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Isn't that the same as saying God planned evil? He set out a plan that includes Him Allowing evil. So evil is in His plan, so He planned evil. That's wrong.

Unless you're a universalist who believes God doesn't know future events, no matter what soteriology you choose you have to accept the fact that God knew even before the foundations of the world who would be saved and who would be condemned. God still went ahead and created the world. Wouldn't you say that God planned evil? Otherwise you're denying God's omniscience.

Harley, evil has been understood in the Apostolic Church for the last 2,000 years as absence of God (in our hearts). That which is not of God is evil. God did not create a non-God. Evil is not a creature of God.

No one doubts that He knew what would happen, but He allows things to develop and uses unorthodox means to accomplish His plan (such as dying on the Cross, suffering in flesh, etc.). Looking at how this unfolds, He is not a Micromanager as you Protestants think of Him.

God teaches us only good. Whatever God created (read Genesis) was good.

Humans are authors of evil. Even when we do justice, we commit evil.

God cannot be the author of evil, because it is not something that glorifies Him. And His creation was done for His own glory, I think you'd agree. Otherwise, if evil also glorifies Him, God is both good and evil, and that would mean that He is not simple, indivisible, eternal and unchanging.

You guys are stuck on this omniscience and omnipotence trap, like the question "If God is all powerful, can He make a rock so heavy that even He cannot pick up?" That's not how God's omnipotence is. That's man's foolishness.

Unless you're a universalist who believes God doesn't know future events, no matter what soteriology you choose you have to accept the fact that God knew even before the foundations of the world who would be saved and who would be condemned. God still went ahead and created the worldWouldn't you say that God planned evil? Otherwise you're denying God's omniscience.

There's a flaw in your logic: the FACT that God is omniscient does not mean that God planned evil. He created the world and saw/sees it's future and past, He did NOT plan evil, He did NOT plan for some of us to be damned and others to be saved. He wants ALL to be saved by our own choice of choosing God's grace.