Why is there evil in the world?

Most of us have wondered why a loving God would make a world with the potential for evil. Many have heard the Christian teaching on the fall of Adam and Eve. We know about a bad devil and his hatred for man. We have heard that man is born into sin. I do not believe any of these are the reasons why there is evil in the world. Let me share some of my insights into this question.

Have you meet a man who is a controller? His wife and children fear that saying or doing something wrong would ignite his wrath. He may be a deacon in the church having gained respect from his peers because of how well behaved his family is. All seems to be good, but this is not love, because it is forced love. Now think about how the world views Christians. Do they see us screaming at homosexuals from the local street corner? Do they hear the call to repent or burn? Do they see Christians screaming at women as they enter an abortion clinic? I do not believe any of this is based on God's love.

What type of emotion does the phrase "Freedom of Choice" bring up in your Christian thought? Does it draw your mind to the abortion debate? Have you considered that forcing a women to have a child instead of an abortion does not teach her to love? God created us to love but in order to know if we love Him and others, He gave us a choice. To force someone to do this only produces resentment which leads to hatred.

God made us in His image of love. All of his intelligent creation has the ability to choose between love and evil. If God did not give us the ability to fail, we would only experience forced obedience. We have historical examples in Hitler and Stalin of this type of leadership. How did that work out for them? Of course if we choose evil this is not God's fault nor plan. Religion takes law and wraps it in grace. It uses grace to bend the law into a form that meets their need to control. Religion is just like the Jack-In-The-Box toy. The music sounds like fun, but inside there is just a scary clown. Religion has become cruel and boring.

My friends, there is someone waiting to embrace you with His love. Father God sent His Son, Jesus, to free you from law and works based religion. This is a life of freedom as we put away the weapons of judgment and pick up the tools of love.

One of the music leaders here at Bethel is Kim Walker. Kim Walker has an international worship ministry. There is a post on Youtube and GodTube with her song "How He Loves Us". You can view it at this link:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=23b94b8e7cc226404b6e
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

My special wife, Saundi, and I are very excited about the radical changes happening in our life. During our 15 years on the mission field, we saw how lacking mission work has been to bring real transformation. We have cried out for God to reveal Himself in a deeper way. God in now empowering us to share this revival culture with the body of Christ.

Kenton