I think that some of the modern, and perhaps not so modern, theological efforts to define evil in terms of goodness (as if evil was nothing but not good) are one of the most profound theological mistakes ever made. This definition of evil is a subversive reification - attempting to attribute existence to an abstraction, thereby denying the independent reality of evil.

Likewise, when we treat darkness as the absence of light we are reifying our concept of darkness. For clearly the experience of darkness isn't simply the experience of not-light, but a different experience, which must be defined in-itself, and not by reference to another. Spinoza makes this point quite well.

But what is the problem with this error, and why is it so serious? Because it leads to incoherence, and quite possibly blasphemy. If evil is the absence of good and evil exists, then God cannot be omnipresent, because God is good. So where evil exists, God is not, ie He's not omnipresent. We could surely deny that evil really exists, but that would be equally problematic. Another solution would be to say that in-so-far as something exists, it is good, whereas evil is only in-so-far as the thing doesn't exist. But that is self-contradictory not to mention that it is yet another reification.

The other issue is that it becomes incoherent who created evil. For clearly Satan could not have brought forth evil unless evil already existed, and was, as it were, dormant, awaiting to be actualised. But, if evil is the absence of good, neither could God have created evil. In fact, it gets worse! Evil would be uncreated, which would lead to a position of ditheism, totally antithetical to Christian theology.

The other major problem is that it becomes possible to put into question God's goodness, but that is incoherent for reasons I will illustrate later.

So it must be that when we think of evil as the opposite of good, we certainly don't mean they are opposites in a logical sense. But rather opposite as in two alternatives.

Both evil and good seem to be defined with reference to God's Law. But God is the Creator of the Law - therefore the real God must be beyond good and evil - truly a transcendent God! So when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the question of whether it was good or evil to do so didn't come up - it was a suspension of the ethical, for God is higher than the Law.

Once this is affirmed, then God becomes the Creator of the good and of the evil, and Lord over both. It is finally possible to affirm God's omnipresence - for God is Lord over both good and evil. There is also no question of ditheism anymore. And finally, the debates regarding whether God is good or evil are rendered incoherent. God cannot be judged, because all judgements (with regards to good and evil) are made by the Law, but God is higher than the Law!

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things — Isaiah 45:7