From: Keith Miller (kbmill@ksu.edu)
Date: Thu May 15 2003 - 14:58:38 EDT
Don Winterstein wrote:
> I'm firmly in the Fiddler camp.=A0 I believe God=A0wants to give=A0the =
world=20
> as much freedom=A0as possible=A0to develop in the ways it prefers, but =
the=20
> world has always been=A0recalcitrant=A0and,=A0left to itself, will =
always go=20
> in directions that, if not modified, will thwart God's goals.=A0 In=20
> other words, "sin" is built into the world, it's in the nature of the=20=
> world;=A0sin=A0didn't=A0originate with humans.=A0 (Neither did =
death.)=A0 So God=20
> from time to time=A0needs to step=A0in to make course corrections.=A0 =
The=20
> Bible tells us that God has operated within recorded history by=20
> intervening from time to time.=A0=A0Plausibly it is how he=A0has =
operated=20
> for the last 13.7 billion years or so.=A0=A0
This view seems to imply that "natural evil" has its source in the=20
action of some free being acting in opposition to God from the=20
beginning of God's creative process -- in other words, attributing it=20=
to some ancient angelic fall.
While the argument for an angelic fall is not inconsistent with the=20
Bible, finding direct scriptural support is difficult at best. =20
Attributing animal suffering and death to the actions of such fallen=20
powers is more difficult still. In fact, it runs into many of the same=20=
theological problems as the tracing of natural evil to the consequences=20=
of human disobedience. A satanic corruption and distortion of God=92s=20=
creative activity is very difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile=20
with the goodness of creation proclaimed in scripture.
What does the repeated pronouncement of =93And God saw that it was good=94=
=20
over creation mean, if that same creation also bore the corrupting=20
imprint of rebellious spiritual powers? Such a creation could not=20
fully represent God=92s good and perfect will =96 so how could it be=20
declared good, in fact =93very good=94? In what way could that =
distorted=20
creation give praise and glory to God?
A serious theological problem is also raised by effectively attributing=20=
all manifestations of death and pain in the natural world to the forces=20=
of evil. Satan would be given a power over creation that Scripture=20
places exclusively in God=92s providential hands. All natural processes=20=
and events are undergirded by the creative and sustaining power of God.=20=
Rain or drought, plague or harvest, storm and earthquake are all part=20=
of God=92s providential action (see Amos 4:6 ff). More than this, God =
is=20
understood as intimately and actively involved in the continual cycle=20
of death and new life we observe in the natural world (Psalm 104:27-30).
If God is thus involved in the death as well as the life of his=20
creatures, how can this death at the same time be attributed to the=20
spiritual forces of evil? Scripture does not seek to distance God from=20=
the ongoing death and pain present in the creation, and neither should=20=
we.
Keith
Keith B. Miller
Research Assistant Professor
Dept of Geology, Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-3201
785-532-2250
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~kbmill/
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