is a rare book, Not in the sense that it is hard to find, for it isn't, No, I mean in the sense that what it does is rare, It produced in me frequent exclamations of "oh, that's good" along with equally frequent scrawls of "gobbledygook" in the margin, It is a book that is at once both very good and very bad, I really wanted to give it four and two but that being impossible I settled on three,
So how is it excellent First, in its embrace of Scripture, One of the first things I do with a book that claims to be a theological work is to look at the Scripture index.
This one is thorough. That's excellent. They discuss a wide range of passages and a wide range of biblical examples in the process of building a theology of suffering.
Just as good, though, is the thought provoking principles they pull from those texts, This is absolutely a biblical book, It shows frequently. That alone makes it worth both reading and studying,
How is it "gobbledygook" then First and most, in its aggravatingly annoying academic asininity, Metanarratives and relational ecosystems are flung around like manhole covers, Entire chapters, sections, pages, paragraphs, and sentences are unreadable psychobabble in both term and content, After solemnly declaring they will write a scriptural book they abandon that often, especially in the second half, They cheekily declare that certain problems aren't addressed enough in Scripture so they must bring in all kinds of external perspective, I'm not afraid of a book that makes me think, I'm not afraid of a book that makes me use a dictionary, But I weary of a book that plunks an entire ivory tower of nonsensical verbiage and isolated naval gazing down on my head while claiming to be biblical.
Then, to add injury to insult, they cite a jillion different versions of the Bible, cherry picking whichever one they want, and frequently correcting the ones they do cite.
Make no mistake, it is a valuable book if you have an iron stomach, I intend to pull much from it, But I wouldn't send anyone other than an experienced and godly person to it, It is, in a word, a mixed multitude, Excellent biblical theology of sufferingcovering important topics such as suffering in leadership, sexual abuse, family toxins, and mental illness, OK, this book was amazing for me, I suffer from Fibromyalgia amp Endometriosis, and I can attest to the fact that if God wasn't by my side through the bad days, months, years.
. . I would be a completely different person, Constant, chronic pain changes you, and it's hard not to take it out of those you love, This book answers questions the hard questions that you've been asking yourself as long as you've had pain amp suffering, It's chalk full of things you need to really make the wisdom it offers, sink in, Again, I love when a book doesn't just load you up on advice but offers real stories from real people, I would recommend this book for everyone, not just a person dealing with pain, but ones who suffer from mental illnesses, This book needs to be read by everyone, . . those that suffer and those that love people who suffer, This is a fabulous biblical theology, It is very technical in a couple of parts, but it goes way beyond a word study for suffering, The author covers every aspect of suffering in the Bible, It is thorough and wellwritten with examples from the biblical text, I enjoyed reading it as someone who is suffering paralysis at this moment, If you are interested in how the Bible talks about suffering, you need to read this book, Between Pain and Grace: A Biblical Theology of Suffering by Gerald W, Peterman, Andrew J. Schmutzer answers questions according to the Bible and what God has to say about this subject, When I first started this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it but what an eyeopener it is!
I was very interested in reading this, as I watched my Mother who was dying with cancer, as she suffered and the pain she endured.
And as for myself I have suffered many things throughout my lifetime, I am now living with chronic pain, So yes you might understand why this is a book I would be quite interested in,
The authors take us on a journey through the Bible to show us how God is in pain himself, How it must break the heart of God to see how the people he has created behave so badly toward each other and destroy the earth he made for us to enjoy.
Let's not forget how Jesus suffered for ALL of us, so that we can one day make Heaven our home, Who are we to expect any less suffering or pain than our Father in Heaven and our Savior
With chapters titled.
. .
. The Grammar of Suffering : Basics of Affliction In Scripture
, The Relational Ecosystem of Sin and Suffering
, The Suffering of God
, Emotions and the Suffering of Jesus
, Longing to Lament : Returning to the Language of Suffering
, Suffering and Redemptive Anger
, The Lord's Prayer : Suffering, Prayer, and Worldview
, Leadership and Tears
. Joseph's Tears: Suffering From Family Toxins
, Sexual Abuse : Suffering a Host of Betrayals
, Inner Darkness : The Unique Suffering of Mental Illness
, Suffering and God's People : Community, Renewal, and Ethics
, The Metanarrative Renewed
The authors use Biblical scripture to explain pain and suffering to us in each chapter, along with thoughts and questions at the end
to get us thinking for ourselves.
One of my favorite quotes from this book, . .
"Focus on your healing, not the politics of being a victim"
I highly recommend this book to both Christians and NonChristians alike.
I received an ARC advanced readers copy from Moody's Publishers and NetGallery in exchange for my honest review, rather it be good or bad.
