Monday, March 3, 2014

Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller

I really got into this book after the first two-thirds of it.


Keller spends the first two parts exploring suffering and our response to it. Part one is called Understanding the Furnace. In this part, Keller touches on how different cultures understand suffering  and then describing why Christianity should be superior in explaining suffering and providing hope.

Part two is called Facing the Furnace and here Keller plays around with the many objections to belief in a god while allowing suffering.

These first two parts were difficult for me to get through. Keller explains himself by wanting to provide a foundation of different worldviews in connection with suffering before revealing the power of Christ and Christian thinking through suffering.

I was not at all impressed.

But part three grabbed my mind and never let go.

Part three is called Walking with God in the Furnace and we get six chapters of, basically, Timothy Keller sermons using Scripture to uncover our understanding of suffering. He uses one word titles for each "sermon": Walking, Weeping, Trusting, Praying, Thinking Thanking Loving, and Hoping.

This last part was exactly like reading his Encounters with Jesus e-series. I love reading Keller's exposition and practical teaching. If this book could have been just the third part, it would've been cheaper and so much better.


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