Is God in Control? How to Believe in God & Love after Tragedy, Abuse, or Other Evils

A Webinar with Dr. Thomas J. Oord, Rev. Deanna Young, and Rick Quinn

DATE: Thursday, November 18, 2021
TIME: 7 p.m. CST
PRESENTERS: Dr. Thomas J. Oord, Rev. Deanna Young, and Rick Quinn

Where is God in the midst of tragedy, abuse, and other evil?

We long for believable answers to the biggest questions of our lives. When we encounter evil, it’s natural to ask questions: Why would God cause or allow it? Is God punishing me? If God loves everyone, why doesn’t God prevent pointless pain? Are God’s ways a complete mystery?

With the psalmist we even dare to wonder: Is God asleep at the wheel?

Typical attempts to explain God’s relation to evil are all too familiar: Everything happens for a reason. It’s all part of God’s plan. We have it coming. God is teaching us something. It’s a mystery. None satisfy.

We want to make sense of evil, love, freedom, pain, randomness, healing, and God. We want to understand.

Join Wesleyan theologian Dr. Thomas J. Oord, Rev. Deanna Young, and Rick Quinn for a webinar conversation that offers a better way to make sense of tragic pain and evil. By taking suffering seriously and beginning with a no-nonsense, reality-oriented confidence in a God of relentless love, Tom Oord helps participants understand five key insights that make all the difference in making sense of the God of scripture and our everyday experiences of suffering, loss, and pain—as well as beauty, delight, and bliss.

Watch the video archive of this webinar:

Dr. Thomas Jay Oord is a professional theologian who takes big ideas and makes them accessible in everyday language for ordinary people. As a Wesleyan theologian committed to the church and focused on love, his work arises from an understanding of God and love that arises from both scripture and everyday life. Dr. Oord was recently ranked one of the top ten influential scholars in theology over the past 30 years (Academic Influence). The author and editor of more than twenty books, including, The Uncontrolling Love of God and Open and Relational Theology, Tom is also a wilderness photographer who shares images that connect his passion for hiking with a deep appreciation for God’s presence that animates all of creation.

Rev. Deanna Young is an ordained elder in the UMC. She served churches in the Texas Annual Conference and though retired, is serving again as an Executive Pastor while working on her Doctor of Theology and Ministry in Open and Relational Theology. She hopes to help people come to an understanding that God is love, how that love plays out in our everyday lives, and our responsibility in partnering with God as we move into an open future together.

Rick Quinn is a writer and Christian educator who lives in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. He is also a contributing music reviewer at popmatters.com. Rick is part of the lay leadership team at McKendree United Methodist Church in downtown Nashville.

Register Today!