The question is often raised: If God is good, why is there evil in the world? My answer is that there is evil in the world because God is good. Ironic you say? Let’s probe a little further into this paradox.

Take for instance, a hypothetical leader, say the corrupt dictator of an impoverished nation. This bad leader would control every single detail of the lives of the people, micromanaging them with oppressive, self-serving policies. Rebellion is not tolerated; the corrupt dictator will wipe out anyone who deviates from his/her absolute rule.

So if God were a bad leader, there would be not even a hint of evil, because He would remove it before it appeared. We would not possess freedom to exercise our own will, but act as robots programmed to do only His. Because God is good, He allows evil to exist as a product of our free will.

Of all the “proofs” against the existence of God, the omnipotence paradox is perhaps the most popular. There are two common forms of this paradox:

1. Can God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it?
2. Can God lie?

Can God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it?

The trap here is clear; answering either yes or no to this question would mean God cannot do something and therefore is not omnipotent. One solution to this dilemma is simply to recognize that God can create an infinitely heavy rock, and God can lift an infinitely heavy rock. To say that a heavier rock can exist at all would be to step outside the bounds of logic.

Can God lie?

This question not only targets God’s omnipotence but His very nature as well. If God is omnipotent, then He must be able to lie, but would that make Him God (or more specifically, the Judeo-Christian God)? In fact, Scripture tells us that God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). But does that mean God is not omnipotent?

The most common approach to this question is the “can vs. will” course. God can lie, but it is not in His nature to do so. But this raises another question: what is the difference between being unable to do something and that something not being in one’s nature? If God lied, would that mean He is no longer God?

Another explanation is as follows: God speaks the truth, and His word is law. Therefore if God were to say something false, it would automatically become true. God is not unable to lie; reality just conforms to His will.

Ultimately, however, we are forced to ask: Is God restricted to the same logic and natural laws we are restricted to? Of course, the answer is no. God can step outside the bounds of logic. In the end, that is what omnipotence boils down to God is omnipotent and therefore can overrule logic.

Its funny how I think about this stuff in my mind, as though the world is going to end or something, but here it is. As the end begins and therefore draws ever closer, I look back at my past years here at NYU and wonder, “What have I accomplished?” I remember that as I first entered NYU I thought, “I’m going to rock this place, I’m going to shake the very foundations upon which this school stands,” yet three years later I stand here, having accomplished little to nothing, having done nothing memorable, having not even caused a stir in the school, much less rocked its foundations. I think about all I’ve done, and sure, I’ve had a blast while I was here, but I realize that I have done nothing memorable here, nothing that the school will look at and never be able to forget and a little voice in the back of my head says, “Yeah, that’s right, it’s because you’re nothing special.” At first I struggled with the idea, I fought against it with everything in my being, denying that I am nothing special, insisting that I am unique and amazing by the standards upon which we judge each other, but as time passes, the truth sinks in; “It’s true, I’m nothing special,” which at first, sounds like something terrible, like something disheartening and trembling, shaking the very foundations upon which I stand. But then I widen my scope and I remember something: we all are nothing special. From the legendary filmmaker to the lowly film student, we all are nothing special; nothing we have done in this world is worth anything. The reason I feel as though I am something special, when I can see beyond myself enough to realize it, is because God has called me to be something special, not for my own glory but for His. Nothing I do in this world will be of significance, nothing I do here will be remembered for very long, even if I become famous and create the next “Citizen Cane”; none of that matters. What matters is what I do for God, and not for myself. It�s funny how often I struggle to simply be remembered, to become something special in the eyes of my peers, to become special through my own merits. It is a foolish and pointless struggle, no matter how often I try and how many more heads turn simply because there is a simpler and more productive method. God has called me to be special, to make heads turn, not for my glory but for His and all I have to do to be special is do what He has called me to do and serve Him, and immediately I become something special.

“If I’m not Christian, am I going to Hell?”

How do I answer that question? If there were only 100 people in the world, only 30 people would be going to a place called heaven. Therefore, among the 6 billion people in the world, only 1.8 billion will go to a “better place” while the remaining 5.2 billion people will suffer and rot in hell. Not only is it unfair and inhumane that so many people will burn in hell while a few select Christians get to go to a better place, but it borders on cruelty and even evil. I identify myself as a Christian because I believe in Jesus and the Bible and that I should be a good person and all the rest, and I have always learned that God is the God of love. However, if my God is so loving and good, how can He allow so many people to go to Hell? It’s just not fair.

