Yesterday, I listened to a debate between Michael Brown and Bart Ehrman
on whether the Bible provides a sufficient answer for suffering.
Michael Brown argued yes, while Bart Ehrman argued no. Both are
biblical scholars. You can read about Michael Brown here, and Bart Ehrman here.
It was a good debate. Ehrman impressed me more than he usually does
in debates of his that I have watched. He was passionate and made his
points well. Michael Brown was good, too.
In terms of which side impressed me more, I tended to agree more with
Ehrman about the Bible being a diverse book on the question of human
suffering—-that sometimes suffering is treated in the Bible as a
punishment from God, whereas other voices in the Bible see unfairness in
terms of who suffers and who prospers. I’m open to what Brown was
arguing—-that God’s punishment of wicked Israel in the Bible does not
mean that all suffering is from God, that there are scholars who believe
Job’s dead children will be in the World to Come, according to the Book
of Job (I’m curious as to who believes this), etc. But, overall,
Ehrman made a better biblical case, in my opinion.
Brown still raised good points, though. If there is no God, what
hope do we have that suffering will end or that sufferers will find
peace or justice? Brown also pointed to the Christians who are actually
doing something about suffering in the world, and he asked if Ehrman’s
worldview could inspire that kind of self-sacrifice.
That’s actually a good question. Do I need the hope of a good
afterlife to do good in the world? No. But I may need it to do good in
a sacrificial manner. I think of a post I read a while back by Rebecca
Trotter, about a guy who took the blame for something illegal his
employee did, since she had a family and he didn’t want the family to
suffer. He suffered for a long time as a result of this decision, and
he later regretted it. (Sorry, I can’t find the post.) Where I am
now—-as one who hopes there is a good afterlife but is not quite
sure—-would I perform such an act of self-sacrifice? No.