The Bible and Beyond Podcast Episode

Ancient and Modern Thinkers Answer “Where is God When Things Go Wrong?”

An Interview with Dr. James McGrath

Dr. James McGrath

James McGrath, a professor at Butler University, gives credit to several ancient thinkers for wrestling with the question of God in a messy world. Referencing Irenaeus, for example, he notes that it might be this way because we need to grow and develop. The question of evil, when we try to hold to a good God, is always with us, and we now have the privilege of building on the ideas of those early thinkers.

Dr. James McGrath, known widely from his blog, Religion Prof on Patheos, pursues interests from the Bible, science fiction, evolution, religion, and Mandaean culture. He is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. His recent book, What Jesus Learned from Women, is a readable scholarly work that reflects on James’s theological creativity and his respect for women as teachers. James has a Diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge, a BD from the University of London, and his PhD from Durham University. He is the author of several books and numerous articles (as well as a few science fiction short stories), and the editor or co-editor of several volumes.

You can visit his Amazon author page and Selected Works page on the Butler University website, to learn more about his publications, and you can follow him on Twitter, YouTube, and elsewhere.

More in the “Where Is God When Things Go Wrong” series:

“Where Is God When Things Go Wrong” by Shirley Paulson (blog post)

“Early Christians Answer ‘Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?‘” an interview with Dr. Jason BeDuhn (podcast)

“Marcion Answers ‘Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?’” an interview with Dr. Stephen A. Cooper (podcast)