On November 8th, 2013, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones in recorded history hit the Philippines. Winds as high as 145 MPH tore through communities, causing $3B damage and killing over six thousand people.
A few weeks later, the Forum in this episode took place. The world was still grappling with what happened, wondering what meaning could be found in such a tragedy — or if there was any meaning at all.
In this 27-minute excerpt, you’ll have the space to mull over these questions of meaning. You’ll hear from John Lennox, a professor emeritus of mathematics at Oxford, and moderator Rosemary Avery, a professor of public policy at Cornell. They discuss the problem of evil, the goodness of God, and what the Christian scriptures suggest we do when our “whys” remain unanswered.
I think there's enough reason to trust God for those ragged edges. And my main reason for doing that is the cross — this is God becoming part of suffering. It's not an explanation in the sense of a logical explanation; it's a demonstration.
I believe that if we could see what God has done with the people who suffered innocently, we would be silent and have no more questions. Because if there is a God of love — as I believe there is — who is like Jesus Christ, I believe he will compensate in a way that will leave us all with nothing more to say.
The Bible says there will be a final judgment, and that's announced as a wonderful thing to be greeted — that God will judge the world. Because the person who is going to judge the world is the same person that suffered on the cross and rose again.
