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The Problem of Evil & the Problem of God

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Being new to the thought of DZ Phillips I was very excited to read this work. While he does a good job on the topic, he is a bit overzealous in his criticism of other philosophers.Indeed, he seems to indite most of the Christian apologetics and philosophical enterprise with illegitimacy. Perhaps this is due to what appears to me to be a denigration of the place of logic and reason in the Christian life.

Sadly, I recently discovered he had passed away. I heard from a Christian philosopher and friend that while DZ can be very "biting" in his books,he was a wonderful person.

This is, in many ways, a devastating book to read. Taking up the "Christian" conversation on suffering and on God's role therein, D.Z. Phillips tears to pieces all of our familiar theodices (attempts to explain and defend God's role in producing or allowing the suffering as an all-knowing, all-powerful being). He is particularly severe in his criticism of Christian philosopher Richard Swinburne, not because Swinburne is the originator or main proponent of these widely-held views, but because Swinburne happens to be a well-respected academic who represents this line of thinking. For example, Phillips lambastes Swinburne for making a claim such as "When God allows pain into our lives, it is ultimately for our own good, as it contributes to our character development", and then defending the claim with such a facile analogy as "a parent allows their child to suffer through an unpleasant dental appointment for the eventual greater good of their having intact teeth".

"Try applying this or any of the other common explanations of human suffering to such a horror as the Holocaust", Phillips challenges, "and see how the result is horrific-- contributing to the suffering and dehumanization of the victims rather than healing it."

In this book, D.Z. Phillips stares evil in its ugly face, managing neither to cower away, nor to explain it away. It can become very difficult to dwell in these pages and stare at evil alongside him.

Prizing authenticity above all, Phillips strips the Christian faith down to its core-- leaving the reader wondering, for many pages, whether either author or audience will be able to emerge with any faith left at all. But emerge he does. According the D.Z. Phillips, we are guaranteed nothing by God-- neither explanation for our suffering, nor protection for our futures, nor even ultimate meaning in the course of our lives. All we have left is to dwell in a moment, and if, in our moment, we are able recognize our very existence as being "of God"; if our mere existence, unattached to any other contingency, strikes us as a reason for celebration or gratitude or joy, then indeed we have faith. It is a fine line that separates faith from absurdity.

The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God converses within a Christian context, although I would call it very existential, almost Buddhist in its sensibilities. It offers few comforts, but instead liberates us from having to accept inauthentic answers to the Whys of life that have no answers, transforming rather than discarding faith in God, in the process.

Although this book presupposes a fairly broad academic knowledge base, it is neverless relatively easy to read. Unless I'm kidding myself, this book is about how a Christian commitment turns out to be the answer to the problems of both God and Evil. And all its philosophy talk is just icing on the cake.