Gerald W. Peterman and Andrew J. Schmutzer, Between Pain and Grace: A Biblical Theology of Suffering Chicago: Moody,,
American Christians dont know how to suffer well, On the one hand, we think the life of faith should be victorious and joyful, so suffering seems like a defeat and a downer.
On the other hand, because suffering seems like a defeat and a downer, it must be caused by insufficient faith or obedience on our part.
Neither hand is biblical, of course, Instead, both reflect the chirpy optimism and cando individualism of modern culture, “If its going to be,” we often hear, “its up to me, ” The corollary of this sentiment is obvious but ignored: “If it doesnt happen, its my fault, ”
What American Christians need is a biblical theology of sufferingone that recognizes lifes hardness without blaming the victims, Between Pain and Grace by Gerald Peterman and Andrew Schmutzer does just that, It situates Christian experience smack dab in the middle of the nowbutnotyet of the gospel:
In our current metanarrativethe overarching narrative of human life for those of Christian faithwe find two opposing qualities existing side by side indeed, they are sometimes mixed together.
First, there is death and those things that go along with it, such as suffering, sin, frustration, betrayal, violence, corruption, and groaning, Second, there are blessings of the gospel: new life, redemption, the indwelling Spirit, adoption, hope, life in Gods community, and ongoing transformation,
Truly, the Christian life means to exist between two worlds: the old world of sin, alienation, and death and the new world of righteousness, holiness, and life.
Until Christ returns, this bothand quality cannot be resolved, God alone can “wipe every tear from their eyes” with finality Revelation:, That doesnt mean there are no actions the Christian community can take to ameliorate existing suffering or to prevent future suffering, We can and must do both, Indeed, “God always uses human agents to carry his plan forward” emphasis in original,
Still, suffering is an intrinsic part of life in the present age, so it is a duty of Christians to understand it better so they can minister to its victims with greater compassion and healing.
The authors contribute to a better understanding of suffering by outlining the “basics of affliction in Scripture” in chapter, Chapterturns to “the relational ecosystem of sin and suffering,” that is, the relationship of God to humanity, of humans to one another, to animals, and to the inanimate created order.
Chaptersandare theological, They describe the suffering of God and of Jesus, Against classical philosophical theism, which teaches that God does not suffer, and against panentheism, which teaches that God is not sovereign over suffering, the authors describe God as a “caring King,” the One characterized by “willing vulnerability” emphasis in original.
Chapterargues that the Church needs to recover the practice of lamentation, that is, “the language of lament, ” The lamentwhether individual or corporateis the most common form of prayer in the Psalms, Contemporary Christians are often uncomfortable with laments frank complaining to Gode, g. , “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me Psalm:, Without lament, however, sufferers cant make sense of whats happening to or in themselves, “The very structure of lament brings shape to the formlessness of suffering, ” For me personally, this was the best chapter in the book,
The remaining chapters discuss a variety of topics: “redemptive anger” chapter“suffering, prayer, and worldview” chapter“leadership and tears” chapter“family toxins” chaptersexual abuse chaptermental illness chapterand the role of the Christian community in ameliorating and preventing suffering chapter.
Each of these chapters mines Scripture for wisdom on the topics, as well as draws on the best of the social sciences, The discussion of “family toxins” in chapter, for example, puts the story of the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph into fruitful dialogue with family systems therapy.
It is a tour de force, Chapterbrings the book to a conclusion by reflecting on the “metanarrative” of Scripture, which progressives in the arc of “Creation è Devastation è Restoration.
” In Christ, Gods devastated creation is being restoredat the individual, social, and cosmic levels,
Between Pain and Grace is not always easy reading, and like most books on hard topics, readers will find all sorts of nits to pick.
Nonetheless, Gerald Peterman and Andrew Schmutzer have written a valuable treatment of a difficult subject, I highly recommend it.
P. S. If you found my review helpful, sitelinkplease vote “Yes” on my Amazon, com review page.
Between Pain and Grace
A Biblical Theology of Suffering
by Gerald W, Peterman, Andrew J. Schmutzer
Moody Publishers
SelfHelp, Christian
Pub DateJun
I was given a copy of Between Pain and Grace through the publisher and their partnership with Netgalley in exchange for my honest review which is as follows:
The author starts this book by pointing out the fact that there is a difference between pain and suffering and the authors go on to talk about the relationship between pain and suffering.
The authors remind us too that we can experience suffering even when there is an absence of physical pain and just as there can be suffering without pain there can alse be pain without suffering.
Peterman and Schmutzer points out there is a relationship between sin and suffering, And that Jesus himself endured suffering,
If you are looking for a book on Pain and Suffering and Grace from a Biblical perspective then Between Pain and Grace is just the ticket.
I give this book five out of five,
Happy Reading 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 wellrounded and trustworthy take on suffering,
Between Pain and Grace will give you confidence in Gods 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, .