Our Response Matters: Being Christian in light of the Election

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The election has come and gone. Now what? It seems that all sorts of pastors, parents, and professionals are claiming that the sky is falling with blog titles like, “The End of America,” “The Tragedy of the 2012 Election,” and other apocalyptic-themed facebook statuses, tweets, and protests. Why? Did the “right guy” not get the vote? What were you expecting? The bottom line is: Barack Obama is President. And according to Romans 13:1-2, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” So now, not only is He president, God “instituted” him. Now what?

Four More Years

 

Romans 13:1-8: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for [Barack Obama] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for [Barack Obama] does not bear the sword in vain. For [Barack Obama] is the servant of God, an avenger who carried out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

First things first, as Christians we must be done with the whining and complaining. Adults in general, but especially parents and pastors. The reason is because future generation is looking to you to learn how to respond. A standing principle of being an adult, parenting, or doing ministry is that the kids we are around, when they don’t know what to do, they’ll do what they’ve seen us do. So I ask you as I’ve had to ask myself: How are you responding? What kind of attitude have you had about the election? What kind of things did you say on election night? What kind of things have you said about Obama being president? The truth of the matter is that its not about the election. For most kids, they have no idea what is going on, what’s at stake, and are completely unaware of the policies and/or consequences of what happened last Tuesday. What this is about is authority. They are learning how to view, respond, interpret, think, and believe about authority. So slandering the president only teaches them to badmouth authority. Disrespecting the president only teaches them to disrespect authority. Complaining about the president only teaches them to complain about authority. The most ironic part of it all is that you, pastor or parent, are their authority. You are modeling to them how to respond to you. Therefore poor actions are only cutting the knees out from under future leaders and ourselves. Usually we hear adults talking about teenagers as “having no respect for authority these days! They are just so disrespectful!” We must ask ourselves: Where did think they get it from? What kind of model are you providing? Is it one of submission, honor, respect, and love? Or slander, disrespect, discontentment, hate, rebellion and hopelessness? How about to your spouse and family? To your congregation? To your friends and neighbors? Bottom line, do you exhibit the Christian virtue of faith in that you trust that God is sovereign and has put Barack Obama in authority over you and this nation?

The beauty of the Gospel is that it is Gospel of Grace and Mercy of a God who is Sovereign and Omnibenevolent. And therefore despite the areas of which our country is incompetent or inadequate, God is not, and He alone is our Hope. Glory to the Trinity alone! For it is only through the Grace of recreation by the Holy Spirit through the incarnation, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and second coming of the Son as predestined by the Father. Therefore may no man boast, for as it is an act of Grace and Mercy, we must respond in Grace and Mercy. For who are we to be selective with our Grace and Mercy? Our leaders are just as much men as we are and we are just as much capable of evil as they. May the Grace of God abound in our lives in order that we might be agents of Grace in the name of Christ our Lord, Savior, and King.

Comforting Words for New Youth Ministers - Part 5: Where Your Credibility Comes From

Dear First Year Youth Minister,

I know that one of the biggest questions and insecurities you face in your first year regards questions of credibility. You are probably in your early twenties, but to some, you look like you’re sixteen. You have a bachelor’s degree (and maybe even a graduate degree), but people talk to you like a high school student. You work sixty to seventy hours per week, but people still ask you if you’re paid for your job. (You resist the temptation to say, “By third world standards, yes.”) You take your position seriously as you plan, study, relate, manage, encourage, budget, teach, counsel, and basically fulfill the management functions of the director of a non-profit organization, and yet people ask you what you are going to do when you grow up, as if you play kickball eight hours per day. In essence, you are an adult with a very serious job, but often people condescendingly patronize you as if you are one of the kids you lead. They talk about your calling as if you do little more than entertain and babysit.

 Meanwhile, you face the reality that you have little experience. You probably have not attended seminary and need to deepen in your biblical and theological knowledge. You see a great deal of education in adolescent psychology and pastoral counseling. You may be finding your way in the “real world” for the first time as a young adult. 