I didn’t know what to say when my friend asked his question. It seemed kind of wrong to say “Yeah, you’re going to hell unless you repent,” but the Bible clearly states that only the righteous and holy can go to heaven and be with God because God is holy and cannot stand to be around sinful men. Therefore the only way to go to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ who justifies us freely through His death on the cross. In that respect, the correct Biblical answer would be, “Yeah, you’re going to hell.” But it feels so wrong, like I’m condemning him to eternal damnation. Jesus never condemned anyone. How can I?

God bestowed upon man an inherent right–free will. He could have made men to be like machines, perfect and holy like His angels, but instead, He gave us the freedom to choose for ourselves. Love is the highest element in the universe. It changes men, gives them hope, and enables them to endure in an unfair and cruel world. God wants us to love Him out of our free will; He wants us to choose for ourselves to love and obey Him. He wants us to choose for ourselves whether we want to be with Him or not. When God decided to create men with free will, He had to create a hell out of His ultimate respect for men’s free will. Hell is not a place of fire and brimstone. When Jesus spoke about hell, He was using allegorical and metaphorical language. Hell is a place where the very presence of God is absolutely absent. People are sent to hell because throughout their lives, they have decided out of their own free will, to live without God. God accepts and respects their decision, and ultimately lets them go to the place where they decide and want to go. Jesus does not condemn anyone. Neither does God. He lets us choose for ourselves.

Thus, I think back to my friend. He asks, “Am I going to hell or not?” The answer is simple: “That’s completely up to you.”

“Would you like a bag for that?”

“Sure. Actually, on second thought, no.”

“Great! Take this wood chip and drop it into one of the bins.”

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Because you decided against using a plastic shopping bag for your purchase, NYU will make a donation to one of four environmental non-profit organizations. Drop the chip in the organization of your choice.”

If you’ve been to the bookstore lately, this conversation should sound very familiar to you. The worldwide push to go “green” has finally reached NYU.

For years, the NYU community has fostered a passion for environmental responsibility. However with the formation of the university’s Sustainability Task Force in the fall of 2006, what was once a matter of conscience has now become a full-fledged, financially-supported, campus-wide initiative.

Going green is increasingly becoming a priority to the academic world. However not all factions recognize the urgency for sustainability efforts with such lucidity. The most disconcerting resistance comes from faith-based organizations. In particular, Christian leaders remain apathetic or even hostile toward this growing movement. The cause for this reaction is unclear. Some theorize that Biblical eschatology teaches a renewal of all things, making environmental preservation redundant. Others cite that the church’s chief mission is spiritual salvation and not global conservation. Still others claim that the long-standing leftist claim on this issue makes right-wing Evangelicals uneasy.

But not all share this opinion. Reverend Richard Cizik is the Vice President for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, and he is, for lack of a better term, the “Environmental Evangelist.” Once indifferent to issues such as conservation and global warming, Reverend Cizik had a conversion experience during a lecture on Climate Change at Oxford University in 2002 that left him ablaze for everything environmental. Since then “Creation Care” has become his newfound passion.

At the heart of his argument is the divine mandate to “fill and take charge” of the world found in the first chapter of the Bible. He also purports that Creation Care is a matter of moral responsibility; humankind’s inherent duty is to cultivate, not exploit, the ecosystem for the benefit of all life on earth.

Unlike most Evangelicals of his stature, Cizik is ready to cross political, ideological, and theological lines to fulfill this mission. He exemplifies the view of the “New Evangelicals,” a rising group of prominent Christians who have done away with the “us vs. them” mentality. He does so not only to nurture cooperation, but in obedience to his Creator.

“This is everybody’s concern,” says Jeremy Friedman, Project Administer of NYU’s Sustainability Task Force who believes that concern for the planet is a powerful unifying factor, especially for faith-based groups. “Every major religion has a leader or major figure that went into the wilderness to experience God.” The Buddha achieved Enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. Moses encountered Yahweh at the summit of Mt. Sinai. Jesus fasted forty days in the Judean desert. Muhammad received his revelation from Allah in a mountain cave.

