170. The Sacred Chain | The Challenge of Pain and Suffering
Apr 11, 2024
auto_awesome
The podcast delves into the challenge of reconciling evolution with Christian beliefs, focusing on the profound conundrum of pain and suffering. It explores the necessity of suffering in evolution, evolutionary aspects of moral responsibility and natural evil, and different perspectives on pain, suffering, and evolution. The discussions also touch on animal suffering, humanity's role in evolution, and the importance of actively engaging with faith and science.
Understanding science can deepen faith rather than weaken it.
Exploring the species challenge in evolution and human uniqueness.
Distinguishing between moral and natural evils in the context of evolution.
Navigating theological implications of God's role in evolution and convergence principles.
Deep dives
Challenges in Reconciling Faith with Evolution
The speaker discusses the challenges of reconciling faith with evolution, emphasizing that deepening faith rather than weakening it is possible once the obstacles are overcome. He highlights viewing the Bible as an ancient text serving divine purposes and dealing with the concept of time's significance in divine creation.
Species and Souls Challenges
The podcast delves into the species challenge, questioning if humans differ in degree or kind from related species, and the soul challenge, understanding human consciousness and evolutionary development. The speaker encourages reading his book to explore detailed responses to these challenges.
Problem of Pain and Suffering
The episode analyzes the problem of evil in the context of evolution and Christian faith, distinguishing between moral and natural evils. It explores the free will defense for moral evil and addresses misconceptions linking evolution to immorality and racism, emphasizing personal responsibility and critical thinking.
Divine Creation and Order in Evolution
The speaker navigates the theological implications of God's role in evolution, discussing the perceived conflict between evolution's randomness and divine intentionality. He references experts like Simon Conway Morris to highlight convergent evolution and deeper constraints in evolutionary paths, suggesting underlying principles guiding evolutionary outcomes.
Suffering in Creation and Theology
The podcast explores Simone Weil's perspective on pain and suffering in creation and God's relationship with beings, positing that suffering and love are intertwined. It ponders the concept of creation's developmental stages towards goodness and the intrinsic link between suffering and love, drawing parallels with Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Ultimate Purpose and Moral Development in Evolution
The episode reflects on the purpose of creation, incorporating moral development and ultimate transformation. It discusses the idea of evolutionary influences on moral capacities, suggesting an evolutionary history shaping moral responsibility and highlighting human's role in contributing to creation's intended fulfillment.
Metaphysical Interpretations and Future Transformations
The discussion extends to metaphysical interpretations of creation, including the ethical dimensions of evolution's diversity and challenges. It considers the coexistence of suffering and redemption in creation, proposing diverse theological perspectives on the evolutionary process and potential future transformations in biological and spiritual realms.
Reflections on Evolution and Divine Purposes
The episode concludes by reflecting on the intricate relationship between evolution and divine intentions, addressing objections and theological dilemmas raised by the concept of God using evolution. It underscores the complexity of evolutionary narratives and human interpretations of the natural world's processes.
The science of evolution has caused friction for many Christians. And science does pose some challenges to the way people have been taught to think about their faith, but those challenges don’t have to lead to a decision to reject faith—or to reject the findings of science. In fact, understanding science can lead to a deeper faith.
Jim Stump, host of Language of God has a new book coming out—The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to a Deeper Faith. In this series Jim walks through three of the challenges posed by science.
The challenge of pain and suffering is a crucial tension and one that has vexed people for millennia. Without solving the problem, we can at least break it down and see how a world which includes pain and suffering is also a world in which creatures might have the capacity to become morally mature.
Featuring clips from previous conversations with Bethany Sollereder and Simon Conway Morris.
This is the third of a three part mini-series.
Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Vesper Tapes and Ricky Bombino, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
