God and fruitless evil: A holistic response to the problem of evil

This dissertation argues that the original notion of fruitless evil enables the theist to rebut William Rowe's evidential argument from evil while remaining firmly within the philosophical, theological, biblical, and practical bounds of evangelical Christianity.;Chapter one introduces Rowe's evidential argument from evil and provides an overview of skeptical theism's response to his argument. In addition, I show how the notion of fruitless evil strengthens the skeptical theist's response.;Chapter two provides a full explanation of the concept of fruitless evil. By clearly articulating the notion of fruitless evil, I demonstrate the immense potential the concept has in responding to Rowe's evidential argument from evil.;Chapter three moves from an explanation of, to an argument for, fruitless evil. This case further strengthens the response to Rowe's evidential argument.;Chapter four transitions to the second phase of the work, which is to demonstrate that the notion of fruitless evil is consistent with an evangelical worldview. Here I establish the evangelical worldview by developing the &sgr;&tgr;&ogr;chi&ogr;&sfgr; &tgr;eta&sfgr; delta&ogr;&xgr;eta&sfgr;.;Chapter five discusses philosophical issues associated with the notion of fruitless evil. Here I show how the notion of fruitless evil better aligns with an evangelical worldview than does an Augustinian greater-good theodicy.;Chapter six investigates the theological implications of fruitless evil. It: is argued that the notion of fruitless evil entirely is consistent with evangelical doctrines of both God and man.;Chapter seven concludes the work by exploring biblical and practical matters associated with fruitless evil. These biblical and practical further demonstrate the viability of fruitless evil within the confines of evangelical Christianity.