Read the original article at: https://marcusmcclain.substack.com/p/why-evil

Why does evil exist? And why would a good God allow it?

In this episode of A Pilgrim’s Respite, we sit with one of the hardest questions in human experience: the problem of evil. For many, it’s the reason they can’t believe in God. For others, it’s the reason they doubt Him in the middle of deep suffering.

Drawing from my article “Why Evil,” I reflect not only on theological responses to this question—but on how we’ve often misunderstood what it means for God to be “good” or “loving.” We’ll explore why evil is not just a philosophical issue, but a deeply personal one—and how the cross of Christ is God’s answer to it.

This episode is especially for the seeker, the skeptic, and the believer who has found themselves asking, “Where was God when…?”

In This Episode:

Why our fascination with darkness may reveal something deep about us

What it actually means when we say “God is good”

Why the love of God includes judgment—and why that’s good news

How the cross confronts evil, not with silence, but with sacrifice

A Q&A on why God allows suffering and if God causes suffering

Scripture References:

Exodus 34:6–7 – The goodness and justice of God

1 John 4:8–10 – “God is love,” rightly understood

2 Peter 3:9 – God’s patience, not absence

“There is not enough room through the small gate and along the narrow way to bring your dreams and ambitions—only yourself.”

In this inaugural episode of A Pilgrim’s Respite Podcast, we begin our journey by wrestling with the dreams we've been taught to chase—dreams of comfort, success, and personal happiness—and how they often collide with the call of the Messiah. Rooted in my article “Dreams Deferred?,” this conversation explores the tension between the American Dream and the cruciform life Yeshua calls us into.

We’ll reflect on a couple of ways the American Dream has infiltrated the American Church, Yeshua's response, and how we ought to live instead.