It is hard to escape the conclusion that God does not do his work in us apart from the experience of suffering and pain….Read more at: Connexions: House of Pain
If this is true, then churches will need to be places where such trials and tribulations can be openly admitted, dealt with and learnt from, rather than avoided and shoved under the carpet.*
* Graham Tomlin, Spiritual Fitness: Christian Character in a Consumer Culture (London / New York: Continuum, 2006), pp. 125-27.
2 comments:
I don't believe God causes suffering;then you would have to believe that God causes some people to suffer more than others on the basis for example of race or socio-economic status or even gender. I do believe that following the path of God (living as God asks with courage and boldness) especially in terms of standing up for social justice and equality can result in suffering.
I don't think that God causes suffering. I do think that suffering is part of life and that:
(a) We can learn more if we acknowledge our suffering rather than trying to deny or avoid it;
and
(b) Church life often revolves around denying suffering rather than being places where suffering people can "be".
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