Six prominent scholars explore the meaning of suffering as both mystery and challenge in the Christian life. The first three essays in this compact, two-part study lay the foundation of a biblical understanding of suffering, while the second three explore suffering through the lenses of systematic theology and spirituality. Each writer offers a unique approach, yet the book functions effectively as a coherent whole. The thorniest themes endemic to the reality of suffering recur like a refrain throughout these essays, gathering resonance and complexity through the layering of voices across the spectrum of theological disciplines.
The book begins and ends with essays that highlight the theme of lament. In chapter 1, Daniel Harrington explores the variety of Old Testament perspectives required to understand Jesus and the New Testament, focusing extensively on Psalm 22 by way of example. He notes the importance of such psalms of lament in helping suffering persons “get in touch with the intensity of their feelings, and express them in no uncertain terms” (5). In her profoundly experiential concluding chapter, Elizabeth Dreyer suggests that the proper spiritual response to suffering is the kind of authentic solidarity that allows one to weep with others in a lament that is global as well as personal. Like Harrington, she identifies the seed of hope and trust at the heart of lament, and situates suffering in the mystery of love.
Dennis Hamm and Susan Calef engage the mystery of suffering in the letters of Paul and the Gospel of Mark, respectively. In distinct ways, each illuminates the meaning of the cross in terms of persecution for the sake of the gospel, and emphasizes “apostolic suffering” as the inevitable side effect of following Jesus. In this light, Calef critically cautions against identifying any and all human suffering with Jesus' injunction to “take up your cross.”
In a highly metaphysical essay marked by transcendental Thomism, Richard Miller explores the problem of suffering through a nuanced analysis of freedom and the limits of human knowledge in relation to the mystery of God. In the process, Miller both defines and illustrates the discipline of systematic theology in a manner helpful for undergraduate students. In complementary fashion, Michael Himes locates suffering in the experience of creatureliness and lack of control. His theological reflection on Scripture in relation to existential human experience upholds Jesus as the one who reveals our humanity to us in his own struggle to surrender to God's mysterious will. The theological task, he notes, is not to provide answers, but “to clarify exactly how difficult, how puzzling, and how pressing the questions are.” Resonating with his colleagues in this volume, Himes concludes that “faith enables us to hold with equal strength the reality of our suffering and the conviction that God's will is always love” (122).
Overall, this scholarly yet accessible collection is an excellent resource for introducing undergraduates to a spectrum of theological approaches to the mystery of suffering.
