The Cold-Case Christianity Podcast What Role Does Love and Character Development Play in the "Problem of Evil"?
Oct 29, 2025
Dive into a riveting exploration of the problem of evil and how it intersects with love and character development. Discover why tough love is a necessary aspect of genuine affection, enlightened by examples from parenting and C.S. Lewis. Learn how suffering can lead to the emergence of virtues like courage and compassion in a dangerous world. Wallace presents thought-provoking philosophical insights on the necessity of suffering for moral growth, all while framing these discussions within the context of an all-loving, all-powerful God.
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Prepare Mentally For Inevitable Suffering
- Prepare intellectually for suffering by thinking through why God might allow evil so you can endure and help others.
- Use prior reflection to anchor faith during trauma and to explain belief to others who question God's goodness.
Evil As One Piece In A Cumulative Case
- The problem of evil challenges the coherence of an all-powerful, all-loving God but must be assessed within a cumulative case for God's existence.
- Jay Warner Wallace frames evil as one piece among many evidences that could point outside naturalistic explanations.
Free Agency Enables Genuine Love
- Genuine love requires free agency because love only exists when choices are genuine.
- Allowing freedom makes possible both love and the danger of evil as a necessary consequence.
