GOD: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher - The Podcast
GOD: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher - The Podcast
263. From God to Jerry to You- The Problem of Evil and the Kingdom of God
In Episode 263 of God: An Autobiography, The Podcast, philosopher Jerry L. Martin reflects on one of the most enduring and difficult questions in philosophy and theology: the problem of evil.
In this From God to Jerry to You episode, Jerry describes a pivotal moment near the end of his spiritual journey, when what he calls the “impossible puzzle” finally came together. Drawing on John D. Levinson’s Creation and the Persistence of Evil, Jerry explains how God affirmed a radical insight—that the world, and even God’s presence within it, can be understood as incomplete and still unfolding.
The episode introduces two complementary ways of seeing reality: a horizontal perspective, in which struggle, disorder, and moral effort unfold over time, and a vertical perspective, in which ultimate meaning, goodness, and victory are already present. Through this lens, human action—acts of obedience, love, and partnership with God—becomes essential to the healing and completion of the world.
Jerry also reflects on the Kingdom of God, not as a distant future event, but as a living reality made present through love. Seen in this light, Jesus is not merely a historical figure, but a cosmic presence—one who embodies God’s full presence in the world and serves as a conduit to the Kingdom of God.
This episode offers a thoughtful, non-reductionist approach to suffering, meaning, and faith, and will resonate with listeners wrestling with the limits of purely material explanations of reality.
Listen, reflect, and experience the world from God’s perspective — as it was told to a philosopher.
Other Series:
The podcast began with the Dramatic Adaptation of the book and now has several series:
The Life Wisdom Project – Spiritual insights on living a wiser, more meaningful life.
From God to Jerry to You – Divine messages and breakthroughs for seekers.
Two Philosophers Wrestle With God – A dialogue on God, truth, and reason.
Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue – Love, faith, and divine presence in partnership.
What’s Your Spiritual Story – Real stories of people changed by encounters with God.
What’s On Our Mind – Reflections from Jerry and Scott on recent episodes.
What’s On Your Mind – Listener questions, divine answers, and open dialogue.
Stay Connected
- Read the book: God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher at godanautobiography.com or Amazon
- Share your questions and reflections: questions@godanautobiography.com
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Scott Langdon [00:00:00] This is God: An Autobiography, The Podcast — a dramatic adaptation and continuing discussion of the book God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher by Jerry L. Martin. He was a lifelong agnostic, but one day he had an occasion to pray. To his vast surprise, God answered — in words. Being a philosopher, he had a lot of questions, and God had a lot to tell him.
Scott Langdon [00:00:58] Episode 263. Welcome to God and Autobiography, the podcast. I’m Scott Langdon, and today we bring you a From God to Jerry to You episode that I believe is very much needed in our world today. In this episode, Jerry shares how God handled his deep desire to always want to know the big picture — what it’s all really about, what’s going on down here.
Scott Langdon [00:01:32] There’s a point in Jerry’s journey when he comes across a book by John D. Levinson called Creation and the Persistence of Evil. When Jerry asks God about Levinson’s description of God’s relationship to good, evil, and the world, God confirms that Levinson is right on track. Here’s Jerry to explain things more deeply. I hope you enjoy the episode.
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:02:02] Well, you know, God: An Autobiography, As Told to A Philosopher. It has seventy chapters. As I was moving toward the end — just two chapters away, in chapter 68 — I was still trying to figure out the big picture. From all the things I’d been told in prayer, across cultures, religions, and questions, I kept asking: what is this all about. And then suddenly, the pieces of what I call the impossible puzzle snapped into place. So I prayed about it. “Lord, I’m looking at John Levinson’s book, Creation and the Persistence of Evil. The things he says fit exactly with what you’ve been telling me.”
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:03:00] And God answered, “Yes. Yes.” I restated six points from Levinson’s book, almost reeling them off from memory. And God said yes to each one. The key point is probably the third: there is a negative or incomplete side to God. I’d been told something like that early on, and it puzzled me deeply, given my assumptions. Later we came to Zoroaster. Zoroaster split God into two opposing gods — a good God and a bad God. But that’s not quite right. As the story unfolded in prayer, it became clear that God, who permeates the world, is not fully integrated. Parts can come into conflict with each other.
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:04:11] Levinson presents this as God trying to bring order to the world, while the world continues to resist. This leads to the struggle of order versus chaos, good versus evil, occurring at every level of reality. That struggle describes the world we see. Levinson’s next point comes from the Hebrew Bible. Acts of obedience to the commandments — mitzvot, righteous deeds — make the eschaton, the fulfillment, or in New Testament language, the Kingdom of God, happen right now.
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:05:25] When you behave rightly, with your heart open to God, you are actualizing the ultimate fulfillment of the world in the present moment. This leads to another point: human effort, partnership with God, is essential to overcoming incompleteness. We are not incidental. Faith in God means faith in God’s ultimate goodness, not necessarily God’s immediate goodness. In the final analysis, God is good and evil is overcome. But in the present — in the horizontal dimension — God and the world are works in progress. And again, God said, “Yes.”
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:07:04] There are two valid points of view. Horizontally, God and the world move in a disordered way, struggling toward a hoped-for victory. Vertically — looking at all times at once — God is fully good and victorious. From the vertical point of view, both the struggle and the victory are present now. Events don’t just move from earlier to later. They can also be viewed vertically, in terms of what they point toward.
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:08:45] Every moment is like a flower turned toward the sun. Whether we notice it or not, the moments of our lives are turned toward the divine. Horizontally, we struggle to make the world better. Vertically, as we are present to God, the victory is already won. I asked, “Is there anything else I need to understand?” And I was told, “Look at Jesus again, in this light.”
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:09:38] The Kingdom of God is here. Jesus is not just a figure in first-century Palestine. His presence is a cosmic event. He represents and is God’s full presence in the world — a loving presence. Jesus’ message was about the Kingdom of God. That’s why the Lord’s Prayer pleads, “Thy kingdom come.”
Dr. Jerry L. Martin [00:10:47] God asked me, “What do you take his mission to be?” To bring a message of love. To embody love. The Kingdom of God — the Kingdom of love. The ultimate triumph over evil is to be in tune with the God within you and to express that divine love to others. So I asked, “Is Jesus a conduit — a connector — to the victory level, the Kingdom of God?” And God answered, “Yes.” With an exclamation point. A sharply affirmative yes.
Scott Langdon [00:12:07] Thank you for listening to God: An Autobiography, The Podcast. Subscribe for free today wherever you listen to your podcasts and hear a new episode every week. You can hear the complete dramatic adaptation of God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher by Jerry L. Martin by beginning with Episode 1 of our podcast and listening through its conclusion with Episode 44. You can read the original true story in the book from which this podcast is adapted — God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher — available now at amazon.com, and always at godanautobiography.com. Pick up your own copy today. If you have any questions about this or any other episode, please email us at questions@godanautobiography.com, and experience the world from God’s perspective — as it was told to a philosopher. This is Scott Langdon. I’ll see you next time.