Suffering and the Christian Life

Suffering and the Christian Life

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  • Author: Rachel Davies
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
  • ISBN: 0567687252
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 224

This volume approaches questions concerning the status and meaning of suffering in Christian life and Christian theology through the lens of a variety of theological disciplines – biblical, historical, practical, political and systematic theology. Scholars from this range of fields concentrate on a number of questions: Is love intrinsically linked with suffering? Are suffering and loss on some level fundamentally good? How is – and how should – suffering and diminishment be viewed in the Christian tradition? Featuring leading voices that include Linn Tonstad, Bernard McGinn, Anna Rowlands, John Swinton and Paul Murray, this volume brings together essays touching on concrete issues such as cancer, mental health, and the experience of refugees, and discusses broad themes including vulnerability, kenosis and tragedy. In correlating these themes with the examination of texts ranging from Paul's letters to works of the Cappadocians, Thomas Aquinas, John of the Cross and Mother Teresa, Suffering and the Christian Life offers fresh and accessible academic approaches to a question of vital personal, existential significance.


Suffering and the Christian Life

Suffering and the Christian Life

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  • Author: Richard W. Miller
  • Publisher: Orbis Books
  • ISBN: 1608332802
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages :


The Christian's Biggest Challenge: And Other Hard Truths Concerning Suffering

The Christian's Biggest Challenge: And Other Hard Truths Concerning Suffering

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  • Author: Clayton Howard Ford
  • Publisher: Lulu.com
  • ISBN: 0359601766
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 162

Suffering, whether it has come through sickness, tribulation, or persecution, has been an integral part of the Christian lifestyle throughout Church history. But it is not an integral part of the modern Western lifestyle. Some would even teach that suffering should not be an integral part of the modern Christian lifestyle. The Word of Faith ministers would have us believe that God wants us to be healthy and wealthy all of the time, even on this earth in this lifetime. These essays challenge us to look afresh at the role of suffering, in whatever form it takes, in the Christian's life. They remind us that we Christians are called by God to suffer not only for our sake but also for the sake of others and for the sake of Christ. And they remind us that no matter how long we suffer, it is only temporary. We have another life waiting for us. These essays were written to help us to understand what the Word actually says about healing and suffering and so find the faith to endure.


Kingdom Suffering

Kingdom Suffering

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  • Author: John Wimber
  • Publisher:
  • ISBN: 9780892836147
  • Category :
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 50


Persecution and Suffering

Persecution and Suffering

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  • Author: Union Biblical Seminary (Pune, India). Centre for Mission Studies. Consultation
  • Publisher: ISPCK
  • ISBN: 9788172146658
  • Category : Christianity
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 160

Papers presented at the 7th CMS Consultation, held in Pune from 7th to 9th Feb. 2000.


God and Human Suffering

God and Human Suffering

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  • Author: Douglas John Hall
  • Publisher: Fortress Press
  • ISBN: 9781451407174
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 228

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.


Crossroads of Agony

Crossroads of Agony

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  • Author: Troy D. Ehlke
  • Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
  • ISBN: 1469102986
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 215

