Issue 10 Preaching through AdversityBlog | Book Reviews
Book Reviews
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 18.03.17
Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering Timothy Keller, Hodder & Stoughton (2015) RRP £9.99 five stars
It is not, as Keller himself, points out, a book for those in a current crisis of suffering, neither is it a handbook for those offering pastoral care to dip into when looking for helpful guidance. It is, however, a book that I think will interest, challenge and reshape many Christians both in relation to their own understanding of God and suffering and in relation to the theology and practical care given by the church. It is also a book to be read and to become part of your DNA so that when suffering comes, as it will, to you or those you serve, you are prepared, you have reserves of understanding of God’s wisdom to call on.
The book is divided into three parts: Understanding the Furnace (looking at how different cultures and religions frame suffering); Facing the Furnace (clear explanation and exploration of Christian teaching and why it offers a different way of experiencing and learning from suffering); and Walking With God in the Furnace (using the experiences of suffering in the Bible to help us reach the deeper truths to help us through our own suffering and suggesting distinct responses, but no easy answers).
All three parts of the book are quite theological, though with examples from
