TH632 The Problem of Evil and the Power of God Kirsten Heacock-Sanders Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Spring 2016

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1 TH632 The Problem of Evil and the Power of God Kirsten Heacock-Sanders Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Spring 2016 Contact: Office hours- Wednesday 12-2 or by appointment Objectives Students will: 1) Develop a pastorally useful and theologically coherent account of suffering. 2) Understand current philosophical questions regarding the nature and existence of evil. 3) Understand and appreciate the concerns relative to doctrine of God that arise in discussions of evil and suffering. Articulate how these concerns relate to theories about suffering and evil. 4) Locate passages of scripture to assist in ministering to individuals who suffer. 5) Become familiar with contemporary theological accounts that address the existence of suffering and evil in the life of the Christian, in order to use them in the life of the local church. 6) Construct a personal account of suffering and develop a set of practices to prepare for life in church ministry. Assignments Book of Job presentation and paper- 30% Due- February 24 or March 2, TBD in class Adult education curriculum- 40% Due- April 27 Pastoral Interview- 20% Due- April 6 In-class presentations- 15% Participation and attendance- 15% Book of Job presentation and paper In conversation with our in-class discussion of the book of Job, students will prepare a short exegetical paper on the book of Job. Students will examine at least three commentaries and address one way the book relates to a particular question of suffering. Some suggestions include: 1

2 1) What kind of counsel do Job s friends give? Is it good or bad counsel? What assumptions underlie it? 2) What explanations for the existence of evil might arise from the text? Are these adequate or inadequate? 3) How does Job respond when he encounters suffering in his own life? What does he desire from God? 4) What kind of response does God offer in Job 38-41? 5) What is the meaning of the Epilogue? 6) Does the book of Job offer a theodicy? If so, what is it? Papers should include a close reading of the biblical text in conversation with the selected commentaries. They should include a conclusion that results from this engagement. Length is 8-10 pages. In class, students will come prepared to discuss the perspectives on the book they encountered in their research. These will be offered as informal presentations (10-15 minutes) on the two weeks the book is discussed. Students should offer a brief overview of what they discovered in their papers and raise any interesting or controversial questions that arose, in order to engage the class as a whole in their individual research. Adult Education Curriculum The capstone of this course will be a collaborative project in which students will write a Sunday school or adult education curriculum on the topic of The Role of Suffering in the Life of the Christian. Students should compile an eight- week course on the topic, addressing the following: 1) Is there a biblical theology of suffering 2) What practical guidance can you offer Christians seeking to evaluate and respond to the suffering they will inevitably face? 3) What are damaging theodicies and why do they cause harm? 4) How can we bring comfort to others who suffer? The material may be presented in the form of a written paper (10-15 pages) or powerpoint. Students may work in groups, but must turn in separate and significantly independent projects. Interview your Pastor All students are required to interview a pastor or senior member of the church staff where they attend or have attended in the past. Students should ask the pastor to reflect with them on the following questions, and either record or carefully transcribe their answers. These projects will be shared in class, so make sure that the pastor is comfortable being identified or be sure to keep their identity anonymous. 2

3 1) Reflect on your experience pastoring those who suffer. When have you said the wrong thing? What kind of comfort or counsel do you offer to those who suffer? 2) Did your seminary experience prepare you at all to minister to those who suffer? What might have helped you prepare for this aspect of pastoral ministry? 3) Do you have a theology of suffering, or a way you make sense of why bad things happen? Is this something you share with those who suffer or do you keep it to yourself? 4) What practices have you developed to help sustain you as you minister to those who suffer? 5) Are there any passages of Scripture that you return to for comfort for yourself or those in your congregation who suffer? REQUIRED READINGS Stephen T. Davis, ed., Encountering Evil: Live Options in Theodicy Michael L. Peterson, ed., The Problem of Evil: Selected Readings Thomas Weinandy, Does God Suffer? Tom Long, What Shall We Say? Evil, Suffering and the Crisis of Faith J. Todd Billings, Rejoicing In Lament: Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life with Christ David Kelsey, Imagining Redemption RECOMMENDED John H. Walton and Tremper Longman III, How to Read Job David Burrell, Deconstructing Theodicy: Why Job Has Nothing to Say to the Puzzle of Suffering Several essays will also be distributed electronically. COURSE SCHEDULE Module 1- Defining Evil Module 2- Thinking on God Module 3- Working out a Theological Response Module 1- Defining Evil January 27 Introducing the Problem Peterson, Introduction, The Problem of Evil, 1-19 Davis, Introduction, Encountering Evil, vii-xiii Fyodor Dostoevsky, Rebellion, The Problem of Evil,

