"I do not know the answer to the problem of evil, but I do know love. That's the key thing. In Jesus, we cannot doubt the love of God for us if we look at the lengths to which He went." Os Guinness is a social critic, author of more than 30 books and counting and yes, as the name suggests, great‑great‑great grandson to the famous Irish brewer of beverages, Arthur Guinness. An Englishman born to medical missionaries in 1940s China, Os was exposed to dire circumstances from a young age. His early experiences formed in him an appreciation for human purpose, and calling the value of freedom for a flourishing society, a response to evil and suffering, and the meaningfulness of the Christian Gospel in contemporary life. In this episode, we discuss his latest thoughts on American public life today, the meaning of love, the human response to unspeakable suffering and evil around the world, and legacy.

Show Notes

See Os’ Website for more information and content
3:04—Begin interview
3:50—Are we too aware of suffering in the digital age? How should we
deal with it?
7:32—Christians’ distinctive response to suffering
9:00—A selection of Elie Wiesel's Night
12:10—Interlude #1
13:20—Should we try to explain evil?
14:46—Central questions pertaining to the problem of suffering
15:20—The God that suffers with us
16:50—"'I do not know the answer to the problem of evil, but I do know love.' That's the key thing. In Jesus, we cannot doubt the love of God for us if we look at the lengths to which He went."
17:12—"The Second Coming," by W.B. Yeats
18:35—How do you explain the centrality of love in Christian theology
20:00—Covenantal Love
20:45—“Evangelicals today have lost their covenant love loyalty”
21:00—The three elements of the Sinai Covenant
23:00—The state of covenant loyalty in contemporary America and the
church
25:40—What hope is there in the midst of the chaos of public life?
27:55—The failure of the religious right
28:20—What policies or philosophies emerge from the Christian love
commands?
28:55—Os mentions his most recent book on freedom: Last Call for Liberty
30:29—Is there hope for civility in public life?
33:09—Interlude #2
34:30—Interview resumes
35:00—The crisis of accountability
37:00—Legacy, the end of life and end of work
38:55—How do we contemplate our own deaths?
40:48—End interview, credits

Quotes from Os Guinness

"'I do not know the answer to the problem of evil, but I do know love.' That's the key thing. In Jesus, we cannot doubt the love of God for us if we look at the lengths to which He went."
"In suffering, there are two big questions — God's existence and God's character. Is He there? Is He absolutely good? Obviously, for followers of Christ, both those are answered not by a theistic proof. I don't personally put much weight on those...At the end of the day, they're answered in Jesus. If God is the Father of Jesus, and I've come to put my trust in Him, I can trust for His existence and His goodness, although I've never seen the Father."
"The suffering servant is Jesus. When we see Him on the cross, truly, our God hanging there, we can never go so low in life our Lord has not gone lower to express His love and to save us. That's wonderful."
"That's Christian realism. If you say, 'Is there anything wrong with the world?' Absolutely. We Christians are realistic. We know there's something deeply wrong with the world. As GK Chesterton said, 'It's me.' We all say the same."
"Legacy is when the Lord says, 'Well done.'"

Credits

The Table is sponsored by generous grants from the John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, and The Blankemeyer Foundation
Theme music is by The Brilliance
Production and engineering by The Narrativo Group
Edited and mixed by TJ Hester
Production Assistance by Laura Crane
Special thanks to Os Guinness
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