What about Evil?: A Defense of God's Sovereign Glory

by Scott Christensen

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.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction

576 pages, Hardcover

Published November 25, 2020

Reviews

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achilles was the Greek hero in Homer’s Iliad during the Trojan War who was killed by Paris with an arrow that struck his only vulnerable spot, - his heel. So the Achilles heel is the vulnerable or susceptible spot. Critics of historic Christianity often point to the problem of evil and argue that it is the weak spot of our faith. Hence, the problem of evil is often referred to as the Achilles heel of the Christian faith.

Theodicy is “a defense of the justice or goodness of God in the face of doubts or objections arising from the phenomena of evil in the world.” Many arguments (theodicy) have been proposed over the history of intellectual thought. I’ve read several books over the years that attempt to advance a theodicy. Scott Christensen’s book, What About Evil? A Sovereign Defense of Sovereign Glory is without a doubt the best book I’ve ever read on the subject.

In the end, the author reveals what he refers to as the greater-glory theodicy. He successfully demonstrates how God is sovereign over every evil event and uses it to advance his purposes. He refers to the hope of shalom, a notion that “would not exist without the tragic loss of paradise devolving into hell … If you know Christ, your suffering is never wasted. Your deepest pain is not in vain. Your sin cannot condemn you. Your fear of death need not worry you, for your redemption drawers nigh!”

The purpose of this review is not to give a detailed summary but to alert readers to a book that is saturated with Scripture and Christ-glorifying arguments that advance the cause of the kingdom and build the faith of God’s people.

[Chris Land · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the subject about evil in the world in light of the sovereignty of God.

[Patrick S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find a break down, chapter-by-chapter look at this book from the Cave To The Cross Apologetics podcast (CaveToTheCross.com)

What Scott Christensen has done here is provide a scholarly and biblical undertaking on the alleged problem of evil. With a brief overview of the history of philosophy in chapter two and then dealing with some of the main explanations for theodicy, Christensen points out the flaws both philosophically and Scripturally with them. He provides a fair and, at times, praise-worthy when called for look at them. Some of the discussion around the free will theodicy will sound familiar from his previous book "What About Free Will" but is important to the discussion.

This isn't your normal, dry and academic look at the problem of evil. Christensen gives you the answer right on page 6 and comes from the Reformed perspective. After critiquing the other views, he launches into providing support for his view. And just like the Reformed perspective does, and what his view calls for, Christensen goes into a beautiful discussion of who God is, His nature, Jesus' Incarnation, and the ramifications of God's work in creation. All this adds to and leads up to putting the point on the fact that God is the ultimate focus of Scripture, creation, history, and yes - even in the theodicy.

Two chapters that should be viewed of high value is the chapter on God being a storyteller. Taking a page from Jordan Peterson but putting it through the Reformed Christian perspective, this chapter probably provided me with some of the most spiritually rich and useful action in applying and living out my Christian faith - no small feat for a scholarly book on the problem of evil! Another chapter that, in a few pages, take an amazing breakdown of an important Christian concept is the chapter on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. There was a lot of notes and underlining here and would be a great standalone chapter to give someone on the greatness and glory of the Incarnation.

I believe this book does what it needed to do, what other scholarly works tend to fail to do, and does what it did well enough that this sits at the top of my recommendation for the subject. While there might have been a few chapters that could have been boiled down for the purpose of space and focus on the actual theodicy, the same case could be made to expand the book further with more focus on different aspects of God's nature. Even the final chapter on putting the theodicy into practical living should have been longer with a focus more on action points for the Christian walk. However, that could have been another book in and of itself and from this book I found myself applying what I was reading to my own walk and in answering questions of faith from those of 6 years olds to new Christians to general discussions of life, politics, and faith.

This book is a great tool and a useful addition to the topic of the alleged problem of evil. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has any interest in the subject and want an amazing tool that will challenge you to glorify God and put Him in His rightful place as the apex of life.

