Christ and Horrors: The Coherence of Christology

Adams presents a radical theological response to the problem of horrendous evils through a reformulation of Christology that places divine solidarity with human suffering at its center. The work addresses how Christian theism can coherently maintain belief in a good and omnipotent God given the existence of what Adams terms "horrendous evils" - experiences so devastating they seem to engulf any positive meaning in a person's life, such as the Holocaust or child abuse.

The monograph develops a distinctive christological solution that departs from traditional theodicies. Rather than attempting to justify God's permission of evil through appeals to greater goods or free will, Adams argues that God defeats horrors through divine participation in human suffering. Her central thesis holds that the Incarnation represents not merely God's response to sin but God's identification with victims of horrendous evil. Through Christ's experience of abandonment, torture, and death, God enters into solidarity with all who suffer horrors, thereby providing a foundation for their eventual redemption and the restoration of positive meaning to their lives.

Adams employs a methodologically rigorous approach that combines analytic philosophy with medieval theological resources, particularly drawing on Anselm and Duns Scotus. She critiques both atheistic arguments from evil and conventional Christian theodicies for failing to adequately address the experiential reality of horrors. Her work engages directly with contemporary philosophers of religion including Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne, arguing that their free will and soul-making theodicies remain insufficient when confronted with horrendous evils.

The significance of this contribution lies in its reframing of the God debate around Christology rather than abstract philosophical theodicy. Adams contends that Christianity possesses unique resources for addressing horrendous evil precisely through its central doctrine of divine incarnation and suffering. This move challenges both skeptical dismissals of theism based on evil and rationalistic Christian defenses that minimize evil's devastating impact. The work demonstrates how sophisticated philosophical analysis can illuminate traditional theological commitments while taking seriously the most profound challenges to religious belief. Adams ultimately argues that only a God who suffers with and for horror participants can defeat the life-ruining potential of horrendous evils.