A Theodicy, or, Vindication of the Divine Glory.

How can a good and all-powerful God allow evil and suffering? Albert Taylor Bledsoe takes up this oldest of hard questions and pursues it with rigour and conviction.

What it's about

A Theodicy, or, Vindication of the Divine Glory is a sustained work of philosophical theology addressing the problem of evil. Bledsoe examines the apparent conflict between the existence of a just and benevolent Creator and the reality of sin and suffering in the world, and mounts a reasoned defence of God's goodness and moral government. Drawing on scripture, philosophy and close argument, he weighs free will, moral responsibility and the purposes that might reconcile divine glory with the fact of evil.

Themes

The book centres on the classic questions of theodicy: the origin and permission of evil, the freedom of the human will, and the relationship between divine sovereignty and human accountability. Throughout, Bledsoe is concerned to vindicate the character of God, to show that faith in a righteous Creator can withstand the hardest objections of reason.

Why it still matters

The problem of evil remains one of the great and unresolved challenges to religious belief, and works like Bledsoe's mark an earnest chapter in the long tradition of wrestling with it. For readers interested in the history of theology and philosophy of religion, this is a substantial example of nineteenth-century thought engaging directly with a question that still troubles believers and skeptics alike.

Who it's for

Students of theology and philosophy of religion, readers interested in the problem of evil, and anyone drawn to serious historical arguments about faith, justice and the ways of God.

Sources and references

Verified references for this edition: Open Library, WorldCat.