Baal, Moloch and the Abomination of Whitcoulls

I waited for Bart Ehrman's book, "God's Problem", to surface in Auckland bookstores for months before finally giving up and ordering it through Amazon. It was worth it. "God's Problem" explores the question of theodicy - the problem of evil - in the Bible, but without resorting to the usual cheap apologetics and trite platitudes. Ehrman is a Christian turned Agnostic, and strikes me as an individual of raw integrity. The guy can be inspirational, though sometimes I find myself standing in a quite different place on some issues.

But back to the bookstores. Until recently those of us in the great Down Under could at least rely on mega-chain Borders to bring in books like this. Then Borders sold off its stores outside the US, and in New Zealand and Australia pasty-faced bean counters at Whitcoulls - a glorified newsagent with pretensions beyond its capacity - bought the brand. Since that fateful day it has all been, IMHO, downhill. When I gripe about this to friends, acquaintances, colleagues and complete strangers they all - being perceptive souls - look at me as if I'm completely deranged. I guess you have to be passionate about obscure titles on arcane subjects to feel the frustration...

In any case, I noticed that N.T. Wrong located a lecture on YouTube by Ehrman which covers many of the issues he discusses in "God's Problem," and pass it on here. It might seem a little slow at the start, but perseverance paid off for me as he got into his stride. Unlike the book, it's free. Think of it as an appetizer.