Transcript Towards A Pastoral Theology of Suffering

Towards
A Pastoral Theology
of Suffering
with TEARS 2 JOY
Aisha Holman
Ethan White
Jeff Buczynski
Julianna McWilliams
Maud Lew
Mike Holmes
Nathaniel Wilson
Outline
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Zosia’s Story & Responses
The Scandal of Innocent Suffering
The Solution to Radical Evil & Suffering
The Suffering Servant
Counseling a Trauma Victim
Pastoral Counseling
The Fellowship of His Sufferings
Why Did Little Zosia Have
Her Eyes Gouged Out?
How Many Victims?
Responses to Zosia’s Suffering*
 Buddhist: “The cause of suffering is craving due to
ignorance. We bring this suffering upon ourselves.
Zosia must learn to free herself from all attachment in
her next life.”
 Muslim: “All suffering is a trial from Allah. To the
righteous, it comes as a test. To sinners, it comes as
punishment. Since Zosia was not of the faithful, it was
a punishment from Allah.”
 Liberal Christian: “Zosia wasn’t meant to suffer.
Suffering usually happens to let us know we are doing
something wrong or we lost the ‘light of God.’ Blame the
soldiers? No, we can’t judge: ‘Evil’ is a strong word.”
Doesn’t Evil Cause Suffering?
 Atheist / Humanist:
The soldiers were ignorant.
They didn’t know Jews aren’t evil because they’re a
different religion. Evil is collective, and what is evil in
our society may not have been evil in Nazi Germany.
But superstitiously believing in a god probably added
to their problem.
 Secular Postmodern: “Evil is a concept we learn. It
is a standard of disapproval taught by our elders and
our peers as we mature. It changes and it is not the
same for everybody. The innocent behavior of a child
is the evil behavior of an adult. We fight and cause
suffering over the definition of evil. Though an
individual may have his own ideas about good and
evil, the general definition is collective.”
Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil
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What’s good for one is evil for another
No absolutes standards of good and evil
Defining evil leads to conflict & suffering
Judging others is unreasonable (problematic)
Personal accountability is a choice
Man’s goal: Pursue pleasure, reduce suffering
Assumptions
 Notions of good and evil are a form of social repression by a
collective conscience whose capricious standards change over
time and between cultures.
 We can return to primitive innocence (blank slate) by doing away
with repressive notions of good and evil (Ex: primitive utopias of
cultural anthropologists, nudist colonies, liberal agenda).
Reality
 Most people decide that if everybody does it, it’s okay to do it.
 Pursue whose pleasure, reduce whose suffering? Who cares
about suffering depends on how selfish a man’s priorities are.
 A perverted conscience cannot return to primitive innocence, but
projects its perversion into “primitive” contexts. - Ex: Spirit of the
Rainforest by Mark Andrew Ritchie (2000)
 What if getting rid of a repressive conscience does not eliminate
suffering?
World Denies Genocide
World APATHY is not new:
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Embarrassment?
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Guilt? Complicity?
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Impotence?
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The Coalition for
International Justice puts the
death toll at a low of 180,000
and a high of 400,000 in the
Darfur region.
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The U.N. refuses to call it
genocide.
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The U.S. is reluctant to call it
genocide.
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China insists there is no
genocide in Sudan.
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What about the history of
genocide in China?
A ChalIenge to Faith
The slaughter of 180 million from wars and
violence in the 20th century has blown away
the idea of an interventionist God. – Open
Theology (Greg Boyd, Tyron Inbody …)
 Suffering is a scandal that
either draws us to faith, or
becomes its biggest
obstacle.
 Isn’t God “the protector of
the innocent”? Why
doesn’t He intervene?
 If God is unable to protect
Zosia, isn’t He powerless?
 Can God be good who
allows Zosia to be tortured?
 Have we been cheated? Is
our suffering proof that God
has betrayed, abandoned
us?
Is God Really to Blame?
 “I have wounded” Deut 32:39. “I create darkness, I
bring …disaster” Is 45:7.
 God permits evil and disaster that may afflict the
innocent along with the guilty Is 31:3b.
 In the end, His judgment on wickedness and evil is
eternal suffering.
