Is God Good? (A Short Film)
My friend Jim Zangmeister, who attended Southern Evangelical Seminary, is a very talented animator and film maker. Here is his latest animated short film, “Is God Good?” In less than two minutes, Jim succinctly addresses how human freedom relates to the problem of evil (and he does it with some brilliant animated imagery).
Here are Jim’s comments on this project (originally posted here):
This 2-minute video is a kind of animation known as kinetic type. This genre allows the artist to get a little crazy - words become designs, not merely carriers of information. My goal in producing this animation was to have fun – which I did – and to creatively express this idea: the presence of evil in our world does NOT mean that there is no God; rather, it means that he’s up to something. This is a short video so it only scratches the surface – but at least it introduces the concepts and, hopefully, encourages further thought on the subject.
Whenever I think about deep stuff like evil and suffering, I find it helpful to remember two aspects of God’s nature. First, he is perfectly just. So all evil will eventually be punished perfectly and appropriately. Second, he is perfectly loving. Thus, God extends himself sacrificially to forgive those who do evil (all of us) and provide an escape from punishment. What’s amazing to me is how both of these sides of God, his justice and love, collide on the cross with Jesus Christ. You know someone truly loves you if they are willing to die for you. But when God forgave us, he did not simply ignore our evil thoughts, choices, and actions. That wouldn’t be justice, would it? All of our crimes, big and small, were punished perfectly, but the punishment was re-directed toward Jesus Christ. The punishment that Jesus took upon himself demonstrate God’s love and God’s justice.
This video also touches on another cool idea: God is a gentleman. That is, he doesn’t force his love on the objects of his affection (all of us). He is persuasive - not coercive. He allows you to turn your back on him if you prefer to be the captain of your own ship. You may not want to acknowledge a higher authority to whom you must answer. You may not want to admit that you don’t have your act together. He allows you to make that choice. On the other hand, you might realize that God’s relentless love is what you’ve been searching for all of your life. It’s like this: a gentleman does not force a woman to marry him. He becomes vulnerable. He expresses his love to her by his words and actions. Then he asks her to make a decision: “Will you marry me?” At this point, the ball is in her court. She can either accept or reject his offer. In the same way, each of us can accept or reject God’s offer of a life-giving connection through Jesus Christ.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Excellent job!! Thanks for posting this one Frank! Would love to see more from Jim.
God bless!
Stephen
June 16th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Question: Then, when God removes all the evil and suffering and takes all the righteous believers to heaven: does he remove their “freedom” so as to ensure the absence of evil throughout eternity? If so, then, according to the analogy in the video, are there none but “robots” in heaven? Just wondering…
June 16th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Very appealing short, although, I enjoyed what Mr. Zangmeister said as much if not more than the video. The analogy of God as the (potential) bridegroom is very appropriate and used in the Bible often.
As an American who has never known real suffering it is easy for me to be secure in the notion that He is just and all will shake out in the end but, truth is, many who face death every day find solace in that same truth. God is sovereign. He placed every single atom in the universe in its place. He put the twinkle in the eye of those you love. He is omnipresent and all knowing. How could He not be just?
Don’t know how He does that - I just know that He does. And that is why it is incumbent upon us to seek His will. After all, “His will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” so, none of us can intervene in His plan which would seem to suggest that we might as well get on the right side of it. Of course, I’m not God so, that makes sense to me but, maybe one of the “gods” who frequents this site can straighten me out.
June 17th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
[…] HT: Frank Turek and The Skeptical Christian. Both videos present a condensed version of Alvin Plantinga’s free will defense. ? The first adds a Christian spin to it while the second incorporates some material from C. S. Lewis. ? These videos, which are a great example of the new media approaches to apologetics, are great for use in internet discussions and in apologetics presentations. ? They grab the attention of the audience and explain the issues short and? succinctly? through the use of animations. […]
June 23rd, 2010 at 6:15 am
Question: Then, when God removes all the evil and suffering and takes all the righteous believers to heaven: does he remove their “freedom” so as to ensure the absence of evil throughout eternity? If so, then, according to the analogy in the video, are there none but “robots” in heaven? Just wondering…
Good Question. No, I don’t think God removes their freedom. It would seem that being in the direct presence of God– when we will “see Him as He is” (1 John 3)– will remove any desire for sin. Sin, after all, is often a shortcut to get what we think we lack. We won’t lack anything in Heaven, be in a fallen world, nor will we have a sin nature or a tempter. Jesus was without sin in this fallen world, but still had free will. We will be in a perfect world, have free will and remain without sin.
