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Feinberg is an academic and had intellectually studied the problem of evil.
Then his wife was diagnosed with Huntington's chorea. In shock,
surprise, and pain, he found his intellectual work was of no comfort.
What he shares here is his personal story of how he came to still
love and serve the God who allows the suffering.
We
would like to think that if we are really trying to seek God's will
and be obedient, evil will not befall us. When it does, we wonder if
we really want to still worship a God who rewards faithfulness with
severe affliction. (17) A crisis of faith often results.
That
is the kind of raw honesty with which Feinberg writes. He shares the
stages he went through after his wife's diagnosis. I was interested
to read that he realized intellectual answers were of little value
for him. This was an emotional problem. A personal experience of
affliction, he says, requires pastoral care, not an intellectual
discussion.
The
issue, Feiberg writes, is how to live with a God who doesn't prevent
or stop the suffering. In helping others live with this reality, he
gives good suggestions on what not to say. He lets us know
what helped him, such as others allowing him to talk and really
listening to him.
He
honestly attacks questions like why some Christians have to suffer so
much and others do not. He reveals the error of our expecting God to
treat everyone the same, extending the grace of pain free living to
all instead of just some. He does explain that affliction is part of
living in a sinful world and that the more we follow God, the more we
can expect attacks from Satan.
I
recommend this book to those who minister to the afflicted. You won't
find any cold intellectual writing about why Christians suffer. You
will find an honest account of how one man came to grips with his
relationship to God in the midst of affliction. You will receive some
good insight into what the afflicted need in the way of ministry. You
will also have some good information with which you can think and
talk about God and suffering, as an Appendix includes several goals
God may want to accomplish in the suffering.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
John
S. Feinberg is professor of biblical and systematic theology at
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has also been a pastor, a
staff member for Chosen People Ministries, and has taught at Western
Seminary and Liberty University.
Kregel,
160 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the
purpose of an independent and honest review.
1 comment:
Joan,
What is the process for getting my book considered for review or discussion?
It seeks to prove Intelligent Design, discusses physical, moral, and spiritual realities, presents support for the Bible from historical, scientific, and prophetic perspectives, and provides a variety of personal stories as proofs to support many of the topics.
Free download at: www.seekingtruth.world/download
I am a former US Olympic and professional athlete and technology entrepreneur, having started/sold two of my own efforts as well as working for several public companies.
Respectfully,
Timm
author@seeingtruth.world
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