Have you ever felt a dissonance between the joy-filled Sunday school messages and the difficult sayings attributed to Jesus in the scriptures? There is a movement in American churches today that separates the Gospel into two parts: attractive and repulsive. It is probably surprising for many to know that there is more in the latter category than in the former. Church leaders know that preaching about suffering and demanding personal sacrifice for the sake of discipleship is not going to win over many converts. In fact, people tend to leave and seek out worship centers that portray Christ in kinder, gentler ways. After all, how many of the most applauded preachers of the present generation focus on Jesus teaching of self-sacrifice? More likely, sermons emerge from a prosperity gospel where God will reward the faithful and give bountifully to those who believe. The problem with this movement is that it makes Christianity one-dimensional and shallow. When hardship becomes an unwelcome visitor in our lives, the gospel of rewards doesnt hold up or provide the slightest degree of comfort. Crossroads of Agony is an anti-thesis to the current trends in American Christianity by revealing the call to suffering that Jesus gives to all who wish to follow him. True discipleship must contend with all sides of the faith, not just the ones that make us smile or feel warm and fuzzy inside. Jesus came not to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34)! As believers, we need to embrace suffering and see the value that comes with hardship undertaken for the sake of the Gospel. This book launches its readership into an investigation of the early church through a survey of scripture, historical events, and emerging literature. Without studying the foundations of the church, contemporary communities of faith are adrift without a dependable point of reference. As Woodrow Wilson said, Those who do not know their past are doomed to repeat it. Our heritage is rich with tradition and reveals the highs and lows of human achievement. Our past is the key to unlocking a future that is keeping with Gods will. Crossroads of Agony exposes readers to a side of Christianity few opt to know about it, let alone use to guide their faith. Those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for knowledge will discover that suffering is recast in a different light through Jesus message. What most of us have been trying to run away from is in fact something Christ is calling us towards: a life of suffering for the sake Gods message of salvation. We run because we do not find any value in hardship, but instead see it as something life-draining. Jesus, on the other hand, finds immense value in suffering and even life-producing when undertaken with a spiritual purpose. Jesus puts his life on the line for this truth: Suffering yields lifelife that is everlasting. Crossroads of Agony is a look into the darker side of the faith, one meant for advanced Christians. The deepest truths of the faith are not attractive to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18-19), but are quite repulsive. Only when we find ourselves in the pitch black darkness of our faith heritage are we able to emerge into the light of the Gospel that shatters illusions and unites our souls with the divine. If we run from suffering, the best we can achieve is a superficial relationship with God because it means we still value our life above the Gospel. Jesus demands the opposite: the saving Word of God above all else. This level of faith development requires a new understanding of suffering, one where this world is seen as a testing ground, not the end. Reverend Troy Ehlke writes this text in the hopes that people will read it in small groups, devote time to discuss the questions at each chapters end, and develop a renewed sense of call to labor for the kingdom of God. While we experience distress in this lifetime, it is not without reward. In this world, we have the satisfaction that results from spreading the Wor


Why Suffering?

Why Suffering?

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  • Author: Ravi Zacharias
  • Publisher: Hachette UK
  • ISBN: 1455549711
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 240

Why would a loving and powerful God allow so much pain and suffering? In Why Suffering? Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale carefully walk you through a variety of responses that considered together provide a clear, comprehensive, and convincing answer. Responses like: Where there is the possibility of love, there has to be the reality of freedom, and therefore the possibility of pain. Wishing God had made a different world is to wish yourself out of existence. The cross is the key to a compelling and rational explanation for trusting in God in the face of suffering. In comparison with other world religions, the Christian response is highly distinctive. The reality of evil only makes sense in light of the reality of divine goodness. Relational knowledge about God takes the argument beyond reason to the presence of God amidst suffering. God's decision to allow temporal suffering is understandable when viewed from an eternal perspective. Divine goodness shows how to conquer not in spite of, but even through suffering. Here is a book written with great respect for the complexity of the issue, recognizing that some who read it will be in the trenches of deep suffering themselves and others questioning the very existence of a loving God. Why Suffering? provides an answer to the problem of pain and suffering with emotional sensitivity and intellectual integrity.


When the Stars Disappear (Suffering and the Christian Life, Volume 1)

When the Stars Disappear (Suffering and the Christian Life, Volume 1)

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  • Author: Mark Talbot
  • Publisher: Crossway
  • ISBN: 1433533537
  • Category : Religion
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 169

“If you are a Christian who is experiencing suffering—or who is weighed down by the suffering of someone you love—then this book is for you. It offers profound, biblical reflections that do not dodge the hard questions or try to minimize the sometimes overpowering reality of pain and loss. When the Stars Disappear is a gift to every Christian who is hoping for a reason to hope.” —Timothy Larsen, McManis Professor of Christian Thought, Wheaton College When suffering overwhelms us, it is easy to despair and even doubt God’s goodness. As the clouds of suffering roll in, we can lose sight of everything but our pain. In these moments, when the stars disappear, we must turn to Scripture to find assurance that God can and will carry us through. In this book, Mark Talbot recounts the suffering of some of the Bible’s greatest saints. They show us what it means to remain faithful and hopeful through life’s darkest times—and thus help us cling to God’s sure promise that he will never leave us or forsake us but will be with us and sustain us until the storms subside and the stars reappear.


Life Is Hard but God Is Good: An Inquiry Into Suffering

Life Is Hard but God Is Good: An Inquiry Into Suffering

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  • Author: Adele J. Gonzalez
  • Publisher: Orbis Books
  • ISBN: 160833046X
  • Category :
  • Languages : en
  • Pages :