I Updated My Talk on Evil and Suffering...Here's Why
Sean McDowell
apologetics
July 22, 2026
Why does God allow evil and suffering? It's the objection that turned Einstein, Darwin, and countless skeptics away from faith and the question every honest Christian has asked at 2 a.m. In this talk from a series in Genesis, I make the case that the problem of evil, handled honestly, is actually one of the best reasons to believe God exists.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 – Genesis: God is real, and the world is broken
01:42 – Why you won't get a formula for your pain
02:53 – Every worldview has to explain evil
04:14 – When suffering got personal for me
05:45 – The different problems of evil
06:26 – The haircut that humbled me
09:34 – "Of all the questions, why that one?"
10:21 – How not to help a hurting person
11:50 – Job's friends did it right — until they spoke
12:44 – "The greatest present is your presence"
13:29 – C.S. Lewis and the crooked line
14:55 – Evil is parasitic on good
17:55 – Why complaining about evil points to God
18:13 – "You can't have it both ways"
19:49 – The problem of evil, stated
20:56 – Can we just deny evil is real?
22:22 – Can God do literally anything?
25:59 – The free will defense
27:16 – Is God good to allow suffering?
28:36 – Why this isn't prosperity gospel
32:36 – Josh McDowell's story
36:03 – What only Christianity offers
38:27 – Why the cross needs the resurrection
40:01 – "You meant evil… God meant it for good"
41:19 – A word to those hurting right now
42:17 – Closing and resources
Topics
kirk cameronhellgavin ortlunddoubts about hellchristian debateafterlifereligious discussionbible teachingschristian apologeticsend times






















