Why Natural Disasters?

2011 Earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan...
2011 Earthquakes in New Zealand...
2011 Flooding in Queensland, Australia...
2010 Earthquake in Haiti...
The list could go on. The question naturally arises: If God is so good, how come He allows these natural disasters to cause such death, pain and devastation?

There are no easy answers in the face of such suffering. But there are some responses we can make as we consider this difficult question. Below are just a few of the resources available on bethinking.org which you might find helpful.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, Dave Burke's article asked what Jesus' response might be to the question: "The Tsunami: if God’s so good… why?".

In early 2011, Michael Ots asked what, if anything, God has done about suffering in "What Kind of God Doesn't Prevent Suffering?" (audio only).

After the Haiti earthquake of 2010, Peter May preached on the philosophical, theological, practical and pastoral issues raised by such events in Since Evil Exists, How can I Believe in a Loving God? (audio and transcript both available).

Following the death of a friend, psychiatrist Richard Winter asks the question Why Suffering? (audio only). He considers the various causes of suffering and argues that although the Bible gives no watertight answer to this question, it does give many helpful clues, with the Cross as the focal point that gives meaning to suffering and all history.

During UCCF's 2007 "Reasonable Faith" tour, William Lane Craig gave a lecture entitled "How Can a Good God allow Suffering and Evil?" (audio only), addressing the philosophical problem of evil as well as the emotional problem of evil.

To see the full range of resources on bethinking.org relating to the problem of evil, see Suffering.