Blessings,
Frank
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I think in God’s Kingdom we freely (and wisely) choose to reject evil and God does not need to force us to be happy.
We have the benefit of hindsight by that point in time.
Our choices then consist of whether to listen to Bach or Mozart, whether to play chess or play the violin, whether to sing or dance or both. Whether to spend time playing with the lion or the lamb. The known universe is unimaginably huge - how much more room to explore and how many NEW things might there be that God knows of and we do not. What is the logic which dictates that our earthly life is more interesting than the unknown which awaits. Why is there an assumption that 2010 on earth is as good as we can ever hope to expect? Why can’t the afterlife be even better than this one?
I don’t know why a person would think that the available “choices” in Gods Heavenly Kingdom are made more boring by the absence of a…”be mean to someone” option on the menu.
How much happier would we be and how much more spare time would we have to pursue better pastimes if we didn’t have to worry about making money, envying our neighbors, protecting ourselves from the “violent man” who wants to make our life a misery. (Psalm 140:4) Nothing to fear. Children free to walk along a beach or through a beautiful rain forest at anytime of day without the horrors of hypodermic needles, broken glass, oil spills, perverse wolves dressed as sheep. In God’s Kingdom there will be no evil people trying to teach sin to “these little ones”. (Luke 17:2)
I am very suspicious of those who say they will have nothing to do in Gods Kingdom.
Lion (IRC)
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:27 pm
BTW - I live here on earth, grateful to God for what I have been given, bread, wine, trees, flowers, all creatures great and small, sun, rain, fellow human beings, love….
And insofar as I try to follow the rules of His Kingdom, I don’t EVER find myself bored, deprived or unhappy. Nor do I find myself wishing I had less time to live.
My theology informs me that if someone really does think they would be bored living in Gods’ Kingdom they are free to reject it and find out how boring total, permanent separation from the Kingdom of God’s Creation feels. I am told that lasts forever too!
Lion (IRC)
June 24th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
We won’t lack anything in Heaven, be in a fallen world, nor will we have a sin nature or a tempter. Jesus was without sin in this fallen world, but still had free will. We will be in a perfect world, have free will and remain without sin.
I think this sounds like drug addiction. Is that what heaven is, feeling high all of the time? I think Lion is wrong in saying that there will be plenty to do. Eternity is a long time and the universe, though vast, is presumably finite. So do everything there is to do in the universe five times and what are you left with? Boredom. Would there be drama or tragedy movies or plays in heaven? If there were would they be any good? Because if you’re in a place where you know you can never be hurt or nothing will ever go wrong, then it would seem that your ability to empathize with tragic persons would be lost and make tragic plays/movies silly. To me heaven sounds like walking around forever with your mouth open and saying, “gee, it’s all so beautiful.” . . . like you’re high. and when you’re high, you’re not yourself.
and who knows what heaven will be because it’s this spaceless, timeless, immaterial place that we can’t begin to honestly even assume what it would be like.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
I think this sounds like drug addiction.
So, drug addiction is “spaceless, timeless (and) immaterial”? Hm, maybe I must needs rethink this whole, “drugs are bad”, line of thinking.
Eternity is a long time So it’s NOT “timeless”? And “the universe…is…finite”? What? Better reread that Bible of yours. He creates a new heaven. Can I get a witness, somebody?
Would there be drama or tragedy movies or plays in heaven?
Oh, I get it now, you’re just sour about the notion that Heaven is an endless “time out” from TV-Land. I empathize, brother (fortunately, I still can empathize, not having gone to my reward and all yet), but being a recovering TV addict, I can attest to the fact that life is much better w/o it. Try it for a year or two and you’ll never go back (that’s what they tell me anyway. on day three here myself - woot, woot!).
…you’re not yourself
Yes indeed - “Rid me of myself”, is how the lyric goes. Nice a-cappella version of it by Kristen Chacon on myspace. The song is called, “Lead me to The Cross” (for those of you from the closed mouth and seeing things for “what they really are” set). You should try a lesson, er, listen. Very beautiful. The song too.
and who knows what heaven will be…
Man! I feel so silly. There I go, going off all half pulled back again and you knew all along that heaven is incomprehensibly beautiful the whole time. Got me again, Toby. Good show old man. Still though, it leaves one w/ a slight feeling of confusion.
