Sometimes I have Big Thoughts, which seem to me important. It would appear self-evident, though, that if these ideas are any good, someone must have come up with them before me. And if nobody has, it’s probably because they’re not as good as I think they are.

But I forge ahead, in all the boldness of the simple-minded. I have a sort of an answer to the problem of Theodicy.

No, make that a proposal for an answer.

No, not even that. An approach to a proposal.

In any case, I’ve written about these matters here before, but I think it’s been a while, perhaps quite a long time.

The problem of Theodicy is familiar to many of you. It’s one of the really big questions – if God is good, why does he permit such horrendous evil to exist in His world? (Recent events in the Middle East have given us ample cause to contemplate this question, when we’re not weeping, tearing our hair, and stocking up on ammunition.)

My proposal for thought is that we ought to look at the universe as a Story.

Every writer knows that there’s no story without conflict. And conflict means pain. One of the hardest disciplines many writers must learn is how to torture their characters. Although I love reading exciting stories, I often fear I can’t bear the stress when a good author turns the dramatic tension (which means fear and pain) up to 10. When I’m writing, I’d much rather be nice to my characters (most of whom I quite like), but I know my stories would be degraded.

Does this help explain why there’s suffering in the universe? Is God telling a great story?

Now I can hear the objections – “That’s obscene! When we contemplate the evil suffered by innocents in places like Gaza, it’s simply an insult to suggest that God is using those people like toys in some cosmic story-telling game.”

To that I reply – very tentatively – suppose it’s not just a game. Suppose stories aren’t actually trivial?

Suppose stories are the most important things there are?

Suppose our universe is not just “a” story, but “THE” story – and that story is the glory of God, the music of the spheres, the liturgy of the Great Throne, the song of angels.

If that still seems trivial to you, I ask this question – “What can you suggest that’s more serious than a story – if you’re in it?”

And suppose – just suppose – you had an assurance from the Author that somehow – in some way you can’t comprehend – the ending would be happy?