In this week’s episode, Language of God host Jim Stump is joined by Dr. Bethany Sollereder to wrestle with the problems of natural evil and the origin of death—topics Bethany addresses in her new book God, Evolution, and Animal Suffering: Theodicy without a Fall. They delve into the traditional answers to these questions, probing their strengths and deficiencies, and grapple with challenging Biblical passages on these issues. Bethany discusses the possibility of animals going to Heaven and what that would mean for how humans interact with them now. In all, she hopes to uncover how evolution is suffused with God’s love.

Dr. Bethany Sollereder is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Science and Religion at Oxford University. Her research focuses on theology regarding evolution and the problem of suffering. She received her PhD in Theology from the University of Exeter after earning an MCS in interdisciplinary studies from Regent College in Vancouver.

Original music from Carp.

Find a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.