Category Archives: Suffering

Why ministry is hard: The suffering minister

Pastoral Ministry

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In last month’s column, I looked at the bad experiences of the Old Testament prophets. I noted summary statements made by Jesus and Stephen about how every single Old Testament prophet was persecuted and attacked for his message. Ultimately, they were being attacked for the gospel message, because their message was one of judgment and salvation, both from the hand of God.

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Making sense of disaster

Life

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Disasters strike mankind with great frequency and variety. Most of the ‘smaller’ ones go unreported, and are known only to the friends and relatives of the victims. The ‘larger’ ones, however, usually make the news headlines, and arouse feelings of bewilderment and loss in the wider community. Earthquakes, floods, shootings, crashes—how do we make sense of such disasters? In particular, how do we make sense of why they happen to whom they happen?

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The Gift of Suffering

Everyday Ministry

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All we card-carrying evangelicals know the doctrine—suffering is good for us! We don’t go looking for it, but we know it will happen, and we know that when it does happen God gives us peace and perseverance in the midst of it. We hang in there, read Job a few more times and wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. We also know that the gospel of health and wealth promoted by people such as Benny Hinn and his mob is right off the deep end of delusion. What looked like a healing of back pain was really a warm fuzzy glow which came from turning down the air conditioning in the Sydney Entertainment Centre. (I sat through five hours of the rubbish, so you can trust me here).

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Top Shelf: Suffering (Review)

Review

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Top shelf: A guide to the must-read books in important areas of evangelical thought and life.

  • A .Van De Beek, Why: On Suffering, Guilt and God. Tr. J Vriend, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.

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