Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
Week 2: Chapter 1 — The Challenge of Suffering to Christian Faith
Read Chapter 1 of Walking with God through Pain and Suffering.
Previewing Week 2 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.
Keller opens Part One by surveying the landscape of suffering honestly — refusing to give easy answers before the full weight of the question has been felt. Come to this chapter willing to sit with the discomfort.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller presents the classic philosophical problem of evil: if God is all-good and all-powerful, why does suffering exist? How had you previously thought about this argument — as something you'd worked through, something you'd avoided, or something that genuinely troubles you?
2.Keller distinguishes between the "philosophical problem" of evil (an intellectual argument) and the "personal problem" of evil (the existential reality of suffering in one's own life). Why is this distinction important, and how does each require a different kind of response?
3.Keller points out that many people lose their faith not because of a new philosophical argument but because of a new personal experience of loss or pain. Have you seen this happen — in your own life or in someone close to you? What did that look like?