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Does God Cause Evil and Suffering? – ft Gerry Breshears and John Piper

By February 24, 2021April 22nd, 2022Podcasts, Theology2 min read

In this episode, we dive into some dangerous territory: questions about God’s sovereignty.

The sovereignty of God can be an extremely challenging topic for Christians. A lot of the debate centers on the phrase “God is in control.” What do we mean when we say God is in control? For many, this question leads to an even bigger one: if God is in control, does that mean he causes evil and suffering?

Brian and Aaron contrast two theological views of the issue, one framed by renowned reformed pastor John Piper and the other by seminary professor Dr. Gerry Breshears. They discuss why they prefer one view over the other.

The guys also get into the Biblical story of Joseph, the phrase “what you meant for evil God meant for good,” and what this passage implies (and does not imply) about God’s sovereignty.

Then we take some hard looks at what extreme positions have to be adopted if we embrace Piper’s view of God being the author behind human sins.

Finally, we end with a look at prof. Gerry Breshears’s framework for what it means to be “Calminian”, or rather, a Christian who holds the sovereignty of God and the free will God affords to man in a healthy tension.

To read more about his views, you can check out this document.

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The GoodLion podcast is a show by Aaron Salvato and Brian Higgins, the founders of CGN’s GoodLion Podcast Network. Each episode, their goal is to ask hard questions, push past easy answers and always look to Jesus, the God who is not safe but is very good.

Aaron Salvato is the founder GoodLion Ministries & the CGN Media Podcast Network. He serves as CGN’s Content Strategy Director. Aaron has a passion to reach young people with the Gospel and to find innovative ways to do ministry in this cultural moment. He and his wife Brooklynn currently serve Jesus in Oklahoma through the GoodLion School of Discipleship.

Brian Higgins is the co-founder of the GoodLion Podcast Network & GoodLion Ministries. He has been in pastoral ministry since 2012, and is currently working towards planting a church in New Jersey.