One of the central arguments I make in my book is what I call the location of the problem. Historically we’ve cast the problem outward onto Satan or God. I make the argument that the problem is located in humanity, in each of us and how we judge the self. When we judge differently than God, we become captivated by our own imagination.
But as I was reading some critical pushback from some well meaning people, a thought occurred to me. If the problem was located where our traditional theories suggest (Satan or God) why does the problem persist? If Jesus is satisfying Satan’s demands, or satisfying God’s own demands for justice, why then doesn’t the problem go away? Because we don’t have to look very far to see oppression, suffering, injustice, and cruelty in our world. The problem is still there.
But if the problem is in humanity, is speaks deeply to why the problem continues to persist. The problem is not resolved in each human being until they wrestle with the problem inside. It doesn’t go away until each of us resolves the problem of judgment we make about the self. Are we good or evil.