Final Grade - A+

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What About Evil: A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen is certainly a tour de force in the world of theodicy. If one wishes to grasp a good comprehension of a reformed theodicy, this might be your one-stop shop. Christensen does an incredible job in the first few chapters addresses what theodicy is, and shows how secularism has largely failed to disprove God because of the existence of evil. If anything, the humanistic secular experiment of the enlightenment has only increased the problem of evil in thought and deed. From there he begins to consider different answers to the problem of evil from a Christian perspective, mostly focusing on the libertarian free will option, which is the default position by most Christians, after critiquing it, Christensen takes several chapters to mount what he calls the “greater-glory theodicy” which rests on the combination of the immanence and transcendence of God as the sovereign of the Universe, yet a God who stands intricately involved in his creation, this is mainly seen in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the uncreated mets the created, allowing us a greater glimpse into the why for the fall, sin, and evil. Christensen here brings in the concept of “Felix culpa” or the blessedness of the fall, as ironic as that may sound we are reminded that although life was good before the fall, we could never know the blessed state of being redeemed in Christ and one day glorified with Him, if the world had never fallen into sin, thus redemption is exemplified in the background of every lurking sin. Thus, because God created the world to display his own glory, and his own glory is magnified in the atonement of Christ, in some way, “redemption is unnecessary unless human beings have fallen into sin. Therefore, the fall of humanity is necessary to God’s ultimate purpose in creating the world.” The Lord, as the author of history, is displaying his love, mercy, compassion, justice, holiness, and transcendence perfectly so throughout the cosmos, and the perfect manifestation to that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rest assured saint, the fall, sin, and evil, although despicable and terrible as these things are, it did not surprise, shock, or alter the plans of God to display His glory and mercy to His creatures through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The only negative comment I have towards the book is concerning the author’s eschatological views affecting the conclusion a little more than I would desire. Christensen advocates for a reformed premillennialism, in which he states that God’’s glorious purposes are displayed in saving a small portion of humanity throughout time. For how well he traced the biblical narrative of creation, fall, and redemption and spoke so articulately concerning the binding of Satan at the cross, I think he totally beefed the redemptive purposes of Jesus throughout the New Covenant period. Aside from that, I heartily recommend this book, even if you disagree with the reformed perspective!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depths of God’s sovereignty I had not considered before to this magnitude and I’m left like Job with my mouth shut and feet on the solid ground of my Savior because where else can I go for the truth. Parts beyond my depth so hope to explore in hard copy. Not for the faint of heart but a blessing to me ❤️

[Brenden Wentworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undoubtedly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Top 10, easily. Maybe top five. One of the best journeys I’ve taken with undivinely-inspired words on a page.

A wide sweeping range of theological depth that covers everything from Freewill, God’s sovereignty, sin, philosophy, literature, impassibility, presuppositionalism, Eschatology, etc.
Christiansen is a tour de force in terms of his intellectual, theological, biblical, and philosophical veracity. His bibliography is a library in and of itself.

If you want probably the best treatment (that is accessible, deep, sound, sane, and convincing) about why the good & all-powerful God of scripture would allow, permit, and even purpose evil, pain, sorrow, and suffering in this world, look no further than this tome.

[Thaddeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most thorough Reformed theodicy (justification of God) that you'll read! Christensen is an excellent thinker and author. His arguments are well expressed, consistent, biblical and draw from the best of Reformed theology on the question of Evil.

The first half of the book reads like a systematic theology of theodicy and the second half like a biblical theology - tracing the theme through scripture. It's a great way to tackle it, but somewhat felt like two books put together. However, I thoroughly appreciated it.

Highly recommended!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book articulates well how a universe with evil ultimately serves as a better-equipped theater for the fuller display of the glory of God than a universe devoid of evil. I really enjoyed this book. I think Christensen does a masterful job of handling the subject and presents a fantastic biblical theodicy.
There were a few things I did not care for in Christensen’s writing style, but that’s just taste. I also think he appeals too often and leans too heavily on the carefully articulated thoughts of other authors to make his points. Sometimes the quotations seemed excessive, adding little to what he was trying to say.
I also think he spends too much effort appealing to Calvin or Calvinism and reformed doctrine, which, in the midst of suffering, does not bring quite the same comfort and assurance as reasoning through and exegeting straight Scripture. Calvin could be wrong.

