Suffering and the Christian Life - by Rachel Davies & Karen Kilby (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This volume approaches questions concerning the status and meaning of suffering in Christian life and Christian theology through the lens of a variety of theological disciplines - biblical, historical, practical, political and systematic theology. Scholars from this range of fields concentrate on a number of questions: Is love intrinsically linked with suffering? Are suffering and loss on some level fundamentally good? How is - and how should - suffering and diminishment be viewed in the Christian tradition?

Featuring leading voices that include Linn Tonstad, Bernard McGinn, Anna Rowlands, John Swinton and Paul Murray, this volume brings together essays touching on concrete issues such as cancer, mental health, and the experience of refugees, and discusses broad themes including vulnerability, kenosis and tragedy. In correlating these themes with the examination of texts ranging from Paul's letters to works of the Cappadocians, Thomas Aquinas, John of the Cross and Mother Teresa, Suffering and the Christian Life offers fresh and accessible academic approaches to a question of vital personal, existential significance.

Review Quotes

Rather than treating suffering as a 'problem' to be explained, the contributors to this remarkable volume explore its impact on the texture of theology as a whole. The result is a multi-faceted demonstration of how profoundly what Christians think about suffering affects how they imagine discipleship.
Ian A. McFarland, Emory University, USA

The volume will be constructive and thought-provoking for graduate students and scholars across a
range of theological specialties, since it clearly demonstrates how assumptions about suffering shape discussions
of sin, salvation, spiritual formation, and other key theological themes.
Modern Theology

About the Author

Karen Kilby is Bede Professor of Catholic Theology at Durham University, UK.

Rachel Davies is Research Fellow at Australian Catholic University, Australia.