It's Not that God Won't Stop Evil, It's that God Can't

Marcus Borg, Karen Armstrong, Jonathan Foster, and Thomas Jay Oord have helped me reconstruct my faith the most over the last few years. Foster and Oord were incredibly influential in introducing me to Open and Relational Theology (ORT).

For those new to ORT, this is how I understand the view Dr. Oord advocates for. Open and relational theology, according to Thomas Jay Oord and Jonathan Foster, defines God as:

Fundamentally love exercising non-coercive power that allows for genuine human freedom and agency.

In this view, the future is open and not predetermined, with God actively engaged in dynamic relationships with creation. Oord addresses the problem of evil and suffering by suggesting that God cannot prevent evil. You read that last line correctly; an ORT view of evil suggests God cannot prevent evil, which we'll discuss in more detail.

Because God can't prevent evil, God works within the complexities of life to bring about healing and transformation. Though the initial shock of reading "God can't" feels like a gut-punch, what I have come to love about this theology is its emphasis on the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of relationships in understanding faith and divine action.

The God Who Can Prevent Evil and Doesn't is Unworthy of Worship

Both the Reformed Calvinist and Islamic camps, which I've spent time in both, share significant commonalities in their opinions of 'the problem of evil.' Specifically, both Reformed Calvinism and Islam share the following:

• They acknowledge the reality of evil and suffering.
• They emphasize God's sovereignty and purpose in allowing these experiences.
• Their perspective encourages believers to trust God's plan, even amidst hardship.

At the core of what both camps believe is essentially a 'God won't' perspective regarding the problem of evil. Their argument is evil and suffering are real, God is in control of all situations and circumstances (sovereignty), and all of human history happens precisely as God has willed or predestined (purpose). In light of God's sovereignty and purpose, God can prevent evil and suffering, but God won't; as a result, asking 'Why?' often demonstrates a lack of faith and a sense of hubris.

Queue the scriptural verses to shut down conversations. For Christians, we often throw Deuteronomy 29:29 around to crush the curiosity of believers who dare ask, 'Why would God allow for evil and suffering if God could stop it?'

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29, NRSV

Within Islam, Sura Al-Imran is used in the same way as Deuteronomy 29:29. It says,

"Say, 'O Allah, Master of the Kingdom! You give the kingdom to whom You will and take away the kingdom from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your hand is all good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.'"

At the root of this line of thinking is the assumption that God, for some unexplainable reason, can stop evil, but due to some unknowable cosmic will chooses not to. This line of reasoning puts God's character in a questionable position. Dr. Oord explains it this way;

"The God who fails to prevent preventable genuine evil is morally reprehensible. The God capable of control is at least partly to blame for the evil's we've endured." (God Can't, p. 19)

The God who can prevent evil but doesn't is either morally bankrupt or responsible for the evil and suffering experienced individually and systemically. On the other hand, it is not that God won't intervene to prevent evil; it is that God can't.

God Can't Do Some Things

Before you leave a comment about how heretical I am or email me about how disgusted this article makes you, understand that saying God can't do something is not a controversial statement. When you've been raised believing in the God of Supernatural Theism, hearing God can't do something is like learning Superman is dead.

The God of Supernatural Theism is the all-powerful and controlling God who lives somewhere in the sky and occasionally intervenes in humanity's affairs. But let's be clear: This is not the God of the Bible. In fact, the notion that God can't do some things is the Bible's own view.

Don't believe me? Let's take a look at a few verses that explicitly discuss things God cannot do:

• God can't tire or grow weary: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable." (Isaiah 40:28, NRSV)
• God can't lie: "In the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began." (Titus 1:2, NRSV)
• God can't be tempted: "No one, when tempted, should say, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one." (James 1:13, NRSV)
• God can't deny himself: "If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13, NRSV).

2 Timothy 2:13 is especially helpful in pointing out that God can't deny God's nature. To better understand why God can't prevent evil, we need to answer the question, 'What is the nature of God?'

God is Love and God is Spirit

When Jesus was pressed to summarize all the law and the prophets, he answered with a twofold statement. The core teaching of all law and prophets (read the core of the Hebrew Bible) is to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.

In the same way, when we ask, 'What is the nature of God?' We can summarize the Hebrew Bible and Christian Testament with a twofold answer: God is love, and God is spirit.

1 John 4:8 and 16 say, "God is love." The passage's context discusses love as the central tenet of the Christian faith. According to John, the author of the letter, love is central to Christianity because it is central to who God is. God is love and the source of love.

John 4:24 says, "God is spirit." The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now, the Lord is the Spirit." Understanding that God is love and spirit has a major impact on how we experience God and how God relates to us.

God being a God of love means that God does not control others. Again, Dr. Oord explains,

"When I say God "can't" prevent evil, I mean God is unable to control people, other creatures, or circumstances that cause evil. Because God always loves and God's love is uncontrolling, God cannot control. The God who can't control others or circumstances can't prevent evil singlehandedly." (God Can't, p. 27)

It isn't anything external but internal that prevents God from preventing evil and suffering single-handedly. It is God's love, God's very nature, that prevents God from preventing evil.

As a spirit, God cannot physically stop evil or suffering. I'm not speaking anthropomorphically but literally. God doesn't have a body, so when a person tragically commits a mass shooting at a school, God can't physically step between the gunman and the victim. Again, this line of thinking is hardly controversial.

The Christian Testament describes in numerous places how the people of God, the Church, function as God's literal hands and feet in the world. A core teaching throughout the Hebrew and Christian Bible is that God's people are responsible for embodying God's presence in the world through our actions and service.

God and People Working in Tandem Can Stop Evil and Suffering

At the beginning of this article, I shared how the emphasis on the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of relationships drew me to ORT. We see this reality most clearly in how God expects evil and suffering to be addressed.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the late Bishop Desmond Tutu, who said;

"We can't without God. God won't without us."

These eight words perfectly summarize the balance required to address evil and suffering justly. Our actions matter because we make them out of complete freedom, without coercion from God. As a result, when we walk in love with God, evil is addressed, suffering finds solace, and good things happen overall. When we freely choose not to walk in love with God, preventable evil is allowed to flourish, suffering ensues, and pointless pain ripples through time.