I also am not sure I agree with his statements that echo Augustine and his argument that evil is the *necessary* black backdrop to see and appreciate God’s glory. As if God’s glory needed a backdrop to be seen. Among many other things, evil certainly works to highlight God’s glory in the perception of His creatures by way of stark contrast, and its presence works in us a heightened longing for God’s goodness, etc. In this way God’s extrinsic glory is magnified by the presence of evil. But I don’t believe that in the absence of evil and suffering God’s goodness would be “domesticated”, as Christensen puts it, nor would it appear so common the we would be unimpressed or bored by it. That is certainly how we react to God’s goodness and blessing now, *with our sin-tainted nature*. But the angels who hover around God’s throne shouting “Holy, holy, holy!” don’t seem bored, nor do they take it for granted. God could have created us with the proper affections and capacity to clearly see and to never be anything but thrilled nearly to death by God’s uninterrupted goodness. But He chose not to. Why? Christensen puts it well enough when he describes this evil-tainted universe as the proper “theater” for a fuller expression of God’s glory that we would otherwise not see. Because evil exists God puts on display excellencies and glorious acts that we would not otherwise see; we get a fuller, richer sight/experience/knowledge of who our God is. Evil does provide a contrasting backdrop, yes, but I don’t believe it’s because the colors of God’s goodness would seem *muted and dull* without the dark presence of evil. I think it ultimately must come down to what God most enjoys *doing*. Evil is the proper catalyst for God to be and do what He enjoys most—namely being Himself, getting the joy of acting out who He is—for our eternal good and joy and satisfaction in Him, yes, but ultimately so He might enjoy displaying a fuller expression of His own glory. It is not merely for our sakes, but for His sake that evil exists: He gets to glory in Himself in fuller ways, act out a wider spectrum of the glorious light of His being, by responding to evil with both justice and mercy, wrath and loving kindness.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christensen provides a robust and thorough defense of what he calls a 'greater-glory' theodicy. In sum, evil of every sort, even gratuitous evil, is ultimately allowed by God for his glory. Utilizing the best-of-possible worlds theodicy (Leibniz), he argues that our world is the best possible world for displaying God's glory for it is in the face of evil and suffering that we see God's love, grace, mercy, justice and power the most clearly. The author walks through other theodicies (e.g., the free will defenses), noting their strengths and shortcomings. Though at first blush, Christensen's theodicy may not be palatable for those who are unsympathetic to his arguments, it is my view that if one would seriously weigh his arguments and his biblical reasoning, it would make the best sense of evil and suffering in our world. The truth of things boil down to this: God is good; we, due to sin, our evil; and any goodness we have from God is undeserved. When we align our hearts and minds with these truths, then importance of God's glory is given its proper place.

[Zack Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though admittedly lengthier than most books on the subject, Christensen’s book is far and away the best work that I have read on the Problem of Evil. While most tend to approach the topic from a purely philosophical perspective, Christensen recognizes that the Problem of Evil necessarily relies on the Biblical presentation of God and seeks to produce the produce a scripturally faithful theodicy in response.

[Matt Witten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a doozy. It’s the theological question I’ve struggled with the most, and have had a hard time finding something that really wrestles with theodicy. This book certainly does that. It was challenging and requires full attention, but it’s greatly refined my thinking and revealed much of what I’ve overlooked in the Bible. If this is an area you want to really, really dig into, this is by far the best and most thorough work I’ve read on it.

[J.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best treatment on the problem of evil I have read. It is not the pastoral work of Keller's "Walking With God Through Pain And Suffering," but instead a theology of evil and why God planned evil to exist to show us His supreme glory. Remarkably well done and I will be thinking on it for a long time...

[Joshua Schwisow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a remarkable work of theology that mines the problem of evil with compassion, realism, clarity, and biblical wisdom. There is nothing like it in depth and scope.

