Kevin Stilley

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December 14, 2012 by kevinstilley

Our Mishandling of Tragedy

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5, ESV)

In the coming days every radio talk show and television news program will be discussing this week’s tragic events. They will host philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and sociologists who will discuss the problem of evil ad nauseam. They will try their best to help the populace make sense of the senseless.

And, when they get tired of those topics they will move on to the political issues; — gun control, school security, the cultural ramifications of violence in movies and music, etc.

On Sunday morning pastors will stand in their pulpits and explore such themes as the depravity of man, the comfort of God, trusting God when we do not understand, and more.

What a shame.

All of those issues are important and need to be repeatedly revisited and explored in depth, but by doing so immediately following such tragic events we fail to follow the instruction and example of Jesus found in Luke 13.

In Luke 13, Jesus addresses two tragic events. He could have gone on for hours about the themes mentioned above. But, he did not. Instead he shared with those making inquiry that repentance is the correct course of action for those who are not personally involved but are witnesses to tragedy.

Why repent?

The key to understanding his instruction is contained in the last few words of explanation “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” When Jesus said that they would “likewise perish” he did not mean that a tower would fall on them or that they would have their blood mixed with the sacrifices. He meant that they would die without being prepared.

For most people death comes unexpectedly. At the same time that these victims were being violently attacked and murdered in this horrendous event there were perhaps teenagers dying in car accidents, stray bullets hitting bystanders in drive-by shootings, a farmer being caught in his equipment and torn to shreds, an old woman losing her life to a druggie who wanted her social security check, or an old man simply not waking from his night’s sleep. Death comes unexpectedly.

Jesus said that when we become witnesses to the unexpected tragedies of others to whom we are not personally ministering our response is not to be voyeuristic gawkers, philosophical soothsayers, or even theologians. It is a time for personal reflection and repentance.

In the weeks following 9/11 church attendance soared in the United States. A few months later, attendance had not only returned to previous levels but had actually diminished. Why?

 

If we see a funeral, or walk among graves, as the image of death is then present to the eye, I admit we philosophise admirably on the vanity of life. We do not indeed always do so, for those things often have no effect upon us at all. But, at the best, our philosophy is momentary. It vanishes as soon as we turn our back, and leaves not the vestige of remembrance behind; in short, it passes away, just like the applause of a theatre at some pleasant spectacle. Forgetful not only of death, but also of mortality itself, as if no rumour of it had ever reached us, we indulge in supine security as expecting a terrestrial immortality. (John Calvin, in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 4)

 

During those critical months following 9/11 Americans demonstrated an openness to spiritual things. Pastors and theologians responded by comforting those who had been entrusted to their care and by attempting to cultivate understanding. Meaning well, leaders sought to do what they thought was best for the specific needs of their people rather than issue a call for personal repentance as Jesus had instructed. And meaning well, they failed.

We have been presented with another tragic opportunity to do what Jesus said rather than what we think is right. Will we listen?

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49, ESV)

Will you repent?

Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Theology Tagged With: 9/11, Columbine, evil, Fort Hood, Newtown, Tragedy, Virginia Tech

October 24, 2009 by kevinstilley

The Problem of Evil – quotes

The gods can either take away evil from the world and will not, or, being willing to do so cannot; or they neither can nor will, or lastly, they are able and willing. If they have the will to remove evil and cannot, then they are not omnipotent. If they can but will not, then they are not benevolent. Lastly, if they are both able and willing to annihilate evil, why does it exist.
~ in Aphorisms

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Filed Under: Blog, Quotes Tagged With: evil, quotations, quote

October 21, 2009 by kevinstilley

Evil / Wicked – select quotes

Whatever evil is, God is its Lord.
~ Karl Barth

I would rather be called a fool all my days than to be wicked before the Lord for a single moment.
~ Talmud, Eduyot, 5, 6

Filed Under: Blog, Quotes Tagged With: evil, quotations, Quotes, Wicked

October 11, 2008 by kevinstilley

What Do You Think?

Why is there so much evil in the world?

Share your answers in the comments below.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, evil, sin, What Do You Think?

September 21, 2008 by kevinstilley

The Coexistence Of God And Evil Is A Logical Contradiction

The following books are recommended for further reading in the chapter “The Coexistence Of God And Evil Is A Logical Contradiction”, in That’s Just Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith, by Paul Copan.

Can A Good God Allow Evil? (R. Douglas Geivett)

“God, Evil, and Suffering” by Daniel Howard-Snyder in Reason For The Hope (ed., Michael Murray)

The Evidential Argument From Evil (Daniel Howard-Snyder)

God, Freedom, and Evil (Alvin Plantinga)

“The Magnitude, Duration, and Distribution of Evil” by Peter Van Inwagen in God, knowledge, and Mystery: Essays in Philosophical Theology.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Apologetics, evil, suffering

June 22, 2008 by kevinstilley

N.T. Wright Surprised By Colbert

I don’t always agree with Bishop N.T. Wright, but he is always worth listening to. His attempts at explanation are often thwarted in the video below. Maybe his next book will be on Simple Christian Apologetics In A Comedic Setting.

Check out the video, and let me know what you think. What are the result of Christian attempts to share the message in an environment such as this? How does 1 Peter 3:15 apply?

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Bishop, Blog, Books, Cross, Eschatology, evil, Heaven, Jesus, John Piper, Justification, N.T. Wright, passion, resurrection

May 4, 2008 by kevinstilley

Do Pain And Suffering Disprove God’s Existence?

Does pain and suffering disprove God’s existence? William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, addresses the issue during one of his debates.

[The video may take up to one minute to load.]


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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: antinomy, Apologetics, Atheism, Axiology, Blog, Ethics, evidence, evil, God, morality, morals, Philosophy, polemic, suffering, theism, Theology, William Lane Craig

May 4, 2008 by kevinstilley

Can The World Have Morals Without God?

Can the world have morals without God? William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, argues that objective moral values require the existence of God.

[The video may take up to one minute to load.]

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: antinomy, Apologetics, Atheism, Axiology, Blog, Ethics, evidence, evil, God, morality, morals, Philosophy, polemic, suffering, theism, Theology, William Lane Craig

May 4, 2008 by kevinstilley

Can Good Come From Suffering And Evil?

Can good come from suffering and evil? William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, addresses the issue during one of his debates.

[The video may take up to one minute to load.]

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Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: antinomy, Apologetics, Atheism, Axiology, Blog, Ethics, evidence, evil, God, morality, morals, Philosophy, polemic, suffering, theism, Theology, William Lane Craig

April 27, 2008 by kevinstilley

Escapism: Barack Obama vs. J.B. Phillips

Barack Obama's GodThe news media and internet have been abuzz with discussion of a statement made earlier this month by Senator Barack Obama. At a fundraiser on April 6 in San Francisco, Barack Obama said the following;

“You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Barack Obama, Blog, Christianity, Democrat, election, evil, God, J. B. Phillips, Politics, speech, suffering

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