June 24th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Hi Toby,
You sound like you doubt Gods ability to create any number of universes of increasing variety.
Here’s an idea you might relate to.
You live in a little “universe” where there is nothing but primordial slime and you are an amoeba.
You are a very happy amoeba in your little back-water. You have some sensitivity to light as a form of stimulation. The slime is warm and comforting.
Life’s good.
Then after a few million years, by which time you should be bored, you look around you and find there are new creatures which weren’t there before.
You ask yourself, how is it that I can see now? I never used to have “eyes”.
In another few million years your “universe” has gotten even more interesting. Now you have limbs/fins/wings and can travel to places you never even knew existed. You see massive dinosaurs and trees and “unbelievable” stuff. Are you bored yet?
“Time” passes and you are a 10 million year old amoeba. It seems like only yesterday. Where did all those years go? You can now hear with your well formed ears and you hear the sound of a space shuttle taking off. You look up and wonder where it is going? To the moon? To Mars? To another galaxy? To a wormhole through which it will travel and come out somewhere else which only God knows about?
A multiverse of new “primordial slime” perhaps?
Lion (IRC)
June 24th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
One last comment Toby R,
You say (you think) the universe is vast but presumably finite.
Then you say “do everything there is to do five times”
How is it in your cosmology that by the time you go back to do something the 2nd or 3rd time that it will be exactly the same?
Not many physicists these days are talking about the universe as a “finite” quantity, nor do they think in terms of it being an unchanging object.
In fact, the no-boundary universe or multiverses which is/are perpetually variable and cyclical and hard to define with any certainty AT ALL leave me with the impression that physics will probably never reach a unified theory of everything.
Many chaos theory and uncertainty principles and quantum weirdness get boring after a while but I have a feeling that God has a lot more surprises up His sleeve.
Hands up any secular scientist or physicist or biologist who does NOT want to know what is happening in the amazing world of scientific discovery the day after………………… tomorrow.
Lion (IRC)
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:56 pm
God is perfect, so can perfection accept anything less than what it is? I doubt it. So we have Christ, who personifies perfection as the only sinless human besides Adam who fumbled the ball (so to speak) So that imperfection (us) can be seen as perfect (Him). Well, IMO, I believe that Even though God is just to forgive sins with remission in lieu of repentance, the sin condition still exists in the physical realm we have been calling “reality”. So evil will persist in the physical realm. God is also righteous because he is perfect, so iniquity cannot exist in Heaven and if iniquity cannot exist there then there is nothing for evil to cling to. Picture this: Christ is coming back for a “Bride who has made herself ready”. This is just me, but I picture a matrimonial service on an eternal level, meaning everyday being the Sabbath, the Marriage of the Spirit of God to the Glorified body of Christ would be a ceremony of Biblical proportions that can easily last an eternity. Just a thought.
August 22nd, 2010 at 3:28 pm
God knows the end from the beginning because He lacks nothing. He doesn’t lack knowledge hence He knows all things. So those who go to Heaven are those who by their own free will choose God, and by their own free will stay there.
God is infinite and unlimited yet us humans are finite and limited physically, morally, and intellectually. There is nothing that we can do to measure up to our Creator. How can the creature “measure up” to its Creator? It can’t. The Creator lacks nothing, it is the creature who depends on Him.
So God simply lets us choose. If we WANT to be with God, well only God can save us… and this is what God demonstrated empirically for us in Jesus Christ.
If you DON’T want God… then you wouldn’t want what God has to give either (life, light, love, provision, etc). So God grants people a place where THEY don’t get to behold Him for themselves because they don’t WANT Him out of their own free will, and they are in hell because God knows that by their own free will they never would want to be with Him.
Rather than exterminating someone if they don’t want Him… God simply created a place for those who don’t want to behold Him. God is love and would never want to destroy what He made but lets His creatures decide, so it’s not on Him.
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:32 pm
“God knows the end from the beginning because He lacks nothing. He doesn’t lack knowledge hence He knows all things. So those who go to Heaven are those who by their own free will choose God, and by their own free will stay there.”
This omniscient being knows that some of these people he creates will go to hell even before he creates them. So what really can be said is that this god makes some people just so he can send them to eternal torment. How lovely and caring.