Last month, we had the privilege of hosting Sara Stevenson from the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) for a thought-provoking public lecture on the topic “If God is Good, Why Does He Allow Evil?”
The event drew an audience of around 70 people from diverse backgrounds. Sara addressed one of the most difficult and widely discussed questions in philosophy and theology: the existence of evil and the nature of God.
She explained that the presence of evil does not necessarily mean that God does not exist, nor does it imply that God is evil if He does exist. Drawing on the insights of St. Augustine, Sara described evil as the absence of goodness, emphasizing that God is the ultimate source of all that is good. The further we move away from this source, the more we encounter the effects of that absence.
Sara also highlighted God’s role as a source of comfort in the midst of suffering, offering hope and meaning even in life’s darkest moments.
The lecture sparked heartfelt questions from the audience, particularly from those who have experienced lots of pain or loss. It was an encouraging evening, filled with deep conversations even after the event ended. Many Christians in attendance also found the lecture to be insightful and academically well-prepared, appreciating the way such a profound topic was addressed with both intellectual depth and sensitivity.
