All this seems
to be very strong counterevidence
to the claim that the world is good, and indeed it is.
Theologians throughout history have debated this so-called
problem of evil, 2 so we will leave this topic to better thinkers
and instead consider two simpler facts: the problem of evil
should not be a surprise, and the problem of evil should not
detract from the existence of goodness.
First, evil is so clearly described in Scripture that it seems
almost counter-intuitive that we should only begin a discussion
of it after two pages. In just the third chapter of the Bible, we
are introduced to sin, which enters the world through Adam
and Eve; exile from the Garden of Eden and the attendant
difficulties of life follow (Genesis 3:23). Early Christian
theologians extended this to a corruption of the whole natural
world, 3 a view supported by Paul, who describes the whole
of creation groaning in the pains of childbirth (referring to
the redemption of man, Romans 8:22). So the Christian
acknowledges that the world is not perfect, that God is not a
sadist who baked suffering into the nature of the world.
In the process of accepting this truth, however, we cannot
forsake the world entirely. After all, it is still our home; recall
that God loved it, and Paul does not even desire that we
withdraw entirely according to 1 Corinthians 5:10. Instead,
since we know first and foremost that the world is good, the
evident existence of sin and brokenness should pain us even
more and drive us even more towards a pursuit of return
to that full goodness. Christians sometimes wonder why it
is that God hates sin and suffering so much more than we
do. Could it be that this is because we utterly fail to perceive
God’s full intention of perfection and so cannot even begin to
fathom what is lost? We find it difficult to mourn as intensely
as Scripture commands us (Matthew 5:4, James 4:8-9), not
2 Though not an academic theologian, C.S. Lewis wrote a
great and well-known book on the topic, The Problem of Pain, which
the reader is encouraged to use an access point for this debate.
3 Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologia, Question 85, Article 3.
16 Fall 2020
destroys.
because we have not witnessed or
experienced enough adversity, but
because we let that suffering pass by
us while acknowledging neither its
full horror nor the depths of beauty it
And this leads us also to a sound critique of the perception
of the world as neither good nor bad but perfectly average:
mediocrity simply does not exist. When we pass our days
staring into screens, building only shallow friendships
(Delamerced, pp. 27-31), thoughtlessly eating, drinking,
studying, and sleeping, we are guilty of a crime of ignorance.
Having earlier argued that creation at every scope both sings
soaring praises to God and staggers under the dark taint of
sin, we cannot so much as brush our teeth without marveling
at God who granted them to us and cursing the sin that
brings them decay (1 Corinthians 15:42, 2 Corinthians 4:16).
That is, the reason that we sometimes experience the world
as relentlessly monotone is because we have lidded our eyes,
willingly or not, to both beauty and brokenness.
So the Christian must passionately resist the lie that corruption
and perceived triviality have stripped material things of their
value, saying instead: each material thing has infinite value,
but only because of the God which it glorifies. If we can
accept this mindset, how ought we to live? We can find a
particularly compelling application in human stewardship of
the earth.
Christians have not been good at caring for our planet.
Whether because of active opposition or mere indifference,
evidence shows that the average Christian’s concern for the
environment has actually declined over the past few decades, 4
mitigating any positive actions taken by figures such as Pope
Francis. It is not for nothing that academics such as Lynn
White consider Christianity’s influence to be a primary
impetus for modern exploitation of nature. 5 But with our new
theoretical framework in hand, we will see that critics like
White actually deeply mischaracterize Christian perspectives
on nature, and that our lack of concern for the planet gifted
4 Konisky, David. The Greening of Christianity? A Study of
Environmental Attitudes Over Time. Environmental Politics (November
14, 2017).
5 White, Lynn. The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis.
Science (1967).