Craig And John Hick's Argument For The Existence Of God

This paper will examine William Lane Craig’s and John Hick’s assertion that the existence of suffering and the concept of a benevolent and omnipotent God are not mutually exclusive, but consistent phenomena. Christian theologians — in their attempt to constitute and defend arguments for the existence of a deity — assert that God, because of his depiction in Biblical literature, has unique characteristics and abilities. These characteristics include benevolence — “the quality of being well-meaning” (Benevolence) — and omnipotence — the ability to hold and wield absolute power. These assigned attributes have created a quandary for many individuals.

Is it possible for a God with the aforementioned attributes to simultaneously exist in a world filled with evil? Various Christian apologists have sought to conclusively address this dilemma by postulating various theodicies. Two of the most prominent and authoritative Christian theologians to address this dilemma have been William Lane Craig and John Hick. The two most salient arguments these scholars have posited in their attempt to solve this apparent disjuncture are the Augustinian — free will theodicy — and the …show more content…
Craig and Dr. Hick’s conception of God. I will argue that although the Augustinian and Irenaean theodicies can be substantiated using biblical scripture, they contradict both Dr. Craig and Dr. Hick’s conception of God. In an attempt to assist my efforts, I will highlight and meticulously analyze select sections of the Christian Bible, theological publications, and philosophical literature written by both Dr. Craig and Dr. Hick. Additionally, various responses to their theories will be assessed. I will highlight a specific theodicy, present the arguments in its defence, and conclude by analyzing the aforementioned