theory and practice in dialogue; approaching the evidential problem of evil in islamic-christian comparative theology

A strong moral argument against the endeavor of theodicies is the suspicion that they declare evils to be good and, by doing so, participate in upholding unjust structures. therefore, johann baptist metz has argued for abandoning the discourse about god’s possible reasons for allowing suffering. instead of asking “why”, theologians should repeatedly demand god’s own eschatological answer to the question. similarly, terrence tilley has argued for the immorality of theodicies by means of speech-act theory. the paper will argue that these critiques present strong points against certain types of responses to the logical and evidential problem of evil. it will, however, not accept the conclusion that attempts of theodicies must be abandoned altogether. while many of the critical points raised might also face morteza motahhari’s approach to the problem, his overall approach to divine justice can inspire christian attempts of linking theoretical and practical approaches to the problem of evil. while the emphasis on god’s eschatological power (metz) is a necessary part of a christian response to the problem of suffering, it should also be asked how god’s justice is conceived as already present here and now. it will be argued that a broad view on the notion of divine justice, as put forward by motahhari, helps to achieve this. if sharia is perceived as “god’s justice among his servants” (ibn qayyim al-jawziyya), it can inspire christian attempts at theodicies. as such, it can be regarded as a practical answer to the problem of evil by “embodying” the very attribute that is put into question: god’s justice. this is connected to the ‘theoretical’ problem and provides a careful answer to the evidential problem of evil, because it is the embodiment of divine justice or the lack thereof that renders faith in a just god plausible or implausible. not only might this help christian theology to find an appreciative way of approaching sharia. it might also be an inspiration for the way law and ritual are interpreted: as the symbolic representation of god’s justice that is still awaiting its eschatological fulfillment.