The following paper makes use of research I undertook in grad school to answer an important question: whether we should appeal to free will or not when responding to the problem of evil. As the paper seeks to make clear, the issue is a bit complex, not least because of the nature of things like logical contradiction. Although I do not write or research much in philosophy anymore, I thought posting this paper might be helpful due to the widespread confusion that persists on this issue (for example, many people appeal to free will without realizing what is at stake). For those unused to philosophy, try taking the paper in small doses. Philosopher friends reading this paper may email me with suggestions.