Why does God allow evil and suffering? Byron Smith recently had a cancerous growth in his chest, giving him an experiential insight into one of the big questions that vexes humankind.
Byron Smith, ministry assistant at All Souls', Leichhardt will be joined by Dr Matheson Russell in teaching a short course called "The Problem of Evil: a tour of Christian responses' at CASE (Centre for Apologetic Scholarship and Education) starting tonight.
"Experiencing evil doesn’t necessarily lead to greater insight into it," Byron says.
"Nor will our course aim to answer that question. Part of the point is to offer a critique of all attempts to do so."
The four-week course will survey the main responses to evil and suffering offered by Christian thinkers throughout the ages, and examine whether they stand up to philosophical and theological scrutiny and if they are useful when it comes to answering the tough questions.
"Everyone hurts; we live in a fractured world. Being sick is not the only form of suffering - nor is it the worst, I suspect," Byron says.
"The course raises questions we all ask at some stage. But rather than seeing the problem of evil as an apologetics issue that needs to be ‘solved’ so that people will listen to the gospel, this course argues that it is itself the very problem to which the gospel is such good news."
Suffering through sickness
However, it is Byron's personal experience suffering from a carcinoma in his digestive tract following his fourth year at Moore College last year that gives the topic deeper resonance with him.
"Back in early October last year, I began to lose my voice. It was a very stressful time at college, and personally, and so for many weeks, I simply rested my voice and waited for it to return," Byron says.
However, after a couple of months, exams were over and life was slowing down, but Byron's voice hadn’t fully returned. A CT scan revealed a 3.5 by 3.0 by 2.5cm growth in the middle of Byron's chest.
Seven sessions of chemotherapy and 33 sessions of radiotherapy over a period of two months left Byron feeling tired, but a CT scan in March revealed the growth in his chest had shrunk to about a quarter of the size it had been in early December. A scan in April revealed there was no evidence of viable tumour activity.
Byron and his wife, Jessica, are extremely thankful for the news.
"It’s appropriate to give thanks and celebrate God’s kindness to us. We’d love to acknowledge that we are and remain recipients of undeserved grace from our friends and our Heavenly Father."
However, Byron admits he and Jessica found adjusting to the news of cancer very difficult at the time.
"It’s hard to say exactly how Jessica and I felt, because there are many aspects to the experience. There was a whirlwind of responses and new challenges to face," Byron says.
"There is shock at the ugly presence of sickness and wrong in God’s good world. There is sadness at lost or delayed plans. There are bouts of some anxiety and uncertainty, mixed with reflective moments of insight and new perspectives."
However, Byron says there is also hope through adversity.
"There is joy in the love of friends and family and the daily gifts God gives. There is a yearning for Christ to return and bring healing to his entire groaning world."
Byron also says not much has really changed in his outlook on life.
"I will still die sooner or later and I continue to trust the God who raises the dead."