[Joseph Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, unlike this book, I will keep this concise.

This is a bloated book. Not only in the scope of everything included, but in the way that it is written. This could have been 150 pages and still communicated the point well. Too many block quotes, long sections at a time, and extensive passages of Scripture pervade it.

On top of that, because he tries to cover too much, he doesn’t take the time to back up big claims. He just throws out, “This is what I’m claiming, and Piper and Bavinck agree, so yeah.” He does this a TON. A little cavalier.

His treatment of the theodicy itself is well defined, and I think, keeping in strong Reformed tradition. That’s the highlight of the book. He does make a case for the “Greater Glory Theodicy”, and sticks to it.

The way this book is written distracts from the goods it contains. It probably should have been written more as a philosophical theology, without all the fluff. Also, a philosopher would know what a “strawman argument” is…which he clearly does not. Not every non-Calvinist is an Open Theist.

Read the abridged version, if you want to save yourself 250 pages of filler.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 4 out of 5]

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

This is a great book on the problem of evil. Sometimes he goes on what seem to me to be unnecessary "rabbit trails" but some of those are excellent.

Here are some quotes to give you a taste and summary of his approach:

1. God’s ultimate purpose in freely creating the world is to supremely the riches of his glory to all his creatures, God’s ultimate purpose in freely creating the world is to supremely magnify the riches of his glory to all his creatures, creatures, especially human beings, who alone bear his image.

2. God’s glory is supremely magnified in the atoning work of Christ, which is the sole means of accomplishing redemption for human beings.

3. Redemption is unnecessary unless human beings have fallen into sin.

4. Therefore, the fall of humanity is necessary to God’s ultimate purpose in creating the world. (30-31)

This theodicy is sometimes referred to by the Latin phrase felix culpa. It can be translated as “fortunate fall,” indicating that the fall of humanity in the garden of Eden, though terrible in itself, was a good (fortunate) thing. Some who suggested or shown an affinity for a theodicy along these lines include Augustine (A.D. 354–430), the great English poet John Milton (1608–74), the Puritan divine John Owen (1616–83), the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), and more recently the Christian philosophers Alvin Plantinga and Paul Helm.
The idea is simply this: the fall of humanity was no mistake. It did not catch God by surprise. Nor was it the result of Adam and Eve’s free will, as most understand the term free will. The fall was planned by God because it brings about the greater good of redemption. A fallen-but-being-redeemed world is far better than an unfallen-not-needing-redemption world. Such a world brings greater glory to God. No better world seems possible than one in which Christ’s redemptive work brings such supreme glory to God. (30-31)

It upholds the meticulous sovereignty of God. It is radically theocentric—God is squarely
at its center. The problem of evil is resolved by focusing attention … on how God’s actions in creation and providence serve to maximize his own glory. (32)

In the end, I hope we will see that there really is no problem of evil—only an unfathomably glorious God whose wise and wonderful ways should elicit our astonishment and our adoration. (38)

Others who show an affinity for a similar theodicy without explicitly endorsing the felix culpa argument include Jonathan Edwards (1703–58) and, more recently, John Piper, Jay Adams, Robert Reymond, and Randy Alcorn. (40)

God’s meticulous sovereignty (determinism) is compatible with human freedom and responsibility.
Thus, there is a dual explanation for every choice that we human beings make. God’s sovereign determination serves as the sufficient primary (ultimate) but remote cause of our choices, while we serve as the secondary but proximate (the near or immediate) cause of our choices. While there is some degree of mystery in acknowledging this “double agency” (dual causation), there is nothing contradictory in affirming it. Paul Helm brings some clarity here: “The primary cause [God] is an enabling and sustaining cause, making possible secondary causes and setting bounds to them.” Furthermore, the primary (divine) cause is not an event in time, whereas the secondary (human) cause is. Rather, it is “an eternal cause which has the whole of the creation as its effect.”66 Secondary causes have no independent power. Everything we say and do is dependent on God.
Yet God’s causal power is rarely if ever directly experienced. Most people are unaware that he stands behind the choices they make. In this regard, God’s fixed providential direction is never coercive. He never moves people to act against their will.
(240-241).

