Postmodern Realities Episode 221 Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of Pain
When struggling with the loss of a loved one, it is sometimes more helpful to turn to poetry than to philosophy for answers and for consolation. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the greatest and most representative poet of the British Victorian Age, struggled mightily with the problem of pain in an epic poem that he wrote as a way of dealing with his grief over the sudden death of his closest friend, Arthur Hallam. But his poem, In Memoriam, does more than wrestle with the loss of a friend; it wrestles with the societal loss of a traditional Christian worldview. Twenty years before Darwin’s Origin of Species, Tennyson wrestled with the theory of evolution and all that that theory implies about the nature of God, man, and the universe. Although Tennyson, unaware of the modern cosmological, paleontological, and bio-chemical challenges to Darwinism, leans toward theistic evolution, and although he comes dangerously close to endorsing a fully subjectivized faith, his raw, honest grappling with pain and suffering and his yearning for a transcendent God make him a worthy co-wrestler for the modern Christian.This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Louis Markos about his online-exclusive article, “Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of Pain.” https://www.equip.org/article/tennyson-on-theodicy-how-a-victorian-poet-can-help-modern-christians-deal-with-the-problem-of-pain/Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ Coming soon! Check back here and at our article archive page. We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast. Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author: Postmodern Realities Episode 171 Why Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsWhy Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsHank Unplugged: How to Explain Hell with Louis MarkosHow Dante’s Inferno Can Help Explain Hell to Modern SeekersHank Unplugged: Atheism on Trial with Dr. Louis MarkosC. S. Lewis on HellThe Legacy of G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy SayersDon’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.