Summary Of Aquinas For Armchair Theologians By Timothy Renick

The age-old problem of the existence of evil and the question of free will is not just a modern-day exercise for theologians. Aquinas addressed these issues in his day and age and author Timothy Renick, in Aquinas for Armchair Theologians, provides a quite excellent explanation of how Aquinas attempted to answer the fore-mentioned issues. This paper will review Renick’s endeavor to enlighten us on how Thomas Aquinas’ answers to evil and free will are foundational to theology. The first question Renick addresses is the one of evil’s existence. To understand Aquinas, one must hold the Biblical account of Genesis as true. For evil, as Aquinas believed, is around because of one being, namely Satan. However, if God is omniscient and omnipotent, why did God allow this evil to persist or even create it? Aquinas responds to these questions with the premise that God is not responsible for the creation of evil and in fact evil does not even exist (Renick). Here is where we are introduced to a foundational idea from Aquinas. Evil is simply a “privation of good”, in other words, a taking away of good from a good object (Renick). To illustrate this concept, Renick uses the example of a
I have always rejected the notion of predestination. For me, to believe that God is in control of everything brings a feeling of hopelessness. What is the point of existence if I have no control over my life? All the pain and suffering I have been through is just because God willed it so. In that case, I could never believe that God is all-loving and benevolent. The view of a timeless God that Aquinas’ presents is more akin to how I see God. He is sees all at once and knows the path I should take; however, I have the choice to walk which path. I also have the choice to use my personal characteristics and individual traits for good. God wills for it to be so, contingent on my choice. I think Aquinas’ argues this