Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil

Review of Theodicy of Love – John PeckhamThe first thing I must say is why did it take so long for a book like this to appear? Finally a book that engages with all the different ideas on theodicy, including the most recent ones, and tries to come at it from a different angle. So thank you Dr Peckham for doing this.It was something I had thought about for a while there as well, at least a form of his argument. But now that I have read this version I see many problems.1. The fact that one day all evil will be wiped away, but presumably not free will, would mean that evil is still possible even though there might not be any spiritual being left to accuse God of being evil. So the argument that all these things are necessary now does not fly.2. The argument that Dr P. presents doesn’t work, especially since we are two thousand years removed from Jesus’ death and resurrection, which was supposed to have already taken out the ruler of this world (122) – John 12:31 – “NOW the ruler of this world will be cast out”. If Jesus’ death and resurrection are the vindication of proving God’s righteousness then what is God waiting for?3. His argument against Open Theism doesn’t work because he doesn’t understand Open Theism. Even though God might not know how things will turn out in many situations, this doesn’t mean he cannot make sure a particular thing will happen. If He swears by his own name, for instance, it’s going to happen regardless. Open Theistic books talk about this.4. Dr P seems to be selective in what passages he picks. For instance, the situation of the Canaanite genocide does not only tell a story where God wanted to make the Canaanites flee. Like that would be any better, since they would most likely die having no place to live. There are plenty of passages that explicitly say God wanted men, women, and children dead (Num 31). Also there are passages that say that God is the one who does both good and evil. So it’s not that simple.5. Even more specifically his selection of Deut 32:8,9 of where God picks Israel as His portion by himself is quite misleading. If you read it, it is the Most High that divided the nations between the gods, and Yahweh was simply one of them. But Dr P ignores this and say something else!6. In Psalm 82 it also says (which Dr P ignores) that God will kill the gods since they ruled unjustly, and it seems like he did it back in Old Testament times. We see Isaiah denying there was ever such a thing as gods, but were not real, so this seems to be after God kills the council. But Dr P has them still around.7. After God’s vindication through Jesus, what need is there to prove to anyone God’s good character? It would actually be rebuffing what Christ did to make this a reason why God would need to do this anymore. But again Dr. P repeats this idea over and over.8. Dr P’s argument that God cannot break his promises even if it’s with the enemy is downright hilarious. Since, God can, according to him, determine the outcomes of what the consequences would be in his mind, why would he make promises in the first place??9. The reason why we would know, as humans, why God does or does not want something to happen is simply because we see what things pleases him and does not please him in Scripture! So when he says it’s a mystery due to some prior agreement, we know this not to be true because God would not agree to something that he would be displeased at.For an alternative to his ideas the verdict is still out, but there are so many issues with his idea it is unsustainable. There are most likely so many reasons why things happen to try to boil it down to three different things is not helpful.

I find this theodicy to be the most well-reasoned, Biblically founded case for understanding why God allows evil and suffering that I have ever read. Dr. Peckham does a superb job in building upon the tremendous contributions his other two books set the stage with. Though both can stand alone just fine, this book goes very well with his other book, “The Love of God - A Canonical Model.”If you’re not particularly academically inclined or interested in the technical context in which this work was written as a contribution to the ongoing academic discussions and would rather get to the core premises, jump to chapter 3 as your starting point and progress from there. Otherwise, begin with chapters one and two.

Dr. John Peckham delivers yet again as he tackles one of the more challenging subjects in Christian thinking: The problem of evil and suffering. Peckham articulates a decidedly canonical theodicy that upholds both God's sovereignty and His goodness while dealing frankly and honestly with the reality of evil. This is a theologically and philosophically robust work, which means that it is not light reading; the first two chapters especially engage with more technical matters as Peckham introduces the issues and the current theological perspectives in the academy. However, from chapter three onward his focus shifts to demonstrating the Theodicy of Love from the canon of Scripture and showing its viability in addressing real evil. He identifies three distinct reasons why evil occurs in spite of God's omnipotence and goodness, and he makes a compelling case for all three.This is a landmark book, and one that will be an important part of the discussion going forward. Whether or not you agree with either Peckham's premises or his conclusions, this book is well worth a thoughtful read.

If you've ever wondered why sometimes bad things happen to good people, you must get this book. I'm a seminary-trained pastor, and even I, have often struggled with this question from a biblical perspective. I'll mention a few things about the book. First, Dr. Peckham is thorough. This is not a superficial devotional read. It is academic. It is deep. Many footnotes. He dialogues with many viewpoints and scholars. These are all good thing. Such a weighty issue deserves seriousness. Second, he presents a theological innovation, the idea of "rules of engagement," which helps to give a framework to explain why sometimes God doesn't act in ways you would expect Him to and why the devil seemingly has the amount of freedom that he does.You will not regret getting this book. I read it through once thoroughly and plan to do so a second time.

John Peckham takes on the big issues in this book. In fact, there are no bigger issues than the ones he tackles. John not only presents a cogent, meaningful, theodicy of love, but he shows that biblical philosophy is possible--that is, that a person can begin with the essential truths of the sacred text, and factor them out logically to arrive at, not only solid answers, but interpretive tools for future Bible study. Thus he creates a philosophical feedback loop that leads people deeper into scripture rather than away from it.

Such a refreshing insight in light of the scriptural revelation. I have always heard of the basic free will defense for a theodicy, but this book takes a step right into the scriptures to show "why" the free will defense is robustly biblical, and not just philosophically possible. Peckham's treatment of the cosmic conflict as revealed in scripture is a much underexamined topic that I was delighted to examine with him.A bit over my head at times, but simple enough to follow the basic train of thought.