Evil & the Evidence For God: The Challenge of John Hick's Theodicy [Paperback]

R. Geivett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1995

How to reconcile the existence of evil with the belief in a benevolent God has long posed a philosophical problem to the system of Christian theism. John Hick's book, "Evil and the Love of God", is perhaps the best known work to redress this difficulty in modern terms. Sharing Hick's interest in responding to the question of evil, R. Douglas Geivett constructs his own new "theodicy for today." But, Geivett departs from Hick by embracing the Augustinian tradition of free will and returning the responsibility for evil to human beings themselves. R. Douglas Geivett is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By appealing to recent scientific opinion that the universe may well have had an absolute beginning, Geivett develops an interesting, forceful argument for the rationality of belief in God. He then expounds the Augustinian free will theodicy and defends it against Hick's criticisms."
—William L. Rowe

"Moving from a comparison of the Irenaean and Augustinian traditions in theodicy to a powerfully original critique of Hick's influential 'soul-making' theodicy, Geivett presents a richly developed natural theology drawing on contemporary scientific opinion in support of an ex nihilo creation. Geivett's writing on natural theology is lucid and informed, honestly engaging many of that tradition's critics....This work is notable for its exceptionally thorough documentation and references, making it a valuable sourcebook for reflection on God and evil. A stimulating afterword by Hick himself significantly enriches this book's provocative analyses."
—Religious Studies Review

"Geivett details a natural theology and develops a way of understanding the existence of evil that places the fact of evil within, rather than in opposition to, a theistic view. Both the natural theology and the theodicy are rich and complex."
—Keith E. Yandell, University of Wisconsin

From the Publisher

A new theodicy embracing the Augustinian tradition of free will as the touchstone for evil

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (September 8, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566393973
• ISBN-13: 978-1566393973
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,412,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Doug Geivett is a native a southern California who has been teaching philosophy at Biola University (La Mirada, CA) since 1993. He was educated at Multnomah University (B.S.), Gonzaga University (M.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (M.A.), and the University of Southern California (Ph.D.). He has participated in public debates on the question of God's existence with Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, Paul Draper, Bruce Russell, John Shook, and Gordon Stein. He lectures nationally and internationally on an assortment of topics related to his publications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent text on the problem of evil, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Evil & the Evidence For God: The Challenge of John Hick's Theodicy (Paperback)

In this book R. Douglas Geivett attempts to argue for several theses. First, the success or failure of the theodical tradition known as the "augustinian" tradition (which traces its roots to Augustine) has close ties with the success or failure of the project of natural theology. Second, John Hick's theodicy is an example of a different theodical tradition which is known as the "soul making" theodicy (which traces its roots to Irenaeus), and Hick adopts this theodicy because he feels that the augustinian theodicy is incapable of overcome crucial objections against it. Third, Geivett argues that Hick's reasons for rejecting the augustinian theodicy are not adequate. The augustinian theodicy and its related project of natural theology can be successfully defended against Hick's objections. Fourth, Hick's theodicy is fraught with its own set of difficulties from which it cannot successfully recover.

This books is based on Dr. Geivett's PhD dissertation at USC and is a good example of careful historical and philosophical research. By carefully reading this book, one will learn a great deal about both the subject matter of theodicy as well as natural theology (Geivett defends a modern version of the cosmological argument known as the kalam cosmological argument).

A unique feature of this book is that it contains a critical review of itself which is written by John Hick.

A full index makes this book easier to use.