Truths about Evil, Sin, and the Demonic

Toward an Integral Theodicy for the Twenty-First Century

Byron Belitsos

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9781666713022
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Théologie chrétienne

The Problem of Evil and the Predicament of Theodicy As Christians or theists we are moved to share the truth of God's love for humankind. But how can we speak of such providential care in a world rife with crime, war, racism, genocide, and even ecocide? In response to this predicament, a theodicy proposes a rational "defense" of God's goodness that offers consolation to victims and hope to all believers. Truths about Evil, Sin, and the Demonic provides a sweeping history of the discipline of theodicy that focuses on its strategic turning points and its possible future. Belitsos argues that, because of the atrocities of the last century and the threat of horrendous evils in the coming century, we need to marshal the most explanatory elements of all previous theodicies and then drive toward an "integrative" model based on a creative synthesis. The author also turns to a modern revelatory source that supports his argument for such a "meta-theodicy." He concludes by critically engaging with this source and the entire tradition in his call for an apophatically informed integral theodicy.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Part I: Traditional Theodicies
• Part II: Post-Enlightenment Theodicies
• Part III: The Quest for an Integral Theodicy
• Appendix: Job Is Put to the Test
• Bibliography