This blog is devoted to the presentation of my book (available here as a PDF, and at Amazon Kindle), and the discussion surrounding it. The book itself is placed in the public domain, and may be copied freely. I hope that you find it thought-provoking, instructive and useful.
The following is the thesis:
Christians have incorrectly oversimplified the dividing line between good and evil. We are all sinners, and so each of us is guilty of some quantity of evil. The line is not naively drawn between good and evil as most suppose. As God makes clear through the Old Testament, the line is instead drawn between the initiation of evil on the one side, and good combined with necessary responses to evils initiated by others on the other side. This corrected view significantly changes the nature of our responsibilities on this earth.
As a consequence, we don’t just have a mere right to fight evil. We are actually obligated to oppose it and work towards its defeat. This obligation exists in complete harmony with the Bible’s general (but not absolute) proscription against doing evil, and persists despite the fact that we will not completely succeed in this earthly realm.
To see that these things are indeed the case, I first undertake a thorough review of man’s attempts at defining evil. This is a daunting task, as even such a basic thing as our finiteness gets in the way. As a result, no existing definition, including those derived from the Bible, can perfectly delineate good from evil. Our obligation to fight it persists despite this also.
Evil’s roots and methods are examined next. Its behavior at all scales is analyzed—from the actions of the schoolyard bully to the machinations of the totalitarian nation.
The book culminates in the detailed arguments that Christians must actively oppose evil. Pacifism in all forms is argued to be not only inexpedient, but often helpful to evil. The book concludes—unlike nearly every other philosophical exploration of evil—with an enumeration and analysis of the available strategies for fighting it, and their applicability in different situations. Knowing that God will ultimately solve the problem, the Christian need not despair, even though evil has the upper hand here on earth.
At the very least, I hope that any wisdom this book may contain results in fewer people becoming victims of evil.
I thank any readers for their feedback.
God bless you.