If God is all-powerful and entirely good and loving, why is there so much evil in the world? Based on a close canonical reading of Scripture, this book offers a new approach to one of the most troubling challenges facing Christian theism: reconciling the Christian confession of a loving God with the realities of suffering and evil. John Peckham offers a constructive proposal for a theodicy of love that upholds both the sovereignty of God and significant human freedom. Peckham suggests that God's love is at the center of a cosmic drama that provides significant insights into the problem of evil. The author shows how Scripture points toward this cosmic conflict framework for thinking about God's character of love in relation to the world. Professors and students of theology, philosophy, and apologetics will value this work.

Contents 1. The Problem of Evil and the Free Will Defense 2. Love, Evil, and God's Unfulfilled Desires 3. The Cosmic Conflict Framework 4. The Nature of the Conflict and Rules of Engagement 5. Evil Defeated but Not Yet Destroyed 6. Evaluating the Theodicy of Love Indexes