 Does that mean ALL the suffering we see is God’s
punishment of sin and evil?
 NO. Isaiah 57:1
“ … no one understands that the righteous are taken
away to be spared of evil.”
Who Authors Evil and Suffering?
 Evil was found in Satan and man, whose acts of rebellion cause
suffering. God permits these acts, but not forever.
 God lowered the perfection of creation to match our spiritual
state (Rom 8:20-22). The natural effect of a fallen creation is that
even good things can have evil by-products.
 God’s righteous judgment in Eden involves provisional suffering:
Painful childbirth, toil and death.
 God allows this provisional suffering as an act of mercy to
awaken us from our present state of spiritual death and its
ultimate end: eternal separation from God and His glory, the
worst of all sufferings (the future fate of Satan also).
 When it seems unfair, we are the ones who would hasten God’s
judgment on evil. But God’s longsuffering benefits us! Jn 3:16
 Meanwhile, God offers HOPE for His sons who suffer (eternal life,
redeemed creation). He also disciplines those whom He loves.
 Disasters & diseases may strike indiscriminately (apparent
injustice), yet God is able to bring good in spite of them.
Transforming Communities
Fractured by Radical Evil
 Radical group evil  dysfunctional community
 The “Politics of Healing” must stop the endless cycle
of violence in context
Victims
Survivors
Perpetrators
 Symbiotic Relationships
There is no healing for one group without the others, as they are bound
together in a web of inter-connected relationships.
 Radical Faith, Hope & Love must mediate the process of
forgiveness, repentance and solidarity in community for
new life.
Radical Faith
 Case of Job: Suffering
can easily turn to selfpity.
 Yet Job rests his faith
on his assurance of a
redeemer.
 God vindicates and
restores Job because
of his faith.
 Persevering in faith in
the midst of suffering
pleases God.
Hebrews 11:35-38
Recovering Lament
Radical Hope in the Midst of Grief
“For if He causes grief, then He will have
compassion ... For He does not afflict willingly
or grieve the sons of men.” Lam 3:31-33
Blessed are ye that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt 5:4
Radical Love
God Who-is-There
 Radical empathy 1 Co 12: 25-26
 Radical forgiveness
 Does it violate justice? “They view
it as presumptuously arrogant
when someone who is not the
victim proclaims he or she forgives
the offender. Only the victim
herself has the moral right to
forgive an offense against her,
which makes murder a crime no
human can forgive, since the
victim is dead.”
Schimmel, Solomon. Wounds Not Healed by
Time. New York: Oxford University Press,
2002.
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did it unto me… ” - Matt 25:34-46
Satan’s Final Solution
 For Satan and His minions, the “final solution” is the genocide of
God’s people Rom 2:9-10
 As we near the time of Jacob’s trouble, God’s people, the persecuted
remnants of Israel and the church realize more and more they have
the same enemies. Rev 12:13-17
 The sufferings of Jews and Christians are related as part of the
mystery of judgment beginning at the house of God. 1 Pet 4:17
 The coming Tribulation is the time of greatest suffering and greatest
harvest, when the iniquity of Jacob & the arrogance of the nations
are removed, the Great Commission is fulfilled and the Bride
becomes One, undivided, reconciled in Christ, the Holy One of
Israel. Rev 19:7
God’s Final Solution
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
- John 16:33
 “The weight of the biblical view of suffering is not on
the origin of evil, but on what God in Christ has done
about evil.” – James Cone, God of the Oppressed.
 Jesus Christ is God’s Final Solution, God’s final healing
through reconciliation, unity and peace, for the people
of God and for all the nations.
 So what about Zosia? “When I see the face of a child, I do
not see the face of God , but of His enemy. Rather than
showing us how the tears of a small girl suffering in the dark
were necessary for the building of the kingdom, God will
instead raise her up and wipe all tears from her eyes, and
there shall be no more pain, nor sorrow, nor crying.” - Hart,
David B. The doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the
Tsunami? Eerdsmans, 2005.
