Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
Week 11: Chapter 10 — The Varieties of Suffering
Read Chapter 10 of Walking with God through Pain and Suffering.
Previewing Week 11 of Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Not all suffering is the same — and Keller gives careful attention to the different forms it takes. This chapter invites you to think specifically about the kinds of suffering you are most familiar with.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller distinguishes between different kinds of suffering — suffering we bring on ourselves through our own sin, suffering caused by others' sin, "random" suffering through illness or accident, and suffering for righteousness' sake. Why does it matter which category our suffering falls into? Does it change how we respond or what we can say to God?
2.Keller gives specific attention to the suffering of grief and loss — the death of someone we love. He draws on both Scripture and the literature of grief to describe the disorientation, the waves, the unexpected triggers. How does the Christian account of death (as an enemy that has been defeated, not just a natural part of life) shape how we grieve?
3.Keller also addresses suffering caused by injustice — racism, poverty, oppression. He insists that Christian theology must take structural evil seriously, not reduce all suffering to individual spiritual issues. How does the gospel speak to suffering that is systemic rather than merely personal?
a.Have you ever suffered as a result of someone else's injustice or systemic wrong? How did you make sense of it?
b.How does the Christian hope of the new creation — where every wrong will be put right — speak to that kind of suffering?