Theology on Tap

A pub...sorta

I have been royally stumped by my task.

If you are new to this blog, I have challenged myself with contributing to the ongoing dialogue on "why bad things happen to good people" (if you missed part 1, click here). Feeling the pressure of my Sunday, July 22 midnight deadline, I enlisted some extra support. I guess you could say I brought in a "theological spotter." I must admit, this spotter (Jerry) has come to my rescue time and time again, particularly on matters relating to God, family and why Ray Allen left the Celtics.

Not unlike the support I got from Jerry

Jerry and I talked for about an hour. We attempted to imitate Lewis and Tolkien's pub debates but we both work on a dry campus and the hardest thing Jerry drinks is Cherry Coke, so we settled for a "pseudo pub."  I will disclose more of our conversation on Friday but there was one thing he said which is reshaping my opinion on the matter. The question, as I originally stated it, was "why do bad things happen to good people." My spotter challenged this right off the bat.

"The problem with this", he went on to explain, "Is that it's incredibly presumptuous. It assumes we are good. I'm not good. I screw up all the time. If Paul claimed to be the worst of sinners what does that make me? I don't deserve anything good."

Interesting re-frame. Now obviously this doesn't answer the problem of natural disasters or the atrocities committed to innocent children. But, this does make you think.

More to come by this weekend...