The Problem of Evil, Rhetoric, and the Drama of the Divine Economy

Bibliographic Data

ID20249772
AuthorsB Kyle Keltz (0000-0002-8626-1791, South Plains College, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue11
Pages1442
Publication date2025-11-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16111442
OpenAlexW4416138330
LanguageEN
References cited25

The contemporary debate over the problem of evil in analytic philosophy of religion is prone to focusing solely on the problem as an abstract dialectical issue that only concerns philosophers. However, this focus on abstract solutions to the problem of evil can seem to be less compelling in the face of personally experienced suffering, and it has given rise to newer approaches to the problem of evil, including anti-theodicy, which is the idea that theodicy itself is morally problematic. To remedy these issues, theists must turn to rhetoric to supplement theodicy. George Campbell’s view of rhetoric provides great insights into possible solutions, showing how including biblical narratives in theodicy can provide more comprehensive and compelling explanations for why God allows evil

Dialectic · Drama · Narrative · Problem of Evil · Rhetoric · Theism · Theodicy · Karl Barth and Christian Theology · Theology and Philosophy of Evil · War, Ethics, and Justification

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Open DOIOpen Access