N.T. Wright’s “Surprised by Scripture”: Ch. 6–The Problem of Evil

In chapter 6 of Surprised by Scripture, N.T. Wright tackles the problem of evil: how can you reconcile the reality of evil with a belief in a good God? That is a question that has challenged people for centuries. If you were an ancient pagan, you wouldn’t ask that question, because you didn’t believe there as a “good God” to begin with—all the gods were petty and violent, and you just lived your life in a perpetual “duck and cover” mode, trying not to tick any of them off. If you are a Buddhist or Hindu, you wouldn’t ask the question either, because you don’t believe in a singular “good God” either—all is one, and even what we call evil is still just a part of the ultimate reality, of which you are a part.

The problem of evil really only comes up in Christianity, because Christianity teaches that there really is a good God, there really is evil, and that God hates evil. If so, then why does God allow evil to exist in the first place? Hence, the problem of evil—a uniquely Christian conundrum.

In addressing this problem, Wright takes us back to the Enlightenment and points out that many of the major wrestling of Enlightenment philosophers had to do with the problem of evil. The “Enlightenment answer” that has dominated Western culture for the past 250 years, as Wright points out, is what he calls the “doctrine of progress.” Everything is slowly getting better, and science brings progress, and eventually we’ll make this world a utopia. If you have to break a few eggs to make that utopian omelet, well then, so be it—it’s for the good of humanity in the long run.

Well, WWI largely crushed much of that 19^th Century Enlightenment optimism, but old habits die hard—despite the dreadful atrocities of Auschwitz and the Gulag of the 20^th Century, many still view the world and people as “basically good and moral”—all we need is a little more democracy, capitalism, socialism…name whatever “magic pill” you put your faith in. It will all get better!

Wright points out the naiveté of such a mindset. In fact, he says that we pretty much ignore evil until it hits us in the fact, and then are completely surprised when it actually does. The result is predictable: we over-react and lash out in very immature and dangerous ways. Wright points to the reaction of Britain and America after 9/11 as a prime example. Let’s admit it, he’s right.

In light of all this, Wright makes three key points: (1) there are no easy answers to the problem of evil; (2) the line between good and evil does not lie between countries or political parties—it runs down the middle of every human heart and society; and (3) we need to distinguish between the evil of terrorists, for example, and the destruction of natural disasters.

Wright then turns to the Bible for answers and shows us that the biblical writers spoke of evil in a variety of ways—too many to detail in this post. But what should be noticed is that God chooses a family rife with evil (i.e. the family of Abraham) to somehow bring about an answer to the problem of evil. Try to get your brain around that—it’s tricky.

Furthermore, by the time you get to Isaiah, you find in chapters 53-55 a radical string of passages. Isaiah 53 is about the suffering servant who embodies God’s rescue operation for both Israel and the world; then in Isaiah 54 we have the concept of a new covenant; and Isaiah 55 ends with the concept of the new creation. What Isaiah prophesies ultimately gets fulfilled in the suffering of Christ, and a redeemed humanity that takes part in God’s re-creative salvation of the world through participating in the suffering of Christ.

Simply put, as Wright says, “To our amazement and horror, we see this renewal come into focus in the suffering and death of the servant.” So if you’re a Christian, guess what? That’s what you should expect in your life as well: suffering that brings about the salvation of the world, bit by bit.

The Cross and Evil
What this all means is that we need to refocus our minds on just exactly what the message of the cross is: it is not “Jesus suffered so I can be taken away from this world of evil.” Rather, it is “Jesus suffered to bring about the redemption of this world and the solution to the problem of evil; and that’s what I am to do as well if I follow Christ: offer up my suffering that has been brought about by evil, and by doing so, aid in the redemption of the world.”

Wright says, “God chose the appropriate and necessarily deeply ambiguous route of acting from within his creation, from within his chosen people, to take the full force of evil upon himself and so exhaust it.” That is the message of cross: that is how God deals with evil—he actually uses it up to bring about redemption.

And so, as Wright points out, we as Christians are called to implement that victory of the cross in the world. As he says, “The cross is not just an example to be followed; it is an achievement to be worked out, put into practice.” Suffering and martyrdom become the paradoxical means by which we implement the victory of the cross and the redemption and renewal of the world.

Now, before you marvel at how wonderfully poetic that sounds, think about it: that’s what it means to “take up your cross” and follow Christ. It’s not fun. If you’ve ever been the victim of true evil and suffering, you will understand just how hard and painful it is. Simply put, it sucks! And yet, that’s what we are called to do.

Wright doesn’t explain where evil ultimately comes from. But he does explain the cold, stark reality that the message of the cross is that God uses evil within his salvation plan. Instead of looking to avoid it, Christians are to take evil upon themselves, just like Christ did, and let it exhaust itself and die, so that resurrection and new life can come. “Evil is still a four-letter word,” Wright says, “but thank God, so is love.”