Suffering: The Long Road Back to Partnership with God
Photo credit: Jon Glittenberg | CC2.0, Flickr.
Human suffering poses an emotional and intellectual challenge. How does a good God relate to human suffering? If suffering is evidence of human failing — in not just a personal, but a primordial, sense, such as the biblical story of the fall — what hope is there for relief and healing? However, Jesus reveals a God who suffers because of the primordial failing. So all of our human suffering, whether we acknowledge it or not, happens because we are participating in God’s own suffering. Jesus invites us to more fully partner with him in his own unique, personal suffering for the broken world that he is setting aright.
Conversation Stations
These are the images used in artistic physical displays. They are survey questions and conversation starters that are topically and thematically organized. They demonstrate how Jesus is relevant to each topic or theme. You can also just view the images on your device. If you would like, see all our Conversation Stations; below are the ones that relate to the topic of Suffering.
What Can We Do About Evil? (and instructions and conversation tree)
What Can We Do About Evil? (brochure version)
Whose Justice? (instructions and talk on Christian Restorative Justice)
How Much of an Atheist Are You? (and instructions)
What Story Do You Live In? (and associated message)
Does the Good Outweigh the Bad? (and instructions)
Suffering: Topics:
This section on Suffering is organized in the following way: Suffering and God’s Goodness contains explanations of Scripture and God’s character and activity, and African American Spirituality is a deep, living Christian tradition embodying resistance to human evil and hope in God. Grieving highlights resources for healthy grieving, both biblical and otherwise. Mental Health, Faith, and Jesus spotlights how Jesus and our experience of him intersect with various mental health needs. Church and Shoah is about Christians who were for and against Nazi Germany; it is drawn from our Church and Empire resources; we place it here because of how often people raise it as a question connected to human suffering. General Reflections highlights other resources that may not be Christian per se, but are thoughtful and helpful to consider.
