The Table Podcast Is God Really There?
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Mar 31, 2026 Charity Anderson, philosopher at Baylor studying religious doubt, and Kevin Wong, analytic theologian at Dallas Theological Seminary, probe divine hiddenness. They define why God might feel absent. They frame hiddenness as evidence to weigh, explore biblical and theological reasons for partial concealment, and offer ways believers and seekers can honestly engage with doubt.
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Charity's Personal Journey Into Hiddenness
- Charity Anderson recounts personal experience: she had strong spiritual experiences in youth that tapered off and received conflicting explanations, sparking long-term curiosity about hiddenness.
- That confusion—being told both 'God is withdrawing' and 'it's you'—motivated her academic study of the topic.
Divine Hiddenness As A Problem Of Evil
- Divine hiddenness functions like a species of the problem of evil, challenging belief in an O3 (omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent) God when God's presence isn't obvious.
- Kevin Wong compares it to a parent absent during a child's pain: presence matters even if rescue doesn't occur, making hiddenness philosophically significant.
Hiddenness Should Be Counted As Legitimate Evidence
- Treat hiddenness as evidential rather than decisively disprovable; it's one reason among many that can legitimately count against belief for some seekers.
- Charity Anderson reframes the debate to admit hiddenness as genuine evidence, urging honest engagement instead of dismissive rebuttals.