4 Thomas Aquinas, No Evil Comes from God, The Problem of Evil, Augustine, A Good Creation s Capacity for Evil, The Problem of Evil, February 3 The Free Will Defense J. L. Mackie, Evil and Omnipotence, The Problem of Evil, Alvin Plantinga, The Free Will Defense, The Problem of Evil, Stephen T. Davis, Free Will and Evil, Encountering Evil, Critique of the Free Will Defense and Rejoinder, Encountering Evil, February 10 Process Theodicy David Ray Griffin, Creation out of Nothing, Encountering Evil, Critique of Process Theodicy and Rejoinder, Encountering Evil, Lewis Ford, Divine Persuasion and the Triumph of Good, The Problem of Evil, Peter Hare and Edward Madden, Evil and Persuasive Power, The Problem of Evil, February 17 (Reading Week) Soul-Making Theodicy John Hick, An Irenaean Theodicy, Encountering Evil, Critique of Soul-Making Theodicy and Rejoinder, Encountering Evil, February 24 The Book of Job Read Job 1-28 Walton and Longman, How to Read Job Week 1 of Job papers and presentations. We will also discuss soul-making theodicy in class. March 2- The Book of Job (continued) Read Job

5 Eleonore Stump, The Problem of Evil (pdf) John R. Schneider, Seeing God Where the Wild Things are: An Essay on the Defeat of Horrendous Evil (pdf) Job Presentations- Week 2 of Job papers and presentations Module 2: Thinking on God March 9 Doctrine of God I Weinandy Does God Suffer? Chapters 1-4 March 16- Doctrine of God II Weinandy Chapters 8-10 March 23- Addressing Evil in Practical Terms (Reading Week) Watch Trouble the Water in Preparation for March 30 th discussion. Read Tom Long, What Shall We Say? Evil, Suffering and the Crisis of Faith, over the course of the next three weeks. Module 3: Pastoral Responses March 30- Racism and the Problem of Evil Jim Wallis, Dying to Whiteness in America s Original Sin (pdf) Ta-Nahesi Coates, The Case for Reparations, The Atlantic, June 2014 (available online) John B. Cobb Jr., The Problem of Evil and the Task of Ministry in Davis reader We will discuss Long and Trouble the Water in addition to the three essays assigned for this week. April 6- Suffering with Hope J. Todd Billings, Rejoicing In Lament: Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life with Christ Pastoral interviews due, to be discussed in class. April 13- TBD 5

6 Module 4- Constructing the Pieces April 20- David Kelsey, Imagining Redemption April 27- TBD COURSE LOGISTICS 1) Attendance and participation are mandatory. Students are expected to have completed the assigned material on the day it is scheduled to be discussed. Students are expected to have read the material adequately enough to discuss it. Always bring a copy of the text and your notes to class. 2) Late work is not accepted. Papers are due by class time on the day assigned and are to be submitted electronically. 3) Full citations in Chicago style are required on all written work. 4) Please assume that all content is the intellectual property of the professor. Lectures are not to be recorded unless special permission is granted. 5) Laptop use is expected to be relevant to classroom activities and will be suspended if this policy is violated. No cell phone use will be tolerated. 6) The professor withholds the right to change or add to the syllabus at any time during the semester. Consider yourselves warned! 6