The Mystery of God and Suffering: Lament Trust and Awe

Humans have long searched for an adequate answer to an age-old question: If God is good why do we suffer? An entire book of the Bible Job is dedicated to the problem of God and human suffering. Theologians across continents and centuries have debated the intricacies inconsistencies and assumptions the question elicits. And of course many have turned to Jesuss own suffering and his horrible death at the cross in search of understanding. All too often the resulting approaches to the mystery of suffering though linked to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and traditions fail to satisfy contemporary hearts and minds.The Mystery of God and Suffering draws guidance from the Gospel of John and the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians and focuses on Gods overflowing love in creation as a foundation for understanding Jesuss death and its implications for those who follow him. This work offers an alternative vision one emphasizing incarnation over atonement for all those who find themselves uneasy or even oppressed by the notion of a vindictive God who demands the suffering and death of his son. The Mystery of God and Suffering also speaks to a larger audience comprised of all those who suffer and search for meaning in their suffering. With a focus on the eternal concepts of life and love that are not simply integral to but inseparable from a God who is good as well as on insights of believers through the ages The Mystery of God and Suffering offers wise guidance for our journey into the abyss of suffering.