Jonathan Chappell is head of Religious Studies at Brampton. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from University College London, and was recently awarded an MLitt in Theology from Darwin College, Cambridge.
He has recently published an article in the ‘Theology and Science’ Journal Raymund Schwager: Integrating the Fall and Original Sin with Evolutionary Theory
One of the key topics that students address in the philosophy of religion is the problem of evil and suffering. How can an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent God create a world so replete with pain and suffering? As students will know, Darwin’s theory of evolution has rendered the problem of evil especially acute – particularly given the fact that the death and suffering caused by natural selection seem to be a necessary part of the created order, rather than something contingent upon some primal act of disobedience on the part of humankind. In a recent peer-reviewed article published in the journal Theology and Science (Routledge), I wrestle with this problem, and evaluate an attempted solution adduced by the German theologian Raymund Schwager. You can find the article here:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14746700.2012.669950