The 2022 Ridley College Melbourne Leon Morris Lecture in New Testament Studies will be on the The Problem of Evil, and Jesus: An Answer I Can Live With by the Revd Dr Graham Cole.

The existence of evil in the world is undeniable. The media gives us access to local and global news of violence, suffering, and death 24/7. People suffer and die, friends suffer and die, loved ones suffer and die. For some, their knowledge and experience of evil is enough to justify unbelief in the existence and/or goodness of God. In this lecture, the problem of evil is faced in the light of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. He is the God who became human and wept with individuals and even over a whole city. Whether God can suffer per se is a much-debated question, but that Jesus in his humanity knew suffering from the inside and experienced evil perpetrated against him is undeniable. If there is a believable Christian answer to the problem of evil, Jesus will be at the centre to it.

The Rev'd Dr Graham Cole is Emeritus Dean and Emeritus Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Emeritus Principal of Ridley College. He has written extensively on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit including his book, He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. His most recent books are Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan and Demons and Faithful Theology: An Introduction. He has taught at seminaries and universities in Australia, Britain and the USA.

The lecture is part of the Ridley Public Lecture Series. For more information and to register for this lecture go to https://www.ridley.edu.au/public-lectures/the-leon-morris-lecture-in-new-testament-studies/