I had a great time speaking at Oxford University today. The subject was “A loving God who allows so much suffering – really?” The venue was what seemed to me to be a new part of Exeter College, about 200 yards down the road from the entrance to Worcester College. The questions afterwards included: “you seemed to be suggesting that it was impossible for God to create a world in which there was free will without there being suffering, but isn’t that what you call heaven i.e. a place God created where there is free will and no suffering?” and “you were arguing that somehow Jesus suffering on the cross diminishes the force of the argument against God from suffering, but surely if Jesus knew his suffering was only going to be temporary that makes Jesus suffering less severe and his vicarious suffering less important?” I really enjoyed it, it was only my second time there, and as our host Josh Venables wrapped up he absolutely blew me away by saying: “And please come back next week, because we’ve got William Lane Craig”. I nearly fell off my chair. Dr Craig being, probably, the person who’s had the biggest impact on my thinking of anyone alive today. Anyway I don’t know if it’s a ticketed event but it’s at Oxford Town Hall at 7.30pm next Friday. Great also to see Bethany Kilbey there, who I served alongside in another university mission earlier this year. She kindly took a photo of some of the crowd for me.