The Suffering Servant
 Immanuel - God with us
in our suffering
 Made perfect through
suffering - Heb 2:10
 Sympathizes with our
weakness - Heb. 4:15,
16
 Learned obedience from
suffering - Heb. 5:7-9
The Suffering of Christ
deprived of food and water
separated from the Father
physically beaten and maimed
tormented by fear
CRUCIFIED
imprisoned
verbally abused
despised by those He had created
rejected by His closest friends
The Defilement of Glory
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross.
He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.
He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in the purple of
mockery.
He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails.
Fifteenth Antiphon of The Lenten Triodion
What Does the Cross Teach Us
About Suffering?
 It ended!
 God was exalted!
 He was victorious!
 He was vindicated!
 Divine justice was
met!
 God’s truth was
upheld!
That through death He might render powerless him who
had the power of death - Heb. 2:14
Suffering in the Bible
Romans 8:18-24
 Suffering not worthy to be
compared with the Glory to
come, (v.18)
 All creation is waiting for
the sons of God to be
revealed (v.19)
 All creation is suffering
(v.22), even us (v.23a)
 As we wait for the
resurrection promised in
Christ (v.23b)
Preparing for Heaven
 George McDonald
“The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that
men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be
like His.” - 1 Thess 3:3-4; Jas 1:12
 C.S. Lewis
“Suffering is God's will in preparing the believer for
heaven and for the full weight of glory that awaits him
there.” - 2 Thess 1:5; Rom 8:17; 1 Pet 1:5-7
 Suffer for Lord’s sake, not own sin - 1 Pet 2:19-21;
2 Cor 2:9; 1 Cor 10:13
 Shared pain & comfort in Christ 2 Cor 1:5
 Rejoice in sufferings - Rom 5:3-4, 1 Pet 4:12-13; Jas
1:2-3
 Remember those who suffer - Heb 13:3
Counseling a Trauma Victim
(A Pastoral Response)
How
Should One
Respond ?
Learn
Listen
Honor…
How to be a Good Listener
1. Allow the Person to Tell Their Story
However They Can…
Some Ideas:
Pictures, Music and Dance
2. Ask Good Informative Questions
3.Don’t Give Flippant Advice, but Reflect
on their Feelings.
4.Don’t Try to Fix Them…
Changing the Physical does
not change the Emotional
If you could “fix” or “solve”
the problem…
 What would it mean
anyhow …?
 Are you satisfying your
own desire of “helping”?
 If the person is still in
physical danger how can
you fix them?
Medicalizing Suffering
 Pain, guilt, fear, loneliness
are useful warning systems
that something is amiss,
wrong or dangerous.
 Ignoring the root cause
while getting rid of the
symptom of pain leads to
greater pain.
 Quality of life is not just
physical, but also spiritual.
 Ultimate spiritual healing
and restoration is found at
the feet of a healing God.
Identify What is Traumatic
What is traumatic to you, may not be traumatic to someone else
Adam’s Trauma
A person is hit by a car…
 Driven by their spouse…
 Who was aiming for
them purposely…
 Because they wanted
the insurance money…
 In order to move to a
tropical island with
someone else.
People Trauma
When another person is
involved in the origin of
the traumatic event it will
have a greater impact on
the victim.
People Trauma denotes a
direct purposeful attack.
Nature
Trauma
 These traumas consist
of catastrophic events in
nature; tornados,
hurricanes, massive
floods etc. These
traumatic events are
devastating, but they are
also sporadic in
appearance.
 Ultimately does the
person blame God?
How to LISTEN
 Provide Safety
 Give Respect
 Allow the Person to
Tell Their Story
 Pictures
 Music
 Dance
How to Honor
What you are
Learning
 Learn what type of
Trauma it is
 Nature
 People
 Learn how the
person is feeling
 Learn what the
person is afraid of
 Allow the Person to Tell Their Story
 Ask good informative sincere questions
 Give a funeral, if needed
Pastoral Counseling
 Listening helps a person find meaning in their
pain
 Empathy enables shared meanings that
encourage patience and trust in the process of
restoration.
 Acceptance enables shared meanings that can
dissolve anger, denial, doubt, guilt …
 Appropriate responses: Rom 12:15; 1 Pet 5:7
 Inappropriate responses: Prov 25:20
How Not to Help the Afflicted
 Adding a burden of guilt or doubt
 “You must have committed some sin”
 “I told you so”
 “Just remember Romans 8:28” (Do I not love God enough
if He doesn’t turn the evil into good?)
