Systematic Theology - Creation and Providence - Part V

Here is the original brief excerpt on evil:

Creation and Providence (Concluded)

Evil:

I believe that too often evil has been reduced to a descriptor of human agency and extreme acts of sinfulness. I believe that I stand in solidarity with other individuals, the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, Scripture, and the experience of millions of Christians around the world when I say that this simply is not enough. We Protestants must confess to and repent for our elusive and inexcusable behavior when faced with real evil and the demonic. A full description of evil and the demonic is beyond the scope of this work save for a couple of comments. First, these are not concepts, but realities that further evidence the fact that we are living in a fallen world; a fall that has affected both heaven and earth. Second, while this outside force of evil and its agents stand against God and all God stands for, God’s ultimate good purposes and the saving acts of Jesus Christ on the Cross, have already won the victory over these realities. This does not grant us freedom to ignore or dismiss their presence as either not our problem or as already taken care of, but instead calls us to fully participate with God in standing against such realities. How Protestants are to work with the Church to accomplish this is a task for another day.