Arizona State University’s Ratio Christi chapter hosted Christian apologist Frank Turek Monday night for a discussion on the philosophical question of evil. As a philosophy professor, the topic resonated deeply: If God exists, why is there evil?
Turek identified this as the primary objection to belief in God. He noted that while atheists often begin with other objections, once those are addressed, the problem of evil consistently reemerges—whether in conversations with skeptics at a local baseball game or elite physicists at Cambridge.
“What if,” Turek posed, “the very problem of evil that you think disproves God actually points to God?”
During his presentation, Turek recounted an incident on September 10, 2025. While approaching Utah Valley University with Charlie Kirk, Kirk asked him to pray for safety. Turek prayed for the event to be effective and safe.
“God said no,” Turek told the audience. Approximately twenty minutes later, Kirk was fatally shot. Since then, Turek has repeatedly questioned: Where was God?
The incident has drawn criticism from some smug atheists and conspiracy theorists, who have ridiculed Turek’s stance: If Kirk was a devout Christian, why did his God not protect him? Why would anyone choose Christianity if the outcome is such suffering?