John Piper: “God’s purpose is to defeat Satan in a way that glorifies not only Christ’s raw power, but also his superior beauty and worth and desirability. Christ could simply exert sovereign power and snuff Satan out. That would indeed glorify Christ’s power. But it would not display so clearly the superior worth of Jesus over Satan. It would not display the transforming beauty and power of Christ’s meekness and humility and lowliness and self-emptying love. The aim of the gospel is to put the glory of the crucified Christ on display and to shame Satan by millions of people who “turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18) and forsake Satan’s lies in preference for the beauty of Christ in the gospel. (571)

[Ben Hegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The question of the existence of evil, especially in relation to the existence of a good God, has been around for a long time now. It has confused many Christians, never mind non Christians. It would seem that, on the surface, Scripture hasn’t much to say on the topic, however, Scott Christensen would beg to differ. This is why he wrote the book, to present what is called a theodicy, which is essentially a fancy way of describing an attempt at reconciling the seemingly irreconcilable truths of the presence of evil and the presence of a good God.

So what about evil? In the last chapter, he sums up his conclusion (a modification of the greater good theodicy) well, when he says, “Because only through such a bitter and tragic story with hope held out before us could his glory be so remarkably magnified - supremely magnified”. He basically argues that the glory of God shines brighter against the backdrop of this fallen world, and the consummation of the kingdom of God in the new creation is thus even more glorious than the Garden of Eden was before then fall.

The appendix is entitled, “Sullied by Supralapsarianism,” which is an issue usually reserved for the most complex Systematic Theologies, but it relates to evil in significant ways. In this he helpfully shows the inadequate nature of both infra and supra positions and somewhat goes with a modified version of the supra position. It is a very helpful appendix for those interested in some of the deepest theological questions.

The book is very well written. It is a significant length at 635 pages but one can easily get through it in taking a chapter or two a day. He ends every chapter with helpful discussion questions, key terms, suggestions for further reading and the references. Take this book slow. Don’t rush. Think deeply about what he is saying. Read well to profit from this book. Read with a friend or a Church group and use the questions to discuss the book. Take it in and decide for yourself if you agree with his conclusions. Personally, I agree fully with his conclusions.

If you are a regular reader and have read some more complex theology, you will find this easy to read. However, if you haven't read much complex theology you will find this a hard, slow and long read. All in all. I highly recommend this book and encourage everyone who has a good level of theological understanding to read it. It will lead you to worship, I had to stop and pray multiple times!

Disclaimer: I received a free PDF copy for review from P&R Publishing.

[Eric Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive in breadth. Christensen builds a steady and patient case for what is commonly known as the "greater glory" (felix culpa) theodicy. Covers a lot of grounds that are usually related to theodicy, like God's sovereignty and freedom, morality in the secular world, proximate and ultimate cause, libertarian free will, the necessity of the fall, and so on. The first part of the book begins by demonstrating the problem of evil against a secular background, and then he proceeds to dismantle other views such as the free will defence or the best-of-possible-world defence, by simultaneously developing a reformed conception of the doctrine of God. Christensen then spends the latter half of the book (about another 250 pages) detailing his greater glory theodicy against the backdrop of the reformed understanding of God's sovereignty, man's free will, the nature of moral evil and redemptive history.

