" (II Corinthians 4:16-17; 5:1).

God has prepared for us a home and to that home He wishes us to

eventually make our way. Were it not for the heartaches,

disappointments, and sufferings of this world, we might forget the

greater destiny that lies before us.{18} Perhaps the suffering of

this world is designed in part to cause all of us not to be satisfied

here, but to lift our eyes toward a more wonderful world that is to

come. Beyond this life with its toils and tears, its struggles and

disappointments, lies a realm of pure delight of which John wrote, "He

shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more;

neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more"

(Revelation 21:4).

In the final analysis the Christian answer to evil and suffering is

found in the Savior. The Christian finds in Jesus Christ the guarantee

of God's love and of a life someday free from all evil. The Bible

says: (1) To be in Christ is to suffer (II Timothy 3:12); (2) To be in

Christ is to learn from suffering (Hebrews 12:5-11); (3) To be in

Christ is to rejoice in suffering (I Peter 4:13; Matthew 5:3-12); (4)

To be in Christ is to look beyond suffering (Romans 8:18); (5) To be in

Christ in the midst of an evil world, to cry "Abba, Father," and to

know that He hears and cares is sufficient for the one who is a child

of God. If it seems to the finite minds of men that God is going about

it all wrong, then we should remind such men of the God who possesses a

much more perfect wisdom than our own. We must trust Him, with whom we

all have to do, and live this life the way He would have us to live it.

And if we do not find every question answered to our complete

satisfaction here in th is life, let us rest in the assurance that such

questions `will' be answered in eternity.

ENDNOTES

{1} Lewis, C.S. "Divine Goodness." `IN: The Problem of Pain'.

MacMillan. New York. 1948. Chapter 3.

{2} Little, Paul E. `Know Why You Believe'. Scripture Press. Wheaton,

IL. 1976. pp 119-120. Cf: Baxter, Batsell Barrett. `I Believe

Because'. Baker Book House. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1972. p 274

{3} `Ibid'. pp 127-128.

{4} This the thought presented by J.N. Findlay, "Can God's Existence

Be Disproved?" in `New Essays in Philosophical Theology'. Antony

Flew and Alasdair MacIntyre, Editors. S.C. M. Press. London.

1966. pp 47-56

{5} Little, Paul E. `op cit'

{6} cf., Cushman, Herbert E. `A Beginner's History of Philosophy'.

Vol. I. Houghton Mifflin Co. New York. 1946. pp 260-261. cf.,

also: Trueblood, D. Elton. `Philosophy of Religion'. Harper & Row.

New York. 1957. Chapter 17 ("The Problem of Evil").

{7} cf., Crawford, C.C. `Genesis'. Vol. II. College Press. Joplin,

Missouri. 1968. pp 3-4. cf6., also Trueblood, D. Elton.

`Philosophy of Religion'. Harper & Row. New York. 1957. Chapter

17 ("The Problem of Evil"). cf., also Geisler, Norman L.

`Philosophy of Religion'. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1974. pp 311-312.

{8} Little, Paul E. `op cit'. p 156. cf., Crawford, C.C. `op cit'. pp

1,2; cf., Trueblood, D. Elton. `op cit'. pp 235,236.

{9} Brightman, Edgar S. `A Philosophy of Religion'. Prentice-Hall.

New York. 1946. cf., Trueblood, D. Elton. `op cit'. pp 240-243.

{10} cf., Carnell, Edward J. `A Philosophy of the Christian Religion'.

Eerdmans. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1970. p 294. Dr. Carnell says

the concept of a finite God is a thought "...which Scripture

scores as untrue."

{11} Giesler, Norman L. `op cit'. pp 315,316. Dr. Geisler speaks of

this under the heading, "Impossibilism's Answer to Evil."

{12} Little, Paul E. `loc cit'.PG 385

{13} This is briefly discussed by Trueblood, `op cit'., pp 253,254,

under the heading, "Natural Evil."

{14} Baxter, Batsell Barrett. `I Believe Because'. Baker Book House.

Grand Rapids, MI. 1972. p 275.

{15} Geisler, Norman L. `op cit'. p 385.

{16} Trout, Virgil R. `Christian Evidences'. Sweet Publishing Co.

Austin, TX. 1963. p 80. cf. Crawford, C.C. `op cit'. p 6. cf.

also Geisler , Norman L. `op cit'. p 386. cf. also Ferguson,

Milton. "The Problem of Evil and Suffering." `IN: South western

Journal of Theology'. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Fort Worth, TX. 1963. p 16.

{17} Warren, Thomas B. `Have Atheists Proved There Is No God?' Gospel

Advocate. Nashville, TN. 1972. p 70ff. cf. Baxter, Batsell

Barrett. `op cit'. p 277.

{18} Baxter, Batsell Barrett. `op cit'. p 276.

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