The God of Love and the Reality of Evil and Suffering – Prof. Chris Baglow

Jan 7, 2026

In this thought-provoking discussion, Prof. Chris Baglow, a Notre Dame theologian, delves into the paradox of a loving God allowing evil and suffering. He explores the interplay between freedom and moral choices, asserting that true love comes with the risk of evil. Baglow highlights Augustine's idea of evil as a privation and contrasts physical and moral evils. He argues that genuine freedom is essential for moral goodness and draws on biblical figures like Job to emphasize personal faith amidst suffering. Ultimately, he points to Christ's resurrection as a source of hope and redemption.

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ANECDOTE

Kelvin's Humble Question

Lord Kelvin asked an apprentice, "Please tell me what electricity is," exposing the limits of technical explanation.
Chris Baglow uses this story to show humility is essential when tackling mysteries like evil and God.

INSIGHT

Creation Implies Divine Sustaining

The doctrine of creation means God sustains everything at every moment, implicating him as source of existence.
Yet creation's dependence on God coexists with the presence of imperfections and suffering in the world.

INSIGHT

Evil As A Privation

Augustine's privation theory explains evil as a lack of good, not a created being or substance.
Evil appears where a nature lacks what by its nature it ought to possess, and God permits but does not create that privation.

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Prof. Chris Baglow explores how the God of love can allow evil and suffering by showing that a world created for freedom and love—not as a deterministic machine—necessarily entails the risk of physical and moral evils, yet opens a deeper path of redemptive goodness.

This lecture was given on October 30th, 2025, at Mississippi State University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Baglow is Professor of the Practice of Theology and the Director of the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. His work is the culmination of 20 years of faith and science scholarship and educational program creation, as well as a lengthy career in Catholic theological education spanning high-school, undergraduate,

graduate and seminary teaching. In 2018 he was co-recipient of an Expanded Reason Award in Teaching from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (Madrid) and the Vatican Joseph Ratzinger Foundation (Rome) for his work in integrating faith and science in Catholic education, for which he has also received numerous grants from the John Templeton Foundation.

Baglow is the author of Faith, Science and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge (2nd edition, Midwest Theological Forum, 2019) and Creation: A Catholic’s Guide to God and the Universe (Ave Maria Press, 2021). He serves as theological advisor to the Board of Directors of the Society of Catholic Scientists. He authored the transcripts for Wonder: The Harmony of Faith and Science, a Word on Fire film series directed by Manny Marquez and narrated by Jonathan Roumie. His work has appeared in Church Life Journal, Culture and Evangelization, and Joie de Vivre Quarterly Journal.

Keywords: David Hume, Evil, Freedom and Moral Evil, God of Love and Suffering, Joseph Ratzinger on Freedom, Problem of Evil and Suffering, Providence and Natural Laws, Redemption and Human Freedom, Risk of Love, Theodicy and Divine Goodness