Does Evil Actually Prove God Exists? | Christian vs. Atheist Dialogue
Sean McDowell
apologetics
July 24, 2026
"If God is good, why is there pain and suffering?". Today, we have a video of atheist professor Paul Rinzler and I to discuss evil. This is our return to the Cal Poly Veritas Forum for a second year this time on the hardest question in apologetics. Not a debate to be won. A real conversation between two people who disagree deeply and like each other anyway.
CHECK OUT:Paul Rinzler - Professor Emeritus at Cal Poly State University https://music.calpoly.edu/faculty/rinzler/index.html
WATCH: Are Miracles Real? A Christian & Atheist Explore (Veritas Forum) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cWui4CRfZc
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CHAPTERS
00:00 – Welcome and framing
00:28 – Sean's opening: four points on evil and suffering
08:19 – Paul's opening: the case from natural suffering
15:43 – A time you experienced pain
21:23 – Is pain part of God's plan?
22:47 – Would a "bad God" explain the world better?
24:04 – Does evil actually exist?
25:47 – Moral evil, free will, and determinism
33:46 – Does the moral project require agency?
36:23 – Making sense of randomness in natural disasters
42:25 – When suffering seems cruel and unnecessary
47:20 – Where do you find hope?
51:21 – What's more powerful: death or love?
54:01 – Advice for students in hard seasons
59:00 – What's the purpose of life for an atheist?
1:02:30 – Can objective morality exist without God?
1:04:46 – Why pursue justice if suffering is endless?
1:08:08 – The biggest doubt about your own worldview
1:10:18 – The question of hell
1:15:02 – Morality, evolution, and caring beyond your tribe
1:20:05 – How do you define love?
1:24:42 – Closing thoughts
Topics
kirk cameronhellgavin ortlunddoubts about hellchristian debateafterlifereligious discussionbible teachingschristian apologeticsend times
