Personally, I think Christensen takes a lot of cues from John Frame's "redemptive story" theodicy. The work is written in an accessible manner, as Christensen notes that he is writing not from a point of an academic but as a pastor to laypersons. Therefore, it covers a lot of theological grounds and subjects, and personally, I felt that it was perhaps a bit too belabouring. Perhaps Christensen had seekers, sceptics, or even amateur theological readers in mind because the intersection of topics and loci ranges from the doctrine of God (simplicity and immutability) to the biblical theology of salvation in judgement, to the kenosis and trinitarian dogmatic, and there was even a chapter akin to a "philosophy of good stories." However, I wonder if the page count of the book might deter these audiences (under 500 pages) away. As I mentioned above, this work is comprehensive in breadth, but lacking a bit in depth, as Christiensen does not posit any new material that is not already agreeable to those holding on to reformed convictions but presents them in a pastoral and accessible manner. Hence this work might be in a somewhat awkward position: it looks too long and bulky for seekers and theological amateurs, but it is not sophisticated enough for academics. What was most beneficial to me was his cases against the contrary views, such as the free will defence (popularised by Alvin Plantinga) or the best of possible world defence (by the Molinists), demonstrated with the simplest yet compelling theological reasoning.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more common objections to Christianity is that there can be no universe in which a loving, compassionate, and omnipotent God could exist in world that is so pervaded with death, and suffering, and other forms of evil. However we go about offering a theodicy, that is a defense or vindication of the coexisting of such a loving God in such an evil world, we cannot overlook of skirt the issues. It always aggravates me when someone recognizes the difficulty of an argument and instead of taking it by the horns, they pull some sort of non sequitur to get out of it.

In this tome, Christensen provides the historical context of different theodicy theories, how they mesh with Scripture and theology proper, and grades them on their shortcomings and strengths. Alvin Plantinga really laid the issue to rest in his work “God, Freedom, and Evil” and I while I don’t want to rehash the specifics of that book (see my Goodreads review for my thoughts there), there are few serious atheist philosophers who still purport the argument after Plantinga. Still, many novice philosophers and theologians are unfamiliar with his work or arguments and will need a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the debate at hand.

While Christensen does well in this work, there is much left to be desired. A theodicy cannot exist in a vacuum and there are distinct and relevant ripples that flow from our understanding of God’s attributes. This certainly could have been included in this work while removing much of the repetition. At 700 pages, I would have hoped this to have everything we need in a book of this nature, but it was a great first effort.

The issues with the sovereignty of God are obviously held into question by believers and unbelievers alike. Without going into too much more detail, any response for the explanation of evil in the world that strikes at the heart of Scripture’s clear and merciful descriptions of God’s sovereignty over all things, including evil, sickness, death, and other effects of the fall, are providing a tertium quid that is far worse than simply stating that God does not exist. A God who is powerless over the things that he has created is no God at all.

[Jacob Nie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earthquakes. Floods. Murder. Rape. The Christian faith has a problem of evil. Hume, citing Epicurus, stated it concisely: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?” The problem of the existence of evil in a world governed by an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God is a quandary that thinkers have wrestled with since the time of Job. Furthermore, it is one of those philosophical problems that touch us at the core of our day-to-day existence as we confront the painful reality of evil and suffering in our own lives.

The task of the theologian is to explain why evil exists if God is omnibenevolent and omnipotent—that is, to provide a theodicy. Most such theodicies can be categorized as greater-good theodicies: God allows evil to exist because of some greater-good that can only be achieved through the possibility or existence of evil in the world. Furthermore, this greater-good is weighty enough such that the world is better with evil than if evil had never existed. Only by appealing to some greater-good can the existence of evil be held together with God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence. But the question remains: what is that greater-good that makes sense of the evil we see in this world?

In What about Evil?, Scott Christensen argues, based on his Reformed-Calvinistic theology, that the testimony of Scripture points to a specific version of the greater-good theodicy, which he calls the greater-glory theodicy. Evil exists in the world primarily to bring God glory through the display of his wondrous attributes in his plan of salvation and redemption. The cosmic display of God’s glory is a supreme good that outweighs the existence of evil, and yet depends on it in such a way that God would not be as glorified if evil did not exist.

See the remainder of my review here: https://www.jacobnie.com/blog/2025/25...

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robust Augustinianism here. What about evil? The magnification of God's glory. The fall was a happy accident (felix culpa), planned by God for his greatest glory and our greater good. Everything falls into place in this rubric.

