A Theology of Suffering

A Theology of Suffering PDF Author: J. Bryson Arthur
Publisher: Langham Publishing
ISBN: 1783687967
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
What if suffering were not arbitrary? Not meaningless, nor a sign of punishment or defeat, but a fundamental element of healing, growth, and triumph? What if suffering were positive? This book is a study and meditation on the nature, origin, and reality of suffering. Contemplating the suffering of Christ and other biblical figures, J. Bryson Arthur investigates a theology of suffering that testifies to its necessity within the plan of God. Bryson reminds us that the nature of suffering is to share fellowship with Christ – to take up one’s cross and follow him. Thus, suffering is not arbitrary but intrinsic to the path God has laid before our feet: a path leading to restoration, wholeness, and fullness of life. An important resource for students of theology, this is also a powerful and hopeful read for anyone seeking meaning in the midst of suffering.

A Theology of Suffering

A Theology of Suffering PDF Author: J. Bryson Arthur
Publisher: Langham Publishing
ISBN: 1783687967
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book

Book Description
What if suffering were not arbitrary? Not meaningless, nor a sign of punishment or defeat, but a fundamental element of healing, growth, and triumph? What if suffering were positive? This book is a study and meditation on the nature, origin, and reality of suffering. Contemplating the suffering of Christ and other biblical figures, J. Bryson Arthur investigates a theology of suffering that testifies to its necessity within the plan of God. Bryson reminds us that the nature of suffering is to share fellowship with Christ – to take up one’s cross and follow him. Thus, suffering is not arbitrary but intrinsic to the path God has laid before our feet: a path leading to restoration, wholeness, and fullness of life. An important resource for students of theology, this is also a powerful and hopeful read for anyone seeking meaning in the midst of suffering.

Between Pain and Grace

Between Pain and Grace PDF Author: Gerald Peterman
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0802488463
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Why is there suffering? When will it end? Where is God in it? Despite how common suffering is, we still struggle to understand it, and even more to bear through it. Between Pain and Grace gets to the heart of this struggle. Its honest and detailed portrait of life challenges our assumptions about pain, emotion, and God himself. Born from a popular college course on suffering, this book answers critical questions like: Is God personally involved in our pain and suffering? How should Christians handle emotions like grief and anger? What does the Bible say about issues like mental illness, sexual abuse, and family betrayal? Striking an elegant balance between being scholarly and pastoral, Between Pain and Grace is useful in the classroom, churches, and for personal reading. The authors draw from Scripture, personal experience, and even psychological research to offer a well-rounded and trustworthy take on suffering. Between Pain and Grace will give you confidence in God’s sovereignty, comfort in His presence, and wisdom for life this side of paradise. It will also make you more tender and better prepared to respond to the suffering of others. Read it today for a richer, more realistic relationship with God.

The Theology of Suffering and Death

The Theology of Suffering and Death PDF Author: Natalie Kertes Weaver
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415781086
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
This book introduces the spiritual and theological issues raised by suffering and dying. It relates theology to practical issues of caregiving and provides a 'toolbox' for thinking about suffering and death in a creative and supportive way.

Why Is There Suffering?

Why Is There Suffering? PDF Author: Bethany N. Sollereder
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310109035
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 181

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Book Description
Your journey begins. The road before you is smooth and straight. You walk for some time, recalling your experiences that call into question the deep realities of life. Up ahead, you can see the road branching in three directions. . . In Why Is There Suffering? you, reader, control the route you take through its "choose-your-own-path" chapters, asking questions and exploring different theological possibilities on the big topics of: God's existence God's nature The nature of suffering Evil Pain Final destiny Taking an intentionally light-hearted approach to a heavy topic this book presents an illustrative introduction to the problem of suffering and the most commonly offered responses to it. Along the road, you'll face multiple possibilities regarding suffering and its theological explanations, and you'll make choices about which one you find most plausible, skipping to that section of the book. Each decision you make leads to further complexities and new choices that reveal how theological beliefs lead to certain conclusions. This book does not offer final answers. Instead, it introduces the "theological" possibilities—both Christian and non-Christian—that you can explore and wrestle with to make informed decisions about your beliefs and clearly see the road you've taken to reach such beliefs. You are, of course, in control of the paths you take through these pages. You decide which explanations work. You can always go back and see what would change if you'd taken a different path. And, who knows. . .you may find that certain pathways resonate with your experiences in ways you didn't expect.

