Cancer, War and the God Question: why so much suffering? Prof Richard Norman vs Sara Stevenson hosted by Andy Kind

Unbelievable?

Premier Unbelievable?

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2025

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Why does a good God allow violence and suffering — even in the Bible? In this episode of Premier Unbelievable?, Andy Kind hosts a thought-provoking debate between humanist philosopher Richard Norman and Christian thinker Sara Stevenson. Together, they explore whether divine violence in the Old Testament undermines the credibility of Christianity, and whether humanists can offer a satisfying response to the reality of suffering. Is suffering ultimately arbitrary in a godless universe? Or does the biblical story offer a deeper hope in the face of pain and injustice? Join us for a challenging and honest conversation on faith, morality, meaning, and the problem of evil. Subscribe to Premier Unbelievable? for more debates and discussions at the intersection of faith and culture. SOCIAL LINKS Twitter: https://twitter.com/unbelievablefe Facebook: / https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable Instagram: / https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable Tik Tok: / https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable 👉 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes—absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 🎉📢 • Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101 • More shows, free eBook & newsletter: https://premierunbelievable.com • For live events: http://www.unbelievable.live • For online learning: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training • Support us in the USA: http://www.premierinsight.org/unbelievableshow • Support us in the rest of the world: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/donate

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Right now in Hackney, there's a child waiting,
0:02.8	wondering if anyone will open their door and their heart.
0:07.4	Hackney needs more foster carers and wants to know what's stopping you from fostering.
0:12.4	If you have a spare room and are ready to make a difference, don't wait.
0:16.8	With a wide range of support provided, you might be the foster carer at Hackney Child needs.
0:22.2	For more information, call 0208-8356-4028.
0:29.6	Why does a good God allow violence and suffering?
0:33.1	Christian thinker Sarah Stevenson and humanist philosopher Richard Norman go head to head on one of
0:38.5	faith's most uncomfortable questions. Does Christianity offer a coherent answer or is suffering
0:44.6	simply a brutal fact of life with no deeper meaning? This is unbelievable. If you are
0:52.4	new to the show, well, I have to say you're incredibly
0:55.1	welcome. We've been doing this for some time now. I am one of your regular hosts, Andy Kind.
1:00.7	And this is traditionally a show where we bring in a Christian, usually from the world of
1:06.8	academia, and bring in someone who's not a Christian and we talk about a variety of topics
1:13.9	today.
1:14.6	Well, I suppose we're carrying on a little mini-series that we've got going on suffering and
1:19.4	the problem of evil.
1:20.4	If you were tuning in last week, last time we had Stephen Law and David Robertson going
1:26.5	at it in a rather feisty manner, if you don't mind me saying.
1:29.4	And the question was, is suffering the best argument for atheism, in my opinion, not that my opinion counts very much.
1:38.1	Yes, it is.
1:39.0	Suffering is certainly the bedrock when I'm speaking to people who are not Christians.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Premier Unbelievable?, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Premier Unbelievable? and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.