 Be encouraged: You have credibility. What you do is important; it is serious business. You have authority in your space. But from where does this authority and credibility come?

1.) God chose you for the job.

You approached accepting your position prayerfully. You discerned God’s will for your next career step. While the church offered you a position, God ultimately called you to the position and you followed. He did not make a mistake. He has plans and intentions for your ministry. A great quote that I like to lean on is that “God equips the called; he doesn’t necessarily call the equipped.” 

2.) God gave you gifts.

The Lord gave you gifts for such a position, or else you likely would not have received the job. The leaders that offered you the position saw an ability in you to relate to students, a maturity in your faith, and a level of responsibility such that they would not trust you to take other people’s precious children on trips. While you do need to develop those gifts, understand that God graciously gave them to you.

3.) God gave you the Holy Spirit.

Whether you have been in ministry for eight days or eighteen years, you ultimately sink or swim based on your dependence on the Holy Spirit. God is with you in the Holy Spirit; you are not alone. Christ encouraged his disciples in John 16, by saying, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” You will face impossible situations. You will teach Bible lessons without any clue whether they are efficacious. You will grow weak and discouraged. Understand that the Holy Spirit will work in measures infinitely greater than what you ever will know in this life. The Holy Spirit will minister to your teens. You simply need to trust Him in every step and faithfully follow him to what He calls. 

4.) You are the foremost expert on ministry to teenagers in your church.

Within about six months, you will be the expert on ministry to teenagers in your church. It is unlikely that any parent, pastor, or volunteer will know as much as you do. Your life will involve dozens of conversations with teens, where you are on the front row to the ever-evolving youth culture. You will spend weeks and weekends on trips with them. You may attend youth ministry conferences. You may read blogs and magazines about youth ministry. Trust me: you will be the expert, and it will happen fast. Take ownership of this and use this gift to help parents understand how to love and disciple their adolescent. Help your pastors understand the mentality of the youth in your church, so that their sermons and teachings will connect with the younger crowd. 

5.) You are enough; you are not enough.

You will wrestle with feelings of inadequacy right from the beginning. The reason for this is because as a sinner without the Lord, you are hopelessly inadequate in your position. Recall, though, that Christ has imputed his righteousness on you. Christ has perfected you in God’s eyes. You have nothing to prove and nobody to impress, because you are enough before the Lord by the righteousness of Jesus. You must constantly remember your adoption as a daughter or son of God, and that his grace is enough for you and your ministry.

Cameron Cole is the chairman of Rooted: A Theology Conference for Student Ministry and the Director of Student Ministries at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, AL. He is a candidate for a Masters in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary. 

Where We Need to Point Kids after the Presidential Election

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Four years ago to this date, I had the privilege of speaking to a class of ninth grade students in an inner city area of Birmingham, AL, known as Woodlawn. Imagine the intrigue of having a conversation with a classroom of all African American students in one of the most violent, segregated sites of the Civil Rights Movement, on the morning after America elected its first black president. Students told stories of their grandparents, who lived under the threat of the Ku Klux Klan and used “colored” public restrooms, sat in front of the television praying and weeping as they saw President Obama chosen for office. 

Since that morning, which stills gives me chills when I recall the spirit of redemption in that classroom, I have had my eye on Woodlawn, where several friends serve, minister, and attend church. I can say definitively that there has been no mitigation to the suffering, poverty, estrangement, addiction, and violence over the last four years. Children struggle without fathers. Men and women fail to find work. Teens fall into gangs. The only real effect government has made in Woodlawn has been a bribery scandal among county commissioners that has led to the bankruptcy of their county and increased burden on residents to pay their utilities.

Simultaneously, during the past four years, several churches have established new ministries that are bringing real hope to the Woodlawn community. The Church of the Highlands has established its Dream Center that includes ministries of mercy, such as affordable healthcare, financial counseling, tutoring, and Bible study. They have a satellite church location that includes an integrated congregation. Church of the Redeemer, a church plant led by pastor Joel Brooks, has a thriving congregation with powerful relational ministry and strong biblical teaching in the Woodlawn area. Hungry families can depend on Grace Episcopal where meals are served daily. A rush of tangible hope and redemption has rolled through Woodlawn in a new way, probably not at a macro-level but to a degree like not before in decades.

I bring this up only because, today, I have dealt with students with very powerful reactions to the presidential election. Some have threatened to move to Canada, fearing that America will collapse. Four years ago, many kids unrealistically believed that America had found a messiah, who would redeem all problems. Teenagers are filled with passion that we can channel in a fruitful direction. Today, I will remind students of three important truths.

First, Christ reigns as King. His Kingdom already has come and will continue to increase. Only Christ will save and redeem this world. No government can do so.

Secondly, God ordains all elected officials. We are called to pray for them and respect their authority.

Third, the Church is the worldly vehicle through which God will redeem the world. The government can improve circumstances, but only God through the Church can revive desperate, sinful hearts through the proclamation of the Gospel, teaching of the word, prayers of the people, and missions for our neighbor. The Church relates to people face-to-face and heart-to-heart, not through policy, regulation, or bureaucracy. Policy operates at a surface level, while the Church (when functioning properly), engages at the epicenter of all the world’s problems: the human heart. It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge that, like the government, the Church can be a source of injustice and oppression, when its people do not have their souls anchored in Christ and the promotion of His Kingdom.

Therefore, let all of us- student, ministers, and parents alike- be encouraged that the most powerful change agent in the world remains Jesus Christ working through His bride, the Church. Let us not waste energy fretting over political elections, obsessing over cable news, or making inflammatory remarks on Facebook. Instead, let us exalt Christ the King and focus our energy on our role in God’s Church as agents in the complete redemption of the world. 

Cameron Cole is the chairman of Rooted: A Theology Conference for Student Ministry and the Director of Student Ministries at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, AL. He is a candidate for a Masters in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary. 

Comforting Words for New Youth Ministers - Part 4

Dear Youth Worker or Pastor,

I am very excited that God has placed a call on your life to work in student ministry. There are some amazing things about working with teens that I know you will enjoy. Throughout your time in student ministry, many of the students will be in a place where God moves them to make life decisions for Him. From time to time, God will bless you to be part of this direct change in their life. It is great to see students fight sin, devote their lives to Jesus, and grow spiritually.

The all night events kinda suck, mostly because staying up all night is not as fun as it used to be, but playing sports, hanging out at sporting events, playing Halo and Call of Duty are all way fun, and I know the students will love doing them with you. Also, make sure you take the students to concerts. It is a blast, and you can always charge the church for your ticket cost. When you look at all those things, add in lunch out, time at Starbucks, late nights talking; working with teens is great. But I must warn you that you need to be prepared for:

 

-Students who get pregnant

-Students who get other students pregnant

-Students who are addicted to pornography

-Students who won't stop masturbating

-Students who have sexual attraction to someone of the same gender and don't know what to do

-Students who hate their parents

-Students who will attempt to kill themselves

-Students who are addicted to drugs

-Students who smoke cigarettes, weed, or about anything else they can get their hands on.

-Students who are caught drinking

-Students who post images of others naked online

-Students who will be attracted to leaders

-Students who are attracted to you

-Students who will put you in a place to sin

-Students who will make you mad, annoyed, ticked off, hate life, and wish you had another job.

-Students who Facebook, twitter, text message, call, and stop by your house all the time because they think its normal

-Students who put you against their parents

-Students who  get kicked out of school

-Students who go to jail (so be ready to go to court)

-Students who end up in the ICU, ER, or on Life Flight

-Students who don't understand what it means to read their Bible, fight sin, be in community

-Students who go crazy (so be ready to go to the psych ward)

-Students who run away from home

-Students who  are attracted to someone twice their age

-Students who get kicked out of their house by their parents.

-Students who steal from you

-Students who bring porn on camping trips, overnight events, missions trips, youth group events (pretty much everywhere they go)

-Students who threaten other students

-Students who don't make it on the sports team, drama team, into college and as a result their life begins to fall apart.

-Students who cheat on their boyfriend, girlfriend or even husband or wife

-Students who get in relationships with leaders (this one is a real fun one)

-Students who text message the whole time you are teaching

-Students who 'talk' to satan, worship satan, and think its all ok

-Students who see dead people, talk to the, and have a deep fear about the spirit world

-Students who have 'peered into hell' and seem to think its normal

-Students who cut themselves

-Students who choke themselves until they black out, and think this is fun and normal

-Parents who want you to simply 'make their student good'

-Parents who catch students having sex or looking at porn

-Parents who hate their kids and tell them constantly

-Parents who beat their kids

-Parents who molest their kids

-Parents who offer/expose/encourage drugs, sex, and alcohol.

-Parents who teach their kids you're an idiot, all pastors are corrupt, and the church is evil

-Parents who constantly berate you, slander your name, insult your spouse and kids

-Youth leaders who fail you

-Youth leaders who lie

-Youth leaders who don't listen (I know, shocking)

-Youth leaders who talk behind your back

-Churches give you no budget, but expects you to do what the mega-youth group down the road is doing

-Churches who overwork you

-Churches who threaten to fire you over numbers

-Churches who fire you over numbers

-Churches who cut your salary in the middle of the year for 'the new sanctuary'

-Churches who cancel your benefits just because

-Pastors who don't back you up

-Pastors who talk bad about you

-Pastors who don't respect you because, 'you're just the youth pastor"

-Pastors who sabotage

-Pastors who throw you under the bus

-Pastors who think (and tell you) what you're doing is worthless.

-Pastors who think that what you do doesn't matter because, 'their just kids'

-Pastors who try to get you fired

-Pastors who start rumors

If you're not ready for all of those things, and I am guessing many more, then I am not sure you are ready to work with in the church with students. And see, none of us will truly ever be ready to address these issues. No class on earth can prepare you for when a student kills them-self. This is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, must be central to our thinking, we must be ready to bring the theological truth to bare on all of these situations. Simply teaching students, parents or other leaders a nice devotional and playing games after group will not help address any of the issues listed above. Even though you may feel inadequate, remember this wonderful truth - you are! But Jesus is not. Cling to Him, trust Him, run to Him. He will give us the things to say, the response to have, and the message to bring when these, and many other things, come up in your gospel ministry.

I know, it does not sound all that glorious. Trust me, it is not. But remember, we don’t merely serve students, parents, and fellow youth workers. No, we serve Jesus, and He is the one from whom we receive our power.




Josh Cousineau is a graduate from New England Bible College with a bachelors in Theology and Christian Ministry, has planted Redemption Hill Community Church, and has a passion to preach the gospel to those who are in need of Jesus.

Alone I Would Not Have Done It

In a recent high school youth group meeting I was teaching on Psalm 51. To illustrate a point about the nature of sin, I shared a passage from St. Augustine’s Confessions, in which he remembers stealing pears one night with a group of friends. This thievery, as he recounts, was not because of hunger, or even a particular delight in pears. Rather, it was because of a desire to do what was not permitted: “I stole something which I had in plenty and of much better quality. My desire was to enjoy not what I sought by stealing but merely the excitement of thieving and the doing of what was wrong.” I found this to be very insightful as I reflected on the nature of sin with our high school students. 

And yet, perhaps the most helpful part of this anecdote comes a few pages later. St. Augustine continues to reflect on this incident and discerns another, perhaps deeper, root for his thievery: “Had I been alone I would not have done it – I remember my state of mind to be thus at the time – alone I would never have done it. Therefore my love in that act was to be associated with the gang in whose company I did it.” Here we are reminded that at the very root of so many of our choices to pursue evil is a desire for acceptance among our peers (as well as an ignorance of our acceptance in Christ). St. Augustine concludes, “Friendship can be a dangerous enemy.” 

This is true. But we must avoid the simplistic conclusion that “friendship is dangerous.” The lesson here is deeper, teaching us that friendship is powerful, able to produce great goods as well as great evils. Certainly many of us have done evil things that we never would have done if we were alone. But the converse is also true. Many Christians have been inspired to pursue goodness, mercy, and justice precisely because of their company of friends. If this story teaches us anything it is that because of our associations we may do things we never would have done alone – whether for good or ill. 

As I reflected on these things with my students, I also thought more broadly of fellow youth workers and their ministries. Let us continue to remind our students (and remember ourselves!) that Christian community is essential for so many reasons, including this one that St. Augustine teaches us: because of friends we may be inspired to do things – for good – that we would never have done alone. 

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). 

Bijan Mirtolooi is part of the Youth Ministry staff at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.

Comforting Words for New Youth Ministers - Part 3

This series seeks to provide comfort and guidance for new youth ministers. The series includes narratives from youth ministers in their first year of ministry (Article #1 and Article #2) and advice from veteran youth ministers to rookies. 

So how am I feeling about my new job in youth ministry?

The simple and honest answer: I am tired.

I am four months into my new job in youth ministry and I am barely catching my breath. I shot out of the cannon with vigor and enthusiasm and am now making the recovery from a rather large road bump of exhaustion and migraine headaches. It is not surprising considering four months ago I started my job off with a week- long retreat and have been moving at a steady pace ever since. From the moment I hit the ground running I have had girls seeking out time and answers from me, and the list of about 200 high school girls on our list continues to grow.  

But perhaps the more pertinent reality is that in the past four months I have not been faithful to protect my altar time before the Lord. And, no, I have not been faithful to position myself to be filled up so that I may pour out. I have not sought to measure my success in my job through the lens of my Heavenly Father’s eyes. And my chair designated for my prayer time has been vacant for quite some time.

The result: I am running on empty. If only the solution was as simple as it is obvious. Or maybe it is. But if there are always more girls to connect with, always a broken and hurting student needing my attention, always program to plan, always work to be done, how do we rest easy at night knowing I have done my job that day to the best of my ability? How do I feel that I have completed for that day what I needed to do? How do I decide when to carve out time for myself when I know the names of the girls who will potentially cry themselves to sleep that night?

My boss graciously and frequently reminds all of our staff of the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10, verses 38-42. But I am realizing how much more of a challenge it is to be like Mary when my job feels a whole lot like Martha planning, coordinating, and caring for those in our church home. But, yet, I long to have the attitude and poster of Mary. But how?

This week, I have the weighty job of meeting with a girl who had severely victimized and for the first time is seeking out help on how to cope and heal. How do I handle such a responsibility? What truth do I offer her? The Lord’s promise to her is that, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30).  I want her to believe that the Lord can take her grief and shame. And, yet, am I even believing and walking in that same truth for myself? 

I have reached a point in my job when I am feeling more inadequate, more humbled than ever, but at the same time I am so thankful that four months in and I am finally moving into the place the Lord wants and needs to me be. Am I actually more pliable and more usable for His ways now? I hope so.

My hope is not that the Lord will transform my next talk into an eloquent and understandable masterpiece rather than the stumbling mess of a talk I gave last week, nor for my capacity for connecting with girls to double in size. But my hope is that I can more genuinely communicate the message of Christ’s truth and love while walking faithfully in His promise of an easy yoke and a light burden.  So today, more than ever, I cling to the Lord’s promise that He uses the weak things of the world for His purposes.

1 Corinthians 1: 26-30 says, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong… And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 

Liz Price is serving in her first year as the Cornerstone Girls Coordinator at the Falls Church Anglican in Falls Church, Virginia. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama. 

Comforting Words for New Youth Ministers - Part 2

This series seeks to provide comfort and guidance for new youth ministers. The series includes narratives from youth ministers in their first year of ministry,  perspectives from those who just have finished their first year, and advice from veteran youth ministers to rookies. 

I’m about two months into my journey in youth ministry. I ended my fourth year in college thinking that I was headed back for one more semester this fall before graduation. As a person who likes a plan, I had a defined idea of what my path after college would look like and it did not include youth ministry. I always knew that I would enjoy working with youth as a volunteer, but I simply had a different plan for my life.

I was approached this summer about the opening here at Saint Luke’s. I was flattered but initially dismissed the idea because it wasn’t a part of my well laid plan, and I wasn’t sure that I fit some non-existent mold of what a youth minister should be.  I think that God finally had enough of my headstrong, inflexible attitude about life. I found myself thinking about the opportunity here more and more. Finally, it became clear that this was something I was supposed to pursue. For the first time in my semi-adult life, I let go and did something totally unexpected. I told myself that if it wasn’t meant to be it wouldn’t happen. This took a little bit of the worry away and gave me the courage to pursue something outside of my comfort zone. Then, everything just fell into place.

That is not to say that the past two months have been easy. They have been quite the opposite. Trying to figure out what I am supposed to do and how I am supposed to do it has been especially challenging. Despite a lot of guidance and great advice, I think I have moments of sheer panic every day. There are always people to help me if I ask, but sometimes I don’t even know what questions I need to be asking. Just when I feel like I’ve started to get my basic planning routine down, something happens that changes it. A parent calls with something that needs immediate attention, or I spend hours doing something that I suddenly realize needs to be done. Sometimes I’ll work hard all day and then get to the end and realize that I haven’t done a single thing on my well mapped out to-do list.

Then you enter my youth into the equation. After all, the planning and endless emailing that I do all day would be pointless if it didn’t result in something that reaches the group of thirteen through eighteen year olds that walk into the youth rooms every Wednesday and Sunday. Building relationships with the kids in this youth group is easily the most exciting, rewarding, and challenging aspect of the job for me. After high school graduation, I never thought I would spend another day worried about whether or not a high school kid liked me. Now, I spend much of my energy planning events and programs in hopes that they will have the right balance of spiritual nourishment, intellectual challenge, and the kind of fun that keeps a fifteen year old coming back week after week. 

I’m a person who can get really worked up. It is important that I find comfort and peace in all of this craziness. I find myself thinking more and more of Christ as the Good Shepherd. He has a plan and is taking the lead; all I have to do is follow. For me, this is easier said than done. But I think that might be the point. For someone who likes structure so much, it’s crazy that I feel most spiritually fed sitting silently in the presence of God. The most comforting thing that God does for me these days is simply being there all the time. 

Parker Garrett is serving in her first year as the youth director at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Birmingham, AL. 

God, Evil, Suffering, and Teens: Part 2- So, Where Does Evil Come From?

As we saw in Part 1 of this series, the problem of evil isn’t an abstract philosophical problem.  Evil really exists, and it affects us personally and tangibly. 

As we look at the evil in the world around us, reflect on our experiences, and discern how evil is portrayed in scripture, we discover that we can categorize the evil we face into three types: spiritual, physical, and moral.

TYPE #1: SPIRITUAL EVIL

Spiritual evil, as I use the term, refers to evil in the “supernatural” realm.  Like the wind, you can often see the effects and influence of spiritual evil, but you can’t usually see it directly.  False (pagan) gods, satan, and demons (fallen angels) often represent this sort of evil in scripture.

Whereas many adults remain skeptical of such evil (thinking demons and the like to be false superstitions of less enlightened cultures), most of the youth I know today readily accept such categories.  I guess they’ve read enough Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Twilight, and other such books  to be open to the idea that there is more to reality than meets the eye. (Or, to put it another way, the  reason today’s youth are so drawn to books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Twilight is because in their heart of hearts they know that there is more to reality than meets the eye and are drawn towards anything that touches on this hidden reality.)

TYPE #2: PHYSICAL EVIL

Physical evil is used to describe evil in the “natural” realm.  Unlike spiritual evil, physical evil can be seen and touched directly.  Sickness, cancer, mental illness, decay, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes are all examples of physical evil.

