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Chaplaincy 101: The Problem of Evil
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It is the Chaplain's call to help soldiers wrestle with tragedies of war.
Discussing the sheer existence of “evil” is a necessary foundation. Very few would argue that we have the ability to judge between behaviors that are “good” and “evil,” but the nature of that evil is hotly debated. Is it personal? Is it a result of nature or nurture? Does evolution have a role to play? What about religion? Only those few who have lived relatively painless lives, or are the perpetrators of evil, could even begin to describe the great wars and crimes as mere differences of opinion.
In A Conflict of Visions, economist Thomas Sowell divides the perspectives on justice into two camps: the constrained and unconstrained visions. The unconstrained vision sees humanity as inherently good, and it is our circumstances that cause us to do harm (also commonly called the “nurture” argument). The constrained vision sees humanity as inherently selfish, and seeks to create an environment that redirects that selfishness for the good of the community (capitalism, being a common example of this). Christian theology sees a vision that is somewhere in the middle. Humanity, along with all of God’s creation, has been marred by sin, thus having tendencies toward evil. Our very nature has been affected. Yet God’s creation, and especially humanity as His image-bearers, has redeeming qualities that retain inherent value despite sin’s stain.
In The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Radical Skepticism, Dr. Tim Keller engages with the most common questions of Christianity. He points out that “though Christianity does not provide the reason for each experience of pain, it provides deep resources for actually facing suffering with hope and courage rather than bitterness and despair” (27-28). Orthodox Christianity is the only religion that perfectly satisfies both justice and mercy. Because we are all stained by sin (constrained vision), none of us deserve mercy and all of us deserve justice. Yet because we yet bear the image of a merciful God, He condescends to us and rescues us from the circumstances we’re plagued by (unconstrained vision). Quoting C.S. Lewis, Keller further explains that...
“… modern objections to God are based on a sense of fair-play and justice. People, we believe, ought not to suffer, be excluded, die of hunger or oppression. But the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection depends on death, destruction, and violence of the strong against the weak – these things are all perfectly natural. On what basis, then, does the atheist judge the natural world to be horribly wrong, unfair, and unjust?” (p. 26)
Truly, it is only because of the eternal, moral foundations laid by God’s law and it’s satisfaction (the cross) that we even have a basis on which to judge evil.
This explicit foundation can be found implicitly in conscience, or what Paul called “natural law” (Romans 2:14-15). Across every culture and every faith, a common humanity is found “written on all our hearts.” This is what J.I. Packer and Tim Keller also refer to as the “inherent awareness of God’s existence,” that empowers our search for deeper meaning and truth, and thus the reason why every culture in the history of the human race has included some form of spirituality or religion.
Because creation is both worth saving and capable of being saved, the mission of every soldier, and especially of Christian soldiers, is to work for God’s redemption wherever they are. Soldiers have the unique opportunity to go where grace is needed most to execute justice (combat/security operations) on behalf of the innocent, and impart mercy (nation/infrastructure building, community relations) to the innocent. They restore order and restrain evil. Very few professions can make such a noble claim.
Yet living in this tension is incredibly difficult. In what circumstance should mercy be given rather than justice enacted? What does mercy look like in combat? What about justice for slain brothers-in-arms? How do soldiers welcome grace and forgiveness when they carry the guilt of performing necessary evils like killing another man in combat? Are they even capable or worthy of God’s forgiveness, or can they sin so greatly that they are no longer savable? This is the charge of the Chaplain. The lens of God’s word will cut through the fog of war and help soldiers find love and grace in the midst of great evil. The unconditional love and forgiveness found in an from God is they only source of strength that can empower perseverance through such severe suffering and trial. We can state this confidently because it is not up to the soldier, it is the glad work of a faithful God who has, and will continue to cut through the fog of sin to penetrate our hardened hearts. The gospel is the only antidote for the problem of evil, and it must be compellingly and contextually preached.
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