Marilyn McCord Adams
An everlasting hell, as punishment for faults committed in a limited life, cannot come from a perfectly just God.
Life
American philosopher and theologian (1943-2017), a specialist in medieval philosophy (William of Ockham) and in the problem of evil, who taught at Yale, UCLA and Oxford and was also an Episcopal priest. She argues that the horrendous evils of human life can be reconciled with God's goodness only if God gives each life a meaning that defeats them. She matters for the questions on God and evil.
Main works
Argues that God must integrate the worst evils into a life that remains good on the whole for each person.
A major two-volume study of Ockham's philosophy.
Takes up the problem of evil in light of the cross.
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceA Christian priest and theologian, she holds that God is perfectly good and can overcome even the worst evils.
McCord Adams, Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God (1999)
Even horrendous evils can be given meaning within a life, because God can integrate them into a good whole.
McCord Adams, Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God (1999)