Why Does God Allow Evil?

Seekers and scoffers love to lob the "question of evil" at Christians. In his excellent PlanetWisdom article on the subject, Sean McDowell presents the ancient question this way.

Some people wonder why God couldn’t create the world in such a way that we would never sin, thus avoiding evil altogether. If God is all-powerful, couldn’t he create such a world? If God is all-good, wouldn’t he want to create such a world? Thus, the problem of evil is often stated this way:

1. If God is all-good, he would want to defeat evil.
2. If God is all-powerful, he could create a world without evil.
3. Evil is not yet defeated.
4. Therefore, an all-good and all-powerful God must not exist.

If you haven't yet read the article -- or even if you have -- how would you answer this question for someone who has experienced a difficult tragedy? What would you say to a person honestly asking about God's character in the face of an ugly illness, the loss of a close loved one, or a even a deep depression?

Think about it first, then go check out Sean's carefully argued and well-documented worldview approach to the question.