Five years ago, if you were to ask “what do Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey and Bill O’Reilly have in common,” the answer would almost certainly be “not much.”
Now we know differently. They were all apparent bullies, allegedly forcing their nefarious intentions upon others less powerful than themselves.
Harassment is too polite a word for what they are accused of. That politically correct term tends to mask the underlying evil. Just ask their victims how they felt — terrified, powerless, exposed, isolated, ruined. This stuff goes far deeper than mere “behavior problems.”
And because so many sexual harassment crimes against children were committed by so-called religious figures cloaked in clerical garb over the past half-century (at least), one could ask an even more chilling question, “Is God like that, too?” Couldn’t He just force himself upon us? Let’s face it, He’s the one with ALL the power.
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Although physical laws govern the rest of our cosmos, mankind stands out as “the crazy aunt in the attic” who seems to defy all laws and logic. Nothing — no animal or plant — compares in complexity, contradiction and propensity for self-destruction, all driven by the apparently ungovernable wilds of our own fatally flawed human nature.
Judging by the exquisite order of the universe, it’s hard to imagine that, from the start, its creator intended that this vital portion of His handiwork should be in such disarray.
Since time began, the free will of man has occasionally brought about some of history’s finest hours. But, far more often, it has been the cause of unspeakable atrocities. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis summed it up brilliantly:
“All that we call human history — money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery — (is) the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”
Can God Force Us to Love Him?
Couldn’t God just force us to love Him? He holds all the cards, knows the beginning from the end, possesses all knowledge. It’s just a power thing, right? In his book The Sacred Romance, Christian author John Eldredge answered with this:
“Power can do everything but the most important thing: it cannot control love … In a concentration camp the guards possess almost unlimited power. By applying force, they can make you renounce your God, curse your family, work without pay, eat human excrement, kill and then bury your closest friend or even your own mother. All this is within their power.
“Only one thing is not: they cannot force you to love them. This fact may help explain why God sometimes seems shy to use His power. He created us to love Him, but His most impressive displays of miracle — the kind we may secretly long for — do nothing to foster that love.
“As Douglas John Hall has put it, ‘God’s problem is not that God is not able to do certain things. God’s problem is that God loves. Love complicates the life of God, as it complicates every life.’”
What Kind of Universe Would You Prefer?
Have you ever wondered why God didn’t just wipe out evil from the universe? Or just remove it as soon as it appeared? This idea might seem appealing until one considers the unintended consequences of such a universe. Scripture makes the rather disarming claim that God is love:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”1
In the original Greek language, the word used for love in this passage is “agape.” The definition of agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love — the highest of the four types of love encountered in scripture.
At the heart of agape love is choice. And choice needs to make room for legitimate alternatives between good and evil. Take away the evil, and the choice goes away, too. This explains why God allows evil to continue in the world — otherwise man’s free will would not be authentically free at all.
The alternative is to create a race of robots programmed to do exactly as they are told. Remember the Stepford Wives from the infamous movie of the same name?
How About You?
Throughout history, men have resisted tyranny to the point of death. We innately treasure liberty and abhor slavery. Would you want your home filled up with people who didn’t want to be there? Likewise, God wants everyone who is in His home (heaven) to want to be there, to want to be there with Him forever.
If so, don’t you think it’s time you two got acquainted?
Dallas Willard challenged us with this:
“One should seriously inquire if to live in a world permeated with God and the knowledge of God is something they themselves truly desire. If not, they can be assured that God will excuse them from His presence … they have become people so locked into their own self-worship and denial of God that they cannot want God.”2
— D.C. Collier is a Bible teacher, discipleship mentor and writer focused on Christian apologetics. A mechanical engineer and Internet entrepreneur, he is the author of My Origin, My Destiny, a book focused on Christianity’s basic “value proposition.” Click here for more information. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
1. 1 John 4:7-8 NASB
2. Willard, Dallas. “Radical Evil in the Ruined Soul.” Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002. N. pag. Print.