An excerpt from the revised edition of Predestined to Believe:

Let us be clear with respect to this one issue: God would still be responsible for evil in your theological paradigm even if he did not create it. So, to argue that man’s free will somehow absolves God of the same charge that you level against Calvinists is without merit. But with that said, did God create evil? That is what you have asked me about, and that remains the one perennial charge Arminians continue to make when discussing the topic of Calvinism. A question such as this—or a bold assertion in your case—indicates to me that there is some confusion about what evil really is and if those who oppose the historic Reformed position can offer a better answer.

If you recall, some time ago we were discussing classic proofs for the existence of God and we touched upon the cosmological argument and both reached the same conclusion that God is the first cause in the world, and He caused everything else. Simple enough. God is the necessary cause from which everything comes, correct? Well, if this is true—and we both agree that it is—how then can you say my position makes God the creator of evil and your theological stance absolves God of this charge of creating evil? Since all Christians are united in the belief that God is the ultimate cause from which everything else is derived, would we both not be guilty of the very thing of which you accuse Calvinists? So now we are both stuck in a position whereby God is solely responsible for evil. In fact, the atheist can now turn on us and claim that since there is evil in the world, God must have been the cause of it, therefore God is evil. Now how do we answer?

Do not despair just yet. There is good news. Scholarly theologians and able philosophers have tackled this issue and have argued that evil is not something. Evil is not a being in the same manner as things have being. Let me use a simple analogy in order to clarify what I am trying to say. I have a hat. This hat keeps my head protected from the rain; that is good. Nevertheless, I quickly discover that there is a hole in my hat that lets in the rain; that is evil. Now I ask, of what does the evil consist? The evil is not something in addition to the hat, but rather, it is the absence of something, namely the material from the hat. So, for our purpose in this discussion, we can say that evil is the absence of good.¹ I hope this simple explanation serves to remove the barrier you had in thinking that God created evil.

You might still be thinking someone or something is responsible for evil. After all, absences of good do not just happen on their own. Someone must be responsible. I would submit to you that the one responsible is the all-knowing and all-loving God we serve. The simple matter of the fact is that He ordained—or at the very least permitted—the absence or privation of good in His creation. Some have tried to soften the charge and say that God allowed evil to enter into the world, but I do not believe this does justice to God’s character. The great Sovereign of the universe is not passive relative to His creation but works out all things by appointing every nation of mankind and determining his destiny (cf. Acts 17:26). God, therefore, must be the one to whom we look when we discuss this issue.

The historic Reformed position has always been clear in that God is not the creator of evil but that he uses secondary causes. Consider the account of when Jesus told Peter that he was going to deny him three times. Jesus made a statement that was true, and yet, Peter had no choice but to fulfill the words of Jesus. However, when Peter denied his Christ did that mean Jesus had caused Peter to sin or that Peter was forced to act contrary to his desires? No, Peter acted volitionally because of who he was. This is what Reformed theologians mean when they use such language such as "secondary causes." So here we see that God does not cause individuals to sin, but that He uses secondary means.

Understanding this about God could lead one to ask: why did God ordain evil in the first place? Could he not have created the world in such a way that man could never sin? The answer, of course, is obvious: yes. God could have arranged the world in such a manner that Adam and Eve would not even have the opportunity to eat the forbidden fruit—He could have created the garden without a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yet, God chose otherwise. What we must realize is that God must have a good reason for the existence of evil or it would not be a present reality.

Let me offer to you that the evil in this world is a needed addition in order to make it a better one. If not, God would not have ordained sin needlessly. All of this rests on the premise that a greater good cannot come apart from some lower order evil. Consider, could there be courage apart from danger or compassion without suffering? Some bad things need to happen in order for a better end result. One more illustration might help to clarify. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and lied to their father about his whereabouts causing Jacob tremendous pain and suffering. This was unarguably a great evil, yet the Lord ordained it to happen in order to preserve a great many people from starvation (Gen 50:20).

The point is God uses evil to achieve greater good that would not be possible without it. Evil is still evil, but God uses it to His praise and glory to bring about the best possible world. I hope you understand that evil does no harm to Reformed theology, and in reality, Calvinism is best suited to provide the answer for the problem of evil in the world. If you do not assent to the position that evil is under the sovereign hand of God then there is no purpose for its existence—a position that is untenable and cannot be adequately explained away from the position you currently hold.

I pray that you would consider seriously these things and think through all the logical ramifications that would necessarily come as a consequence of believing the way you do.