Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • NPR

    'He Has A Reason': How Natural Disasters Test The Faithful

    Spiritual leaders have long offered such counsel in times of human suffering. Theologians even have a term for efforts to explain why God and evil can coexist: theodicy.
    by Tom Gjelten Sep 04, 2017 3 minutes
    Mark Scott, chair of the department of religious studies at Thorneloe University in Sudbury, Ontario, says evil is a "universally recognized" threat to faith. "People in the midst of suffering often feel abandoned by God," he says.

    In churches across Houston on Sunday, pastors struggled to tell their parishioners why a God they believed to be good might have allowed a storm of Biblical proportion to flood their city.

    "God causes it to happen, but He has a reason," Pastor Gary Smith told the worshippers at Fifth Ward Church of Christ in northeast Houston. "We don't comprehend what God has planned for us."

    Spiritual leaders have long offered such counsel in times of human suffering. For people who

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from NPR

    NPR3 min readInternational Relations
    Gaza Cease-fire Resolutions Roil U.S. Local Communities
    As local elected officials continue to face pressure to pass resolutions calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza, some aren't sure how or whether to take a stand at all.
    NPR6 min read
    Fair Reporting On The Israel-Hamas War
    There's been a lot of public conversation this past week about whether NPR's attachment to bringing diverse voices onto its staff and airwaves is a good thing or a bad thing. This current debate arose in reaction to a column last week written by a fr
    NPR4 min read
    Wildfire Smoke Contributes To Thousands Of Deaths Each Year In The U.S.
    Two new studies show the unseen toll smoke is taking on people across the country. Climate change is likely to make the problem even bigger.

    Related Books & Audiobooks