 Platitude & fake empathy
 “We’re all going to die some day”
 “I know how you feel” (share burden not feeling)
 Focus on loss of things rather than people
 Insensitive speculation and minimizing
 “This has probably spared you from worse problems…”
 Enhances feelings of entrapment
 “Don’t think about any major changes”
 Treats an emotional problem as if it’s an intellectual one
 “If you’d just change your view of God, all would be fine”
 Anticipates a conclusion sufferers must reach on their own
 “You should rejoice God has chosen you to suffer”
 “You should be thankful for your situation (1 Thess 5:18)”
When You Are Suffering:
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Seek refuge in God and find reasons for hope
Count your blessings
Focus on present day and its responsibilities
Receive care from others
Help others who are suffering
When Another Is Suffering:
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Visit
Offer practical help - food, cleaning, etc.
Affirm your love and care
Listen - the worst fear is that no one cares
Be silent if you don’t know what to say, but be
PRESENT!
Adapted from John Feinberg’s Deceived by God?
The Silent Companion
 I had come in the house of mourning, where there is
nothing anyone could say. All I needed was silence.
 My soul was left desolate. I must drink my bitter cup
alone. First a soundless cry, then a wailing lament,
then waves of turbulence …
 I had to be still. Not to push away the onslaught, or to
deny what had happened, but to let the pain complete
its furious dance upon my soul.
 There I was utterly powerless before my Maker. I had
to make peace somehow.
 Patience, my soul, listen. Don’t move too quickly, God
will meet you there in the pain, where emptiness,
futility, horror or despair invade your sanity.
 In silence is wisdom. There refuge is real, regret gives
way to repentance, and forgiveness is possible.
Healing
the Broken-Hearted
 Crushed Spirit: Ps 34:18; Ps 51:17, Is 61:2-3
 Hope & Reconciliation: Ps 126:5; 2 Cor 5:19
 Prayer & Comfort: Is 40:1; Is 65:24; Matt 5:4; 2 Cor 1:4-6
Jas 5:14-16; Matt 18:19-20
 Laying Hands on the sick: Lk 4:40; Acts 8:17; 1 Tim 4:14
Uses of Suffering
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Teaching
Discipline
Correction
Spiritual Maturity 1 Pet 1:7
John 15:2 (endurance,
character, pruning, training in
righteousness, “refined in the
fire,” holiness )
 Sacrifice 1 Cor 12:26
(dying to self, help needy,
overcome evil with good)
 Testimony / Evangelism
1 Pt 3:15; 2 Cor 1:3-4; Jn 9:3
(encourage others,
martyrdom, glory of God)
Fellowship of His
Sufferings
 I want to know Christ and
the power of his
resurrection and the
fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings, becoming like
him in his death, and so,
somehow, to attain to the
resurrection from the dead.
(Phil 3:10-11)
 “Think it not strange, then,
concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you; but
rejoice, inasmuch as ye
are partakers of Christ’s
sufferings.” (1 Pet 4:12)
The Persecuted Church
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Persecution of Christians has always been the means through
which dry, hard soil has been tilled for the seeds of the Gospel.
Acts 8:1.2 The stoning of Stephen led to the persecution and
scattering of the early church. This was the means by which the
Gospel was spread to India and Ethiopia. Persecution forced
them out of a comfortable life.
We offer a message contrary to the world and will be met with
persecution. In the West we tend to fear persecution and
suffering because we see so little of it, yet those who have
served God in this way have a depth of faith and have
accomplished feats in the heavenly realm that we, in our
comfortable lives, rarely attain.
Suffering for the
Gospel
What can you do?
Christians in China share the
Gospel despite great cost.
“Chinese pastors are taught
these three things:
(1) Never turn down an invitation
to preach;
(2) Look for a place to run when
you are finished preaching;
(3) Be ready to die that day."
 Prayer is the least,
yet the MOST we
can do for our body
that is being
persecuted.
 Know their stories,
get your church
involved.