Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical

Suffering and Evil

Select a Category About Me Animals Books Books and Resources Christ Christian Life Christians Past and Present Church Creation Culture and Worldview Doctrine and Theology Eternal Perspective Ministries Fun Grace and Truth Grief Happiness Heaven Marriage and Family Missions Money and Giving Persecuted Church Politics Prayer Prolife Salvation Sexual Purity Sovereignty and Free Will Suffering and Evil Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016

August 2021

August 16, 2021

In Our Trials, God Is Driving Us Toward His Goodness

I love these thoughts from Abigail Dodds, the author of (A)Typical Woman: Free, Whole, and Called...

July 2021

July 24, 2021

Thirteen Years Later, Alex and Brett Harris on How God Has Used Hard Things in Their Lives

Incredibly, it was thirteen years ago that I first shared about Alex and Brett Harris’s excellent book Do...

May 2021

May 10, 2021

Moral Standards and Goodness Can’t Exist Without God

Atheists’ argument that goodness and moral standards can exist without God does not hold up....

February 2021

February 04, 2021

Jesus Turns Our Crosses into Crowns: An Update from Joni Eareckson Tada after Fighting COVID

My wife Nanci and I love Joni Eareckson Tada. With her warm-hearted exaltation of God’s...

August 2020

August 31, 2020

Charles Spurgeon on Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy

I recently read these words from one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, and found them both timely...

August 20, 2020

Phan Thi Kim Phuc’s Story: The Beauty of Forgiveness, and a Powerful Example of Romans 8:28

One of the best-known photographs from the Vietnam War is a Pulitzer Prize–winning picture of...

August 10, 2020

Would a Loving God Purposely Wound Us Through Trials?

A while ago I shared a great article by Ray Ortlund about how God will use time...

July 2020

July 13, 2020

Temporary Darkness, Eternal Light

God is portrayed in Scripture as full of light. He has a bright radiance, seen...

July 06, 2020

Our Lives Are Part of the Greatest Redemptive Story Ever Told, Authored by God

Though I write mostly nonfiction, I’ve written nine works of fiction, seven of them full-length...

June 2020

June 18, 2020

Discovering the Wonders of God in the Low Tides of Life

Over the years, God has been faithful in what I call “the low tides” of...

April 2020

April 06, 2020

It Can Be Well with Our Souls, Even with the Coronavirus Crisis

This worship, posted last week here in the Age of Corona, is beautiful. It demonstrates...

March 2020

March 26, 2020

Tackling Some of the Tough Questions Related to the Coronavirus

Twelve days ago, together with my friends Greg Cahalan and Steve Keels, pastors at my...

March 23, 2020

Romans 8:28 May Be Often-Quoted and Even Misused, But May We Never Grow Tired of Its Precious Truth

Is it possible to overuse a verse of Scripture? Certainly it is easy to misuse...

March 05, 2020

Walking Through Cancer with a Loved One

I recently had the privilege of visiting the Joni and Friends headquarters in Agoura Hills, California. I...

February 2020

February 17, 2020

Three Things to Remember When Giving Comfort to Grieving People

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). We tend to...

December 2019

December 02, 2019

The Problem of Evil and Suffering, as Faced by Vaneetha Rendall Risner, Whose Perspective May Surprise You

Please take nine minutes to watch this video, beautifully produced by Desiring God, featuring a woman...

October 2019

October 28, 2019

Suffering’s Limits

For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he...

August 2019

August 05, 2019

An Update on Mincaye, a Dear Brother and the Former Warrior who Speared to Death Nate Saint and Ed McCully

When I was a brand new Christian in 1969 I heard the story of the five...

August 01, 2019

Spiritual Warfare, and Times I’ve Sensed the Presence of Demons and Righteous Angels

The warfare against demonic powers depicted in Scripture is very real. But though unrighteous angels...

May 2019

May 23, 2019

20 Years after Columbine, and Thoughts from Darrell Scott, Father of Rachel Joy Scott, on Preparing for Suffering

Last month on April 20, was the 20th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High...

May 06, 2019

Much-Needed Perspectives on Suffering from Dave Furman

I really appreciated this 20-minute interview about chronic pain with Dave Furman, a church...

February 2019

February 21, 2019

The Good We Never Ask For: What God Does for Us in Suffering

Christian slaves in America sometimes were forbidden to sing—even to God. So when they went...

February 15, 2019

How God Changes Our “Why Me?” Questions in Suffering to “Why Not Me?”

There was a time when I could not fully accept any explanation for evil and...

January 2019

January 30, 2019

The Good We Never Ask For: What God Does for Us in Suffering

Christian slaves in America sometimes were forbidden to sing—even to God. So when they went...

January 20, 2019

How “Former Christian” Bart Ehrman’s Testimony Should Encourage Us to Grapple Biblically with the Problem of Evil and Suffering

In my last blog post, I shared a video about Vaneetha, a woman with a faith-filled...

October 2018

October 01, 2018

Increased Persecution in China, and What China’s Digital Dictatorship Could Mean for Christians

For years people have told me, including some who’ve read my novel Safely Home, that there...

August 2018

August 06, 2018

Your Suffering Can Be the Pathway to Greater Godliness

Mountain climbers could save time and energy if they reached the summit in a helicopter,...

June 2018

June 04, 2018

Goodness in a World of Evil: Philip Hallie and the Story of Le Chambon

Philip Hallie’s marvelous book Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed tells the true story of Le Chambon, a...

March 2018

March 26, 2018

Hope and Resources for Those Struggling with Depression

Depression can be symptomatic of the deep desolation of our hearts. We are capable of...

February 2018

February 19, 2018

The Hardest Lesson

When I was seventeen years old and had known Christ for less than two years,...

Related posts from Eternal Perspectives, with Randy Alcorn

Family

Why Is Saying Goodbye to a Pet So...

Eternal Perspectives, with Randy Alcorn

Family

If We Don’t Speak for the Unborn, Who...

Eternal Perspectives, with Randy Alcorn

Family

4 Right Responses to Times of Suffering

Eternal Perspectives, with Randy Alcorn

Family

One Day Everything Is Going to Be OK

Eternal Perspectives, with Randy Alcorn

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos