Evil
Warfare Worldview: A Basic Definition
Category: General
Tags: Blueprint Worldview, Evil, Open Theism, Satan, Theodicy, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
The warfare worldview is based on the conviction that our world is engaged in a cosmic war between a myriad of agents, both human and angelic, that have aligned themselves with either God or Satan….
Theology That Accounts for Terrorism
Category: General
Tags: Augustine, Evil, Satan, War, Warfare Worldview
The general assumption of both the Old and the New Testaments is that the earth is virtually engulfed by cosmic forces of destruction, and that evil and suffering are ultimately due to this diabolical siege….
So Much Evil. Why?
Category: General
Tags: Evil, Free Will, Open Theism, Warfare Worldview
In light of the profound evil being experienced by the people of Paris and countless other locations around the world, we thought we would raise again the question that many ask when things like this…
The Earth is a Spiritual Battlefield
Category: General
Tags: Church Fathers, Evil, Free Will, Satan, Spiritual Warfare
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
The early Church Fathers uniformly believed that angels, like humans, were created free and given a sphere of influence and responsibility over creation. As with humans, angels could use this influence for good, as God…
Why Compatibilistic Freedom Does Not Make Sense
Category: General
Tags: Determinism, Evil, Free Will, Problem of Evil, Satan and the Problem of Evil
Compatibilism is the view that free will is compatible with determinism. In this view, freedom is defined as the ability to do what you want, though what you want is determined by factors outside of…
Do Angels and Demons Really Exist?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Angels, Demons, Evil, Free Will, Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
While the supremacy of God is never qualified in the Bible, this supremacy is not strictly autocratic. Other “gods” or spiritual entities like angels and demons are not mere puppets of the God of the…
4 Reasons to Wake Up to the Warfare Worldview
Category: General
Tags: Culture, Demons, Evil, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Worldview, Western Assumptions
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Image by postbear via Flickr A view of the world that grounds the problem of evil in spiritual warfare is not one that many modern people find easy to accept. To many contemporaries, the notion is…
Our Real Battle is NOT with ISIS or any Other “Enemy”
Category: General
Tags: Evil, Spiritual Warfare, The Real Enemy, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
There’s an old African proverb that says, “When Elephants fight, the grass suffers.” It expresses the important truth that when agents who have a domain of authority go awry, everything under their authority suffers. The…
Will Violence against ISIS Root Out Evil?
Category: General
Tags: Evil, Myth of a Christian Nation, Non-Violence, Upside-Down Kingdom, Violence, War
Topics: Following Jesus
Image by arbyreed via Flickr Fallen humans tend to identify their own group as righteous and any group that opposes them as evil. If they were not evil, we tend to believe, no conflict would exist. Hence,…
Why Did God Allow Evil?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Evil, Free Will, Love, Problem of Evil, Satan and the Problem of Evil
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, The Problem of Evil
Is it possible to force people to love? Powerful people may be able to force others to do just about anything. Through psychological or physical torture, they may succeed in forcing them to curse their…
The Reality of Satan and the Spiritual Realm
Category: General
Tags: Blueprint Worldview, Evil, Satan, Satan and the Problem of Evil, Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict, The Problem of Evil
A theme that underlies Jesus’ entire ministry is the apocalyptic assumption that creation has been seized by a cosmic force and that God is now battling this force to rescue it. Jesus understood himself to…
What Is The Warfare Worldview?
Category: Essays
Tags: Blueprint Worldview, Essay, Evil, Free Will, Love, Providence, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Greg has written extensively on something he calls the Warfare Worldview. Many today believe that everything that takes place in the world is ultimately part of a divine blueprint and contributes in some way to…
Romans 8:28: What Does It Mean?
Category: General
Tags: Determinism, Evil, Free Will, God's Will, Romans 8:28
The Bible is very clear that God has nothing to do with evil. There is “no darkness” in God. (I Jn 1:5). Far from intentionally bringing about evil, God’s “eyes are too pure to look…
Resignation to Evil: Not an Option
Category: General
Tags: Calvinism, Determinism, Evil, Kingdom Revolution, Revolt, Warfare Worldview
One lucky guy via Compfight While few Christians would deny that Satan is in some sense the ruler of this world, since it’s so clearly taught in the New Testament, many nevertheless insist that everything…
Our Beautiful, Nightmarish World
Category: Essays
Tags: Beauty, Essay, Evil, Kingdom, Kingdom Living, Satan, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
The Bible consistently proclaims that the creation reflects the glory of God. To me, the truth of this proclamation is undeniable. When I was younger I several times went on three-week solo backpacking trips into…
What’s Wrong With The World?
Category: General
Tags: Current Events, Evil, Kingdom Living, Living in Love, Soldiers, Spiritual Warfare
Hartwig HKD via Compfight The reports coming out of Fort Hood this morning once again highlight that our world is messed up. And it often feels like we are rearranging the deck chairs on the…
Sandy Hook: Evil Did Not Win
Category: General
Tags: Current Events, Evil, healing, Hope
The story of one little girl who was killed at Sandy Hook and what became of the family in the aftermath. We live in a world where school shootings are almost becoming commonplace. It’s important…
On Attending to the Light in Darkness
Category: General
Tags: Boston Bombings, Donald Miller, Evil, Jesus
Joe Spurr via Compfight Donald Miller has posted a reflection on his Storyline blog about highlighting goodness and thereby pointing to Jesus in the aftermath of events such as the bombing in Boston this week. We…
Free Will: What about “natural” evil? Was Hurricane Sandy a Free Agent?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Determinism, Evil, Free Will, Natural Evil, Open Theism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict, The Problem of Evil
What about natural evil? How does free will help to make sense of this? Greg reflects on the origins of sickness, natural disaster, animal suffering and so on. Hope you’re enjoying the series so far….
Free Will: The origin of evil
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Determinism, Evil, Free Will, Open Theism, Problem of Evil
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
In this continuing series on free will, Greg discusses how evil can only be accounted for if we acknowledge free will. This is especially true if you believe that God is good.