TYPE #3: MORAL EVIL

Moral evil is best understood as evil in the ethical realm.  As such, moral evil arrives from the decisions and actions of conscious beings.  Biblically speaking, moral evil is sin and it involves rebellion against God.

Okay, okay, okay, you might be saying (because it’s likely what your youth are saying to you right about now), so we can categorize evil. Whoop-de-do.  Enough with the philosophical mumbo-jumbo.  Where does evil come from...? Did God make evil...?  Why does he allow evil to exist?

It’s here that we need to remember back to what we saw in Part 1 of this series: you can only meaningfully speak of evil as a category when there is also a corresponding category for good (which requires a moral standard and therefore a moral standard giver). 

The flip-side of this argument is that when you create the category for good, you also allow for the existence of evil--for evil is best understood as the perversion of what is morally good.  This is particularly true if God also allows for conscious life that can think and act of their own volition, thus allowing for willful rebellion against the good.

Therefore, whereas good can exist on its own, evil requires the category of good from which to draw its perversion.  As C.S. Lewis colorfully puts it, “...good should be able to exist on its own while evil requires the good on which it is parasitic in order to continue its parasitic existence.”

Thus, to answer their questions: No, God didn't create evil, for evil in and of itself doesn’t have substance--it’s an absence of the good.  But God does allow for evil when he declares his creation “good” and gives elements within his creation (specifically angels and humans) the freedom to willfully rebel against God’s goodness.

With this in mind, let’s turn to scripture to discern God’s response to the problem of evil and suffering.

SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL, AND MORAL EVIL IN GENESIS 1-3

When we begin carefully reading Genesis 1-3, the first thing we notice is that the story isn’t trying to tell us about evil’s origin in God’s good creation.  Although, given the understanding of evil as the privation of good, the possibility for evil existed as soon as God declared his creation good.  In fact, God introduced the category of evil within creation when he planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden--something he did before humanity fell.

We aren’t told when angels chose to rebel against God, thereby bringing spiritual evil into existence, but we are told that this happens sometime before the fall of humanity.  This is seen most clearly in existence of the serpent (who is satan according to Revelation 12:9 and 20:2) in the garden of Eden who is already seeking to deceive and distract Eve and Adam from obedience to God’s ways.

It is also likely that some form of physical evil existed before the fall of humanity.  A careful reading of the creation account in Genesis 2 discloses that in addition to the garden of Eden, there was the not-garden.  It is from the dirt of the not-garden that God forms Adam before placing him in Eden.

Biblically speaking, we don’t know much about the not-garden.  All we know is that Adam and Eve were called to subdue and have dominion over the whole earth, which would lead us to believe that part of the earth did, in fact, need subduing.  (And if you believe in the reliability of the geological record, it seems apparent that there was much physical evil in the world that needed to be subdued.)

Peter Hicks, a Baptist pastor and former lecturer at the London School of Theology, writes, “Was the garden of Eden itself entirely free of pain and suffering?  It is hard to imagine that it could have been so.  Quite apart from the fact that the words of God to the woman in Genesis 3:16 spoke not of the introduction of pain but of the increasing of pain, it is hard to conceive of life in any garden that could be pain-free….  If [Adam] experienced loneliness before the forming of the woman, did he not also feel other emotions, both pleasant and unpleasant?  Surely Eden was not free from pain and suffering; but what made it Eden was the presence of God.”1

So really, the first three chapters of Genesis 1-3 aren’t about the origin of evil in all forms; they provide the story of humanity’s moral rebellion and the devastating impact this has for all of creation.  For as we’ll see in Part 3 of this series, humanity was created for a special purpose: to be a central part of God’s “setting-to-right” plan for his creation.  Humanity is meant to play the key role in God’s victory over evil.

Part 1: (Re)Framing the Conversation
Part 3: Humanity and God's Solution to Evil

Mark Howard serves as pastor to students at Trinity Presbyterian in Covington, GA. He holds a masters in theology from Wheaton College.