So, is God green? Does He care about global warming? Is it His will for humankind to lessen the impact of its ecological footprint?

Yes. Of course. Duh.

The real question has to do with priority. Should matters environmental take precedence over those of morality and social justice and personal piety? Is feeding the world or preserving the world more important? There are no easy answers to these questions. But it is clear that the degradation of our planet deserves attention, hopefully before it is too late.

Last year, after reading an article in People magazine about how a pastor was encouraging his congregation to spend 3 weeks without complaining, I became mildly intrigued. But soon after his story and mission quickly became broadcasted on such shows as the Today show, Oprah, and published in Newsweek, I was really interested. This anti-complaining thing seemed to be catching on with Americans. His website was selling out millions of the purple anti-complaining plastic bracelets. I figured if so many Americans were interested in this life-changing process, then I too wanted to give it a try. And just to make the whole thing more fun, I also encouraged several SEED members to do it along with me.

It would be interesting to think about what the world would be like if everyone stopped complaining, at least out loud, if this ever became possible. A crazy thought is how New Yorkers might be different, for instance (insert slight shudder here).

To try out the anti-complaining campaign sounded like a pretty hokey plan in actuality, especially in a place like NYU, where we are generally encouraged to be liberal, free-thinking, outspoken activists, ready to change the world, and not eager to be hushed up by some theory that we’d be better off if we didn’t complain out loud.

However, after reading the associated book by Will Bowen (yes, he even wrote a book!) which came out earlier this year, I realized that not complaining isn’t just about not complaining. It spans more than just trying to say the right things and exude positive, happy, energy all the time. Bowen, though being the pastor of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, MO, deliberately presents the book and the problem in a non-religious, anyone-can-understand format. Without preaching to his audience, he discusses how “words are powerful”, and “when we change what we say, we begin to change our lives”. I learned that it’s not just a matter of sitting back and shutting up when we see something we have a problem with, but instead a matter of sitting back, rethinking the problem, and focusing our attention on fixing a solution. It’s a positive thinking, solution-finding strategy for living our lives.

So, getting back to the experiment, how did I do? I don’t know, because several months later, I’m still trying to complete the three-week course of no-complaining. I think I’ve lost the purple bracelet that I’m supposed to be wearing more times than I can count. However, I am strangely sensing some small changes in myself as I struggle with this challenge. Not that it’s turned me into this super positive, upbeat, happy person all the time; but that I’ve instead become a more focused, driven, and goal-oriented person who views setbacks as new opportunities. Scary. Who knew not complaining could do so much?

Complaint-Free Life: Quotes

When I first got the purple, rubber bracelet, I thought, “How pretty!” But less than twenty-four hours later, the pretty purple bracelet finally came off (ok, I ripped it off). I found it nearly IMPOSSIBLE and even rude NOT to complain when having normal conversation. It was truly eye-opening to see how deep my unthankful attitude runs. -YS, volunteer writer & chronic complainer

I managed to get through three weeks without verbalizing any complaints. This was easy for me because I don’t usually share my personal thoughts with people, but I still felt depressed because negative thoughts consumed me. -ling

I realized I complain about situations and people so often. I was busy with shifting the bracelet from left to right and right to left. And then I had to give up wearing it. -anonymous

When I received the purple bracelet, I was very excited. I would characterize myself as someone who does not complain. This was going to be very easy. Unfortunately, this experience didn’t last long because I started to complain about switching wrists if I happened to complain. -olga

• Book: Shane Claiborne, theological prankster, speaker and author of the Irresistible Revolution
• Blogger: Jeremy Del Rio of JeremyDelRio.com (because “he has a great blog with insights on what God is doing in the inner city”)
• Preacher on my iPod: Judah Smith, youth pastor of Generation Church, part of The City Church

InterVarsity leader Ashley Jung

• Devotional: One Year Bible NIV (Paperback) by Tyndale House Publishers
• Book: Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels

Alum James Pyun

• Best website for sermons: Redeemer.com
• Inspirational song: “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot
• Band: U2
• Fun thing to do: Debate hot topics at the Veritas Forum

Just as our body needs to breathe 24-7, our spirit also needs to breathe 24-7. If someone’s spirit dies, he or she doesn’t feel the need to pray or doesn’t want to pray, because a dead spirit doesn’t need energy. But once one’s spirit is alive by the breath of the Holy Spirit, his spirit needs to breathe in order to keep his spirit alive just like his body. Just as we take fresh oxygen through breathing, we take the fresh spirit through prayer. As we are designed to breathe 24-7 in our body, we are also designed to pray 24-7 in our spirit.

