The Theodicy of Peter Taylor Forsyth

A “Crucial” Justification of the Ways of God to Man

Theng Huat Leow

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9781608994359
  9781498256186
• eBook ISBN:
  9781630877194
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

The theodicy of the remarkable Scottish Congregationalist theologian Peter Taylor Forsyth has long been recognized as a vital and significant contribution to twentieth-century theology. Up until now, however, there has not been a substantial full-length treatment of Forsyth's work on the problem of evil. The Theodicy of Peter Taylor Forsyth fills this lacuna by setting out, in a fairly systematic and comprehensive manner, Forsyth's justification of God in the face of evil. In so doing, it also illuminates several other related areas of his thought, such as his epistemology and Christology, as well as his understanding of sin, the atonement, providence, divine passibility, human origins, and the God-world relationship. Bringing Forsyth's approach to the subject into conversation with other prominent thinkers like Leibniz, Dostoyevsky, Camus, Moltmann, Hick, Bauckham, and Fiddes, this book also suggests ways in which Forsyth's justification of God contributes to the current state of Christian theodicy. It highlights Forsyth's ability to integrate insights from different approaches, even those that have hitherto generally been considered diametrically opposed notions. Forsyth's theodicy therefore presents an integrative approach to the topic, with every theme flowing from and returning to a clear center: the cross of Christ. As the book also makes clear, Forsyth considers theodicy to be an immensely practical discipline, with significant implications for human life. In every sense, therefore, it constitutes a "crucial" justification of the ways of God to humanity.

1

Introduction

Why Forsyth’s Theodicy?

Peter Taylor Forsyth begins his great work, The Justification of God: Lectures for War-Time on a Christian Theodicy, by citing a warning he had received on including the term “theodicy” in the sub-title of this work. The appearance of such “an unfamiliar word,” he was told, might “raise a certain prejudice in some minds.”1 “Theodicy” remains a complex word in our day because it is capable of assuming a variety of (related) meanings. Taken broadly, the term can “cover any theistic response to questions about how theism can be true in view of the existence of evils.”2 Within this broad definition, writers on the subject normally make a twofold distinction. “Defences” seek to show, on a purely logical basis, that the existence of evil is not incompatible with that of an all good and powerful God. “Theodicies” proper, on the other hand, propose actual reasons for the existence and even the prevalence of evil, ones which (in their view) preserve both the goodness and omnipotence of God.3 In addition, “theodicies,” understood broadly, can be classified according to the range of evils they purport to cover.4 They can also be categorised according to whether they have a “theoretical” or “practical” emphasis.5

How does Forsyth himself understand the task? He describes it according to the well-known lines of John Milton’s Paradise Lost:

To vindicate Eternal Providence,

And justify the ways of God to man.6

To achieve this, Forsyth embarks on a “theodicy” proper rather than a “defence.” He does not only seek to show that God’s ways can be justified if a certain set of conditions were true. He also asserts, primarily on the basis of Christian revelation, that these conditions indeed pertain. This theodicy is not written in the abstract, but in response to a concrete situation—the outbreak of the First World War. At least in Britain, this War had, as E. R. Wickham points out:

. . . raised the question of Providence, of the relation of God to History and of His character and very existence, in perhaps the most acute way that has ever happened, and certainly in the most public way. Not merely with religious men and serious thinkers, but quite literally with every Tom, Dick, and Harry.7

Forsyth indicates that he welcomes this challenge to the Christian faith posed by the War, because it has reoriented the focus of the people. They are now far less concerned with (what he considers) the less important questions pertaining to the relationship of science and rationality to the Christian faith. They are now obsessed with the key theme of Christianity, which is righteousness—even if the discussion pertains mainly to that of God’s.8 Forsyth sought to provide a response to this challenge to God’s righteousness—it was, to him, an extremely worthwhile endeavour: “To justify God is the best and deepest way to fortify man.”9 In doing so, he deals with evil in a comprehensive manner, discussing both (as we shall see later) the phenomena of sin and suffering. His approach is, as he himself acknowledges, largely “practical” in nature, in the sense that it seeks to show what God has done and is doing about the evil in our world, rather than to try to reconcile the existence of God and evil on a purely intellectual or conceptual basis.10

Our primary aim in this study is to describe the theodicy that Forsyth sets out. It has been recognised as making a significant contribution to its field. John Hick, for example, has characterised Forsyth’s writings on theodicy as possessing “the eloquence and spiritual vision of a prophet,” and credited him with bringing “teleological theodicy back to reality, both divine and human.”11 Kenneth Surin, on his part, sees Forsyth’s theodicy providing a unique and valuable “full-blown thematisation” of the principle that God’s work of atonement on the cross is his self-justification in the face of evil.12 Others note the continuing relevance of Forsyth’s theodicy in a world where the evils manifested during the Great War still abound.13 Despite such positive assessments, there has not yet been a substantial full-length study of Forsyth’s theodicy.14 This project seeks to contribute to the filling of this lacuna. In doing so, we hope to advance the state of research into the thought of this remarkable Congregationalist theologian. Our focus will of course be on Forsyth’s theodicy, but as it is intimately linked to many other areas of his thought, we trust that this purposive foray into the former will also yield insights into these other areas and heighten our appreciation of what Colin Gunton has called Forsyth’s “integrating mind,” which “[brings] together in an overall vision . . . a wide range of intellectual, cultural and practical considerations.”15 We also anticipate the possibility that our study might make some contribution to the task of Christian theodicy. While no theodicy can peel away all the mystery that surrounds the intractable problem of evil, we will consider how Forsyth’s approach, treated in combination with insights from other thinkers, might advance discussion on the subject.

We should state at the outset that, because of the generally unsystematic nature of Forsyth’s writings,16 any attempt to set out his theodicy in a comprehensive and logically coherent manner soon finds that it has to go beyond mere description. As Trevor Hart puts it, “[Forsyth] himself refused the attempt to map the complex theological connections which lay tacit in his theological unconsciousness, thereby presenting any would-be commentator with the challenge of attempting to do so for him.”17 In our study, therefore, we will need to undertake three tasks in addition to simply setting out what Forsyth’s writings say on the subject. We will have, firstly, to draw out the implications of these writings for his justification of God, something he does not always do for his readers. Only then will we be able to see clearly in what specific manner his writings seek to “justify the ways of God to man.” Secondly, a competent study of Forsyth’s theodicy will need to develop, on the basis of his writings, responses his theodicy could have made to the objections that have been raised against both it and others which share similar characteristics. Some of these objections have come to the fore only after Forsyth’s time, such as the argument, w...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The Locus of the True Revelation of God and God’s Self-Justification
• Chapter 3: The First Outcome of God’s Self-Justification
• Chapter 4: The Significance of the First Outcome of God’s Self-Justification
• Chapter 5: The Second Outcome of God’s Self-Justification
• Chapter 6: The Significance of the Second Outcome of God’s Self-Justification
• Chapter 7: Forsyth’s View on the Origin of Evil
• Chapter 8: The Significance of Forsyth’s View on the Origin of Evil
• Chapter 9: Conclusion
• Bibliography