Don’t miss Al Mohler’s continued discussion of the proper way to view the tsuname. Also, GetReligion has a great roundup of various theological takes on the subject here. I like this bit from the comment section of that post:
"C. S. Lewis gives the answer in long form in The Problem of Pain, but it can be summarized succinctly: If matter and energy obey regular laws, events will occur that abruptly alter the environment, and organisms may be unable to cope with the results. In the particular case of the Indian Ocean, two tectonic plates struck each other, forcing one to sink and one to rise. The process created a huge wave that then spread until it came violently ashore.
That God could have created a universe in which no clashes of this kind would occur is not imaginable. He could still the waters, but a continual procession of miracles would make natural law unreal. The choice is between a cosmos in which law is the norm and miracle the exception or one in which constant divine action imposes pain-free harmony.
A little reflection reveals that life in the latter universe would be pointless. We would be denizens of an eternal nursery, with no reason to think or act. That fate would be worse than the risk of being struck down prematurely by flood, fire, pestilence or famine.
No one likes to say bluntly that pain is the price of meaningful life. It sounds like an abstract and unfeeling response to a gigantic human tragedy. The purpose of philosophical inquiry is not, however, to bestow comfort. It can only inform us that the universe has hard edges and would not be improved by being constructed of sponge rubber. For consolation after being cut and bruised, we must look elsewhere."