Lost a star for being too long. The last 100 pages could be cut--they're a different book. A decent description of redemption, but done elsewhere better. Unless you just love reading Reformed theology all the time, you could probably skip this and rely on Christensen's earlier What about Free Will?: Reconciling Our Choices with God's Sovereignty (which is itself superb). But make no mistake, this book makes a strong case and could be read profitably alongside Providence, by John Piper.

[Angel Ruiz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christensen's book is not a support of God's sovereignty; instead, it is an attack on God's character. Through the conflation of evil and suffering, he distorts the biblical teaching regarding the significance of suffering and God's triumph over evil. This is worsened by his unthinking acceptance of God's impassibility (inability to suffer), which leads to unsolved quandaries of his own invention. Some very important Bible lessons are completely missing from this book: suffering for no reason is evil, suffering for a reason is good, and since God chooses to suffer, suffering can not be evil. Everyone learns the value of pain through experience. To gain knowledge and experience, college students go into huge debt to pay someone to make them suffer. If you were hoping for answers, Christensen only gives you doubt and chaos.

[Kristi Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What About Evil" is worth your time. The pages take you on a walk through redemptive history while Mr. Christensen uses Scripture to expound his defense of the "greater-good" theodicy. It reads like a textbook with a glossary, study guide and further reading resources, but is colored with thoughts and quotes by godly men and women from throughout history. The 471 paged volume does get in the weeds somewhat, but is beneficial to anyone who wants a better understanding of how evil fits into the world. By the end of the book, my heart overflowed in awe of our amazing God.

[Jake Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What About Evil?” is a book that attempts to answer this question by raising another question “what about it?”

This book is a uniquely Reformed view of theodicy, defending God’s glory from attempts to distract us from it.

Christensen’s book is simply a triumph. An unflinching look at the evil of this world and an even more unflinching look at the end to which evil was ordained: God’s glory.

There is so much to praise in this book. It is nothing short of paradigm-shifting for me.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A systematic explanation and powerful defence of the ‘greater-glory’ theodicy. I doubt anyone could persuasively argue against the cumulative weight of Biblical argumentation presented by Christensen. Some parts of this book were difficult to read, as the author does not shy away from some of the most blatant evils in history. However, ultimately this book magnified the glory of Christ and sovereignty of God over all history.

[Tiffany Dubois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book. I did read it with a dictionary handy as Christensen has a rich vocabulary which he freely uses.
I have wrestled with the problem of evil for most of my adult life, reading many treatises on the subject with very little satisfaction. This book presents a claim for the-greater-glory theodicy. I am fully convinced this is the most biblical theodicy, but not one most man-centered Christians would be willing to hear.
I will be reading this book again.

[James Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

As humans created in the image of God, we recognize that something is very wrong in the world around us. “The cosmos is overrun with a malignant tumor festering not only within the broader scope of creation but without our own souls.”

Why does evil exist in the world? Scott Christensen’s work is a helpful resource in seeking to answer this question by maintaining the truth of who God is as expressed in the Bible.

[Joshua Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

having read multiple books on the problem of evil this is by far the best, most comprehensive defense and explanation of God's sovereign Glory. at points there are things hard to accept but in the grand meta-narrative all is from God, to God, and for God's glory. He is worthy. this is a very well written, thought provoking, and comprehensive articulation of why evil but still addresses man's culpability.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Skip seminary altogether and read this instead 😉 I learned so much about God and theodicy…a word I had never head before reading this book. This book answered questions I didn’t realize I had, made me think, and strengthened my faith. I thought the writer was great…he stayed on-point and made something difficult to understand accessible and interesting. I am so glad I read it.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely helpful in understanding soteriology as well as the issue of God's sovereignty. He writes very clearly and explains his arguments well, with Scripture and sound authors to back him up. I like how he is humble in his writing and his bravery for tackling such a daunting subject.

[Jessica]

Recommended by Dr. Ryan McGraw: "Not your run of the mill answer to the problem of evil, but it traces the theme and function of evil throughout the Bible as a whole, with a special focus on a Trinitarian Christology."