Walking with God through Pain and Suffering

by Timothy Keller

Paperback, 2015

Status

Available

Call number

248.8

Series

The Life Building Series

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

Nonfiction

All Topics

Publication

Penguin Books (2015), Edition: Reprint, 384 pages

Description

The problem of pain is a perennial one; and for those who undergo particular sufferings it can often be the largest obstacle for trusting in a good and loving God. If such a God exists, why is there so much suffering in the world? And how do we deal with it when it comes into our lives? In his fullest and most passionately argued book since 2008's bestseller The Reason For God, New York pastor and church planter Tim Keller brings his authoritative teaching, sensitivity to contemporary culture and pastoral heart to this pressing question, offering no easy answers but giving guidance, encouragement and inspiration.

User reviews

LibraryThing member CGSLibrary

Summary:
The problem of pain is a perennial one; and for those who undergo particular sufferings it can often be the largest obstacle for trusting in a good and loving God. If such a God exists, why is there so much suffering in the world? And how do we deal with it when it comes into our lives? In

his fullest and most passionately argued book since 2008's bestseller The Reason For God, New York pastor and church planter Tim Keller brings his authoritative teaching, sensitivity to contemporary culture and pastoral heart to this pressing question, offering no easy answers but giving guidance, encouragement and inspiration

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2 more

LibraryThing member homeschoolmimzi

A first I didn't want to read this book. I have a prejudice against trendy-looking mega-church pastors, and Tim Keller sort of fits the stereotype, with his shaved head and earring. I was expecting some well worn Christian cliches, lots of Bible verses and little new in terms of insights and

wisdom. Boy was I wrong. This was no hyped up how-to book. Walking with God through Pain and Suffering was a philosophical book of sorts, with sound reasoning, logic and grounded theology. I found myself highlighting a lot of sentences and entire paragraphs.

Here are some quotes that resonated with me:

We are so instinctively and profoundly self-centered that we don't believe we are.

The 'rage' at the dying of light' is our intuition that we were not meant for mortality, for the loss of love, or for the triumph of darkness. In order to help people face death and grief we often tell people that death is a perfectly natural part of life. But that asks them to repress a very right and profound human intuition- that we were not meant to simply go to dust.

Almost no one grows into greatness or finds God without suffering, without pain coming into our lives, like smelling salts to wake us up to all sorts of facts about life and our own hearts to which we were blind.

There were many other passages that were compelling. .. This is a book to hold onto, to read and to re-read, as an invaluable resource. For sufferers, people who work with sufferers and people who live with sufferers. And so it is for everyone.

Just started this book, and so far I'm thrilled. It starts off w/a synopsis of different cultures' ways of dealing with suffering. Fascinates me to read how other peoples handle things.... how they understand the world and their purpose in it. We Westerners think our ways are the best. Lots of philosophical insights here. Looking forward to reading this one.

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LibraryThing member broreb

Best Books on pain and suffering I've read.

Fewer