Theology of the Pain of God

Theology of the Pain of God PDF Author: Kazō Kitamori
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : God
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description


God and Human Suffering

God and Human Suffering PDF Author: Douglas John Hall
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 9781451407174
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Professor Hall has written a major work on an agonizing subject, at once brilliant, comprehensive, and thought provoking.In contrast to many writers who gloss over one or the other, Dr. Hall is true both to the reality of suffering and to the affirmation that God creates, sustains, and redeems.Creative is his view that certain aspects of what we call suffering -- loneliness, experience of limits, temptation, anxiety -- are necessary parts of God's good creation. These he distinguishes from suffering after the fall, the tragic dimension of life.Unique is his structure: creation-suffering as becomingthe fall--suffering as a burdenredemption--conquest from within.Professor Hall succeeds in moving the reader beyond the customary way of stating the problem: "How can undeserved suffering coexist with a just and almighty God?" He also evaluates five popular, leading thinkers on suffering: Harold Kushner, C.S. Lewis, Diogenes Allen, George Buttrick, and Leslie Weatherhead.

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God PDF Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 143351902X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
In the last few years, 9/11, a tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and many other tragedies have shown us that the vision of God in today's churches in relation to evil and suffering is often frivolous. Against the overwhelming weight and seriousness of the Bible, many Christians are choosing to become more shallow, more entertainment-oriented, and therefore irrelevant in the face of massive suffering. In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, contributors John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Steve Saint, Carl Ellis, David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Mark Talbot explore the many categories of God's sovereignty as evidenced in his Word. They urge readers to look to Christ, even in suffering, to find the greatest confidence, deepest comfort, and sweetest fellowship they have ever known.

At the Heart of the Gospel

At the Heart of the Gospel PDF Author: L. Ann Jervis
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802839932
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Suffering, while part of the human condition, is a state of being we would rather ignore. L. Ann Jervis here presents a convincing argument that human suffering is worth considering, and she offers the words of Paul as proof. Paul's insights into the predicament and significance of suffering provide the foundation for some of Christianity's most profound and unique contributions to understanding human life. Examination of three of his letters -- Thessalonians, Philippians, and Romans -- reveals his important reflections on accepting the suffering of believers with the conviction that, even as we suffer, God's plan for creation does not include suffering, and God will ultimately banish it. As a result, believing sufferers are not victims of suffering. Jervis hopes that hearing Paul's words on suffering in a fresh light may allow readers to be deeply marked, like the saints and shapers of Christianity, by the power of a gospel of which it is not necessary to be ashamed, precisely because it is not easy but transformative.

The Descent of God

The Descent of God PDF Author: Joseph M. Hallman
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1592444830
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
This is a fascinating study which confirms that there is as much support in the Fathers as in heterodox sources - though different - for the idea of a suffering God. Louis Dupre, Yale University Joseph Hallman here makes a significant contribution to the perennial theological dilemma: how can an unchanging God relate to a changing world? The author displays a mastery of the patristic sources as well as familiarity with contemporary philosophical approaches to the issue. The Greek philosophical assumption of the immutability of God has retained a profound influence on Christian thought until modern times despite the attempts of patristic writers to harmonize the Incarnation with God's immutability. Hallman suggests that the most promising resolution to this dilemma comes to us in the work of Whitehead. Carl A. Volz, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary Hallman's book is unusual and timely. Hallman is a systematic thinker, not a historian, yet he has taken the time to read the early Christian sources attentively, and his conclusions are surprising and provocative. In a sense, this book is a theological version of candid camera: it sets forth those things that early Christian thinkers are not supposed to have said.... In an age in which historians of Christian thought ignore contemporary thinkers, and systematic theologians act as though Christian thought began with the Enlightenment, 'The Descent of God' is a challenge to both brands of obscurantism. Robert L. Wilken, University of Virginia

Suffering Divine Things

Suffering Divine Things PDF Author: Reinhard Hütter
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802846882
Category : Church
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
How do Christian beliefs and practices interrelate? What is the nature and task of theology? These questions have reemerged in the contemporary discussion with new vigor. In this book Reinhard Hütter explores the link between Christian theory and action, rigorously arguing for a renewed understanding of theology as a distinct church practice. Using "pathos"-"suffering" God's saving activity-as a powerful theological motif, Hütter offers fresh insight into the relationships between the Holy Spirit and the church, doctrine and theology, and beliefs and practices. In addition, Hütter shows how reclaiming "pathos" as a central motif for theology challenges modern and postmodern views focused on human identity, agency, and creativity as definitive of theology's nature and task. Throughout, Hütter remains acutely aware of recent trends in theological discourse and develops his argument in conversation with leading contemporary thinkers from North America and Europe. His constructive work promises to reclaim theology's crucial role in the life and mission of the church.