Who is the god of this world?

I'm prepping for a presentation for next week's Theology on Tap; on a fit of insanity, I decided that I'd give a presentation called "Finding God in Katrina" in which I'd tackle the problem of evil and suffering insofar as it relates to and impacts on faith.

First and foremost, I don't feel equal to this task; please pray for me.

Second, part of my research is David Bentley Hart's excellent work The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami? In the course of the text, he discusses the dual usage of "the world" in the New Testament, especially in John's Gospel. In so doing, he references 2 Corinthians 4:4, which refers to "ho theos tou aionos toutou": the god of this world. Guess who that is, according to Paul? Satan!

Just a helpful reminder that we live and participate in a constant struggle, a spiritual warfare.

"Alla tharseite, ego nenikeka tou kosmon": But take heart! [Jesus has] conquered the world!