When Suffering Is Redemptive

When Suffering is Redemptive offers hope when life is difficult. The eight stories of this book do not seek to explain the "why" of suffering but rather the present ways that God transforms and redeems suffering, particularly how suffering leads to ministry opportunities. Though the stories are personal and sometimes difficult to tell, the authors are transparent with their struggles and honest in their questions. Yet they have not lost sight of Christ and his purpose for their lives. This book will challenge readers to develop a richer sense of God's sustaining grace in the midst of suffering and disability, hopefully resulting in the compassionate involvement of church ministries with those who are in the trenches of their own personal pain or struggles. Along with the personal stories, this book includes discussion questions and suggested resources at the end of each chapter.

This book addresses the question everybody wants to know: what is the meaning of suffering? Why must we suffer? Does it have a purpose? How can we grow through our suffering, find peace, and give peace.

By examining the details of Jesus's example of suffering, this powerful resource helps readers understand the relationship between human pain and God's power and love, revealing how we can draw on our inner strength and faith in God to overcome our own personal challenges. Original.

Published on February 11, 1984, Salvifici Doloris addresses the question of why God allows suffering. This 30th anniversary edition includes the complete text of the letter plus commentary by Myles N. Sheehan, SJ, MD, a priest and physician trained in geriatrics with an expertise in palliative care. Acknowledgments of recent episodes of violence bring the papal document into a modern context. Insightful questions suited for individual or group use, applicable prayers, and ideas for meaningful action invite readers to personally respond to the mystery of suffering.

The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems– both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

This book addresses the concept and practice of redemptive suffering. It describes the origin of suffering, types of suffering, salutary repentance and discusses some end-of-life decisions. The suffering of Our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Paul and Job are explored followed by how to practice redemptive suffering, effects of redemptive suffering and modern examples of suffering. A couple chapters are dedicated to Care for the Caregiver and Interventions for Suffering.

This book explores the roots and relevance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach to black suffering. King’s conviction that “unearned suffering is redemptive” reflects a nearly 250-year-old tradition in the black church going back to the earliest Negro spirituals. From the bellies of slave ships, the foot of the lynching tree, and the back of segregated buses, black Christians have always maintained the hope that God could “make a way out of no way” and somehow bring good from the evils inflicted on them. As a product of the black church tradition, King inherited this widespread belief, developed it using Protestant liberal concepts, and deployed it throughout the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s as a central pillar of the whole non-violent movement. Recently, critics have maintained that King’s doctrine of redemptive suffering creates a martyr mentality which makes victims passive in the face of their suffering; this book argues against that critique. King’s concept offers real answers to important challenges, and it offers practical hope and guidance for how beleaguered black citizens can faithfully engage their suffering today.

She's seen slave dungeons in Ghana. Genocide in Rwanda. Systemic sexual abuse in Brazil. Child abuse and domestic violence in the US. After forty years of counseling abuse survivors around the world, Dr. Diane Langberg, a world renowned trauma expert, remains certain that what trauma destroys, Christ can and does restore. This book will convince you, too, of the healing heart of God. But it's not a fast process, instead much patience is required from family, friends, and counselors as they wisely and respectfully help victims unpack their traumatic suffering through talking, tears, and time. And it's not a process that can be separated from the work of God in both a counselor and counselee. Dr. Langberg calls all of those who wish to help sufferers to model Jesus's sacrificial love and care in how they listen, love, and guide. The heart of God is revealed to sufferers as they grow to understand the cross of Christ and how their God came to this earth and experienced such severe suffering that he too is "well-acquainted with grief." The cross of Christ is the lens that transforms and redeems traumatic suffering and its aftermath, not only for the sufferer, but it also transforms those who walk with the suffering. This book will be a great help to anyone who loves, listens to, and seeks to help someone impacted by trauma and abuse. There is no quick fix, but there is the hope for healing through the love of God in Christ.