Christensen - Sovereignty of God Bundle

What About Evil?

Reconciling the existence of God and evil has been a long-standing conundrum in Christian theology, yet a philosophical approach—rather than a theological one—dominates the discussion. Turning to the Bible’s grand storyline, Scott Christensen examines how sin, evil, corruption, and death fit into the broad outlines of redemptive history. He argues that God’s ultimate end in creation is to magnify his glory to his image-bearers, most notably by defeating evil through the atoning work of Christ.

Read Chapter One

Table of Contents:

Foreword by D. A. Carson

1. Introduction: The Problem of Evil

2. Theodicy and the Crisis of Our Secular Age

3. Probing the Darkness

4. Justifying the Ways of God

5. Guarding the Sacred Treasure of Free Will

6. Working for the Greater Good

7. The Transcendent Author of History

8. Walking through the Bible’s Dark Forest

9. The Challenge of Moral Responsibility

10. Everybody Loves a Good Ending

11. The One True Story

12. The Fortunate Fall and God’s Greatest Glory

13. God’s Redemptive Glory in Scripture

14. The Peerless Redeemer

15. The Suffering Redeemer

16. The Cosmic Redeemer

17. The Grace-and-Glory Effect

Appendix: Sullied by Supralapsarianism?

Author

Scott Christensen (MDiv, The Master's Seminary) is the author of What about Free Will? He worked for nine years at the award-winning CCY Architects in Aspen, Colorado: several of his home designs were featured in Architectural Digest magazine. Called out of this work to the ministry, he graduated with honors from seminary and now serves as the associate pastor of Kerrville Bible Church in Kerrville, Texas.

Endorsements

“Scott Christensen has a real gift for answering difficult theological questions plainly, thoroughly, and above all biblically—with colorful, engaging writing that readers at practically any level can easily comprehend and learn from. If you’re troubled by the question of why a good and omnipotent God would create a universe that includes evil—or if you are a Christian struggling to explain the problem of evil to someone else—you will greatly benefit from this book.” — John MacArthur, Pastor-Teacher, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California; Chancellor Emeritus, The Master’s University and Seminary 

“Christians take the problem of evil more seriously than anyone else. This book avoids simplistic philosophical solutions. Instead, the author appreciates that the historical fact of Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and return provides the only hope when we just don’t know all the answers.” — Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California 

“Christensen gets beyond the more traditional approaches to the problem [of evil] by reminding us that God’s wisdom pervades everything he ordains so that the very existence of evil serves his purpose of maximizing goodness and glorifying himself. Of course, Romans 8:28 and other verses say that this is true. But Christensen shows us how it is true. . . . I commend this book to readers who seek a serious and thoughtful treatment of this issue.” — John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

“Why is there evil in the world? Scott Christensen shows that this difficult question is bound up with two larger questions: ‘Why did God make the world?’ and ‘Why did God the Son become a man and suffer evil?’ Scripture gives the ultimate answer: to manifest the glory of God. Christensen’s articulate, inspiring, and gospel-driven presentation of the ‘greater-glory’ theodicy explores a significant way that God’s Word addresses the problem of evil to strengthen our faith and evoke our worship.” — Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

What About Free Will?

Christensen explains two views that acknowledge God’s sovereignty and its relation to human responsibility: compatibilism and libertarianism. Providing cogent, biblical answers, Christensen argues for compatibilism and shows how it makes sense of evil, suffering, prayer, evangelism, and sanctification. You will gain a deeper understanding of both arguments, as well as a greater appreciation for the significant role that choices play in God’s work.

Table of Contents:

Foreword by D.A. Carson

Introduction: The Free-Will Problem

1. A Road Map for Libertarianism

2. Assessing the Whys of Libertarianism

3. How Big Is Your God?

4. A Road Map for Compatibilism

5. A Dual Explanation for Why Good Stuff Happens

6. A Dual Explanation for Why Bad Stuff Happens

7. To Be Free or Not to Be Free

8. Why We Do the Things We Do  

9. A Tale of Two Natures

10. Exploring Corridors

11. Navigating the New Nature

12. Absolute Freedom

Appendix 1: Comparing Libertarian and Compatibilist Beliefs on Free Agency

Appendix 2: A Review of Randy Alcorn’s Hand in Hand: The Beauty of God’s Sovereignty and Meaningful Human Choice 

Author

Scott Christensen (MDiv, The Master's Seminary) worked for six years at the award-winning CCY Architects in Aspen, Colorado: several of his home designs were featured in Architectural Digest magazine. Called out of this work to the ministry, he graduated with honors from seminary and now pastors Summit Lake Community Church in Mancos, Colorado.

Endorsements

“A clear, intelligent, immensely helpful overview of one of the most confusing conundrums in all of theology. . . . Scott Christensen doesn’t sidestep the hard questions. The answers he gives are thoughtful, biblical, satisfying, and refreshingly coherent. Lay readers and seasoned theologians alike will treasure this work.” — John F. MacArthur, Grace Community Church

“Careful in description and argument . . . eminently readable. . . . Most important of all, this book breathes a spirit of wonder and gratitude before the face of a God who is not only all-powerful but good.” — Michael Horton, Westminster Seminary California

“Many think that free will is the silver-bullet answer to some of theology’s most difficult questions. But do we have a free will? Short answer: it depends on what you mean by ‘free.’ Long answer: read this book.” — Andrew Naselli, Bethlehem College and Seminary