Now, question is, “How can we pray 24-7?” We will talk about this at the next meeting…

Have you ever been afraid of making that one big step? A leap that will put you out there and expose you to either acceptance or rejection, cheers or jeers. Many people are afraid of challenges. I am one of those people. I like being in my comfort zone. In this zone, I get to play it safe and not stretch myself to the limit. In Luke 12:11-12, Jesus says to His disciples “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say”. Essentially, Jesus is telling His disciples to not be afraid. He knows that being in such an environment may scare the disciples because they are afraid of the harm that the Pharisees may inflict on them. I feel that he speaks to all of us with this verse. There are many obstacles and borders that we will have to cross. Regardless of these endeavors, He is with us and is telling us to not avoid the challenges but rather face them. For His disciples, their formidable ventures would be to share God’s word and spread the wonderful news of the Resurrection of Jesus. What challenge(s) are you facing today? Is it a test? A paper, which is almost 50% of your final grade? (I had one of those. Arghhhh!!!) Or maybe you are unsure about the next big step in your life? The ultimate challenge for Jesus was dying on the cross to save mankind. The ultimate reward is that His Death and Resurrection is the greatest gift to us because through Him we can be saved. Embrace your endeavors, knowing that through the grace of God you will have discernment, strength and guidance.

By the end of day one, my calves ache, my head aches, I feel dirty; and I find myself calculating and recalculating the risk of having a helicopter make an emergency landing in the forest to pick me up and take me back to New York. On the first two days, it is nonstop backpacking. And on the third day, we strap on helmets and harnesses and ascended 90 feet against the rock faces of Pisgah National Park as we learn and practice our rock climbing technique.

Ok, so why exactly did I want to do this? I could list two reasons for initially signing up:

1. I wanted to get away from the city

And

2. I wanted to see what my limits were (for some strange reason)

So here’s what I actually learned:

When you’re rock climbing, and especially if you’re climbing in unknown territory, you want someone who knows what they’re doing to hold the end of your rope, or else the whole thing is really, really scary.

The heavy pack. Despite my misery when breaks ended and it was again time to swing it back on, I actually missed my pack when I came home and didn’t have to carry it around anymore. When I got back to New York and became busy with school and everything else the city has to offer, I suddenly felt so ungrounded and directionless. I learned that though the pack is heavy, it grounded me physically and reminded me of my purpose and goal that day in the woods. I felt more secure with it on my back. I realized that we all need something to ground us in the unfamiliar wilderness of this world, that reminds us constantly of our focus and goals each day.

Although it seemed that I accomplished nothing on the first few days of exhausting backpacking, by the last day, something had changed. I miraculously started feeling pretty proud of all that I had accomplished, and much stronger than before.

The New Testament says “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, Message) We need God to allow us to face our weaknesses and fears before we can come to Him as we are and ask for His help. Truly, the time we are at our weakest is when we can fully depend on Him. Taken out of my New York City comfort zone, in an unfamiliar forest, with a 70-pound pack strapped on my back, all I could do was to depend on God to survive and not fall off a cliff.

It also was interesting to see how everyone reacted when pushed to their absolute physical and mental limits on this trip. Some people whined. Some people blamed others. Some got quiet and meditative. I finally learned to cope by talking to God incessantly in my heart, because everyone else seemed to be in their own world; dealing with the wilderness on their own terms. We were a team, but grappling with our own issues in the best way we knew how.

I didn’t realize when I decided to take this trip that my short trip could be a metaphor for life in so many ways. I learned to depend on my creator God nonstop, and talk with Him when I felt uncertain. No wonder God tends to send people out into the wilderness when he has something important to teach them; or reveal about Himself. Even though I sent myself out into this wilderness journey, I learned so much about trusting God and taking risks in life. I am proud that a city girl who’s never camped outdoors could stay alive through this grueling trip. I even ran three miles at the end as part of a personal challenge(Ok, I walked some of it). I learned that it is when we are pushed to our absolute limits and are forced to turn to God for help that we come to know who He truly is.