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Why, O God?
Seminary professors, ministry leaders, and medical professionals deliver theological reflections on suffering with real-world application, all with an aim to train Christians in ministering to those who hurt.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2011
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April 23, 2012
This book includes a number of articles by several different authors and covers a broad spectrum relating to suffering and disability: the Biblical foundation for suffering, the why of suffering, disability ministry in the church, death and dying, the grief process, and more. Since one in five people has some kind of disability, ministering to those with disabilities should be a high priority of the church.
I have had some personal experience with how some churches treat those with disabilities. Years ago, after my stroke, I was searching for a new church. My sister and I visited a megachurch with a nationally known pastor and a national television ministry. I was in a wheelchair at the time, and my sister had to push me. Although we thought we allowed plenty of time, we didn't anticipate the heavy traffic, so we just barely made it to the service on time. No one greeted us or directed us where to sit, so my sister slid into the back row, and I parked the wheelchair in the wide aisle next to the pew. The service was impressive, but as we left, our opinion of the church changed. Again, no one spoke to us, and as my sister pushed me down the ramp, able-bodied churchgoers bypassed the crowded steps and rudely rushed by us down the ramp, nearly knocking me over. That clinched our decision not to return to that church.
After visiting a number of churches where I did not feel welcome, I started regularly attending a church near my home. By then, I was independent on a motorized scooter. I sat in a pew and parked the scooter along the nearby wall. The ushers arranged for the priest to bring Communion to me in the pew so I wouldn't have to transfer to the scooter and go to the altar rail, and people smiled and said hello before and after the service. However, no one ever carried on a conversation with me, and no one ever offered to help me get into the fellowship hall for the social hour following the service. There was a small step into the building that I couldn't negotiate in the scooter. I went there for more than a year and never shared more than a few words with anyone—ushers, clergy, or anyone in the congregation.
Finally I found the church I attend now. I walked into the sanctuary on my first visit rather than ride the scooter, but I used a cane and wasn't very stable on my feet. People were friendly and helpful without being condescending. They treated me as a valuable and worthwhile child of God—the way everyone should be treated in church. I have been a member of that church for 16 years, and the parish is accepting of people with all types of disabilities.
I recommend this book for individuals who want to understand the meaning of suffering and to churches who want to include those with disabilities in their church families.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"What I learned is that perhaps the greatest good that suffering can work for a believer is to increase his or her capacity for God. The greater one's need, the greater will be his capacity. And the greater the capacity, the greater will be one's experience of the Savior. ... No more intimate, sweeter fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ can ever be realized than through suffering." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada
"Jesus Christ, the Man of Sorrows, saves and sanctifies through suffering." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada
"Biblically speaking, believers should expect hardships, sufferings, and even disability in this life." ~ Daniel R. Thomson
"Physical healing is not the norm today. After all, physical healing is temporary. Spiritual healing, however, is available in abundance and is eternal." ~ Daniel R. Thomson
"If no one in a church has disabilities, this should be cause for concern because disabilities are in every community." ~ Jessica James Baldridge
"Church members need to learn how to act around persons with disabilities and how to make them feel welcome and a part of the church. Equip believers to authentically greet and welcome all." ~ Jessica James Baldridge
"Ministry to exceptional individuals means being like Jesus—loving unconditionally as he would love, seeing what he would see, responding as he would respond. His love is all-encompassing and includes everyone." ~ Jessica James Baldridge
"God ministers to and through individuals affected by disabilities. This is apparent in both the Old and New Testaments." ~ Michael A. Justice
"Sufferers desperately need people with compassionate hearts that comfort them rather than preach to them." ~ Michael A. Justice
"Jesus is the ultimate example of how to endure suffering." ~ Mark L. Bailey
"God declines to explain himself to us. But he nonetheless manifests his presence to us in the midst of our suffering." ~ Douglas K. Blount
"Though we may never understand how our sufferings work together for our good, we know that they ultimately will do so." ~ Douglas K. Blount
"Instead of providing us with explanations and timetables, God calls us to trust him."~ Douglas K. Blount
"God is in control of everything from paralyzing accidents to autism, and he permits what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves. He loves showcasing his power from the platform of a person's weakness."~ Joni Eareckson Tada
I have had some personal experience with how some churches treat those with disabilities. Years ago, after my stroke, I was searching for a new church. My sister and I visited a megachurch with a nationally known pastor and a national television ministry. I was in a wheelchair at the time, and my sister had to push me. Although we thought we allowed plenty of time, we didn't anticipate the heavy traffic, so we just barely made it to the service on time. No one greeted us or directed us where to sit, so my sister slid into the back row, and I parked the wheelchair in the wide aisle next to the pew. The service was impressive, but as we left, our opinion of the church changed. Again, no one spoke to us, and as my sister pushed me down the ramp, able-bodied churchgoers bypassed the crowded steps and rudely rushed by us down the ramp, nearly knocking me over. That clinched our decision not to return to that church.
After visiting a number of churches where I did not feel welcome, I started regularly attending a church near my home. By then, I was independent on a motorized scooter. I sat in a pew and parked the scooter along the nearby wall. The ushers arranged for the priest to bring Communion to me in the pew so I wouldn't have to transfer to the scooter and go to the altar rail, and people smiled and said hello before and after the service. However, no one ever carried on a conversation with me, and no one ever offered to help me get into the fellowship hall for the social hour following the service. There was a small step into the building that I couldn't negotiate in the scooter. I went there for more than a year and never shared more than a few words with anyone—ushers, clergy, or anyone in the congregation.
Finally I found the church I attend now. I walked into the sanctuary on my first visit rather than ride the scooter, but I used a cane and wasn't very stable on my feet. People were friendly and helpful without being condescending. They treated me as a valuable and worthwhile child of God—the way everyone should be treated in church. I have been a member of that church for 16 years, and the parish is accepting of people with all types of disabilities.
I recommend this book for individuals who want to understand the meaning of suffering and to churches who want to include those with disabilities in their church families.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"What I learned is that perhaps the greatest good that suffering can work for a believer is to increase his or her capacity for God. The greater one's need, the greater will be his capacity. And the greater the capacity, the greater will be one's experience of the Savior. ... No more intimate, sweeter fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ can ever be realized than through suffering." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada
"Jesus Christ, the Man of Sorrows, saves and sanctifies through suffering." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada
"Biblically speaking, believers should expect hardships, sufferings, and even disability in this life." ~ Daniel R. Thomson
"Physical healing is not the norm today. After all, physical healing is temporary. Spiritual healing, however, is available in abundance and is eternal." ~ Daniel R. Thomson
"If no one in a church has disabilities, this should be cause for concern because disabilities are in every community." ~ Jessica James Baldridge
"Church members need to learn how to act around persons with disabilities and how to make them feel welcome and a part of the church. Equip believers to authentically greet and welcome all." ~ Jessica James Baldridge
"Ministry to exceptional individuals means being like Jesus—loving unconditionally as he would love, seeing what he would see, responding as he would respond. His love is all-encompassing and includes everyone." ~ Jessica James Baldridge
"God ministers to and through individuals affected by disabilities. This is apparent in both the Old and New Testaments." ~ Michael A. Justice
"Sufferers desperately need people with compassionate hearts that comfort them rather than preach to them." ~ Michael A. Justice
"Jesus is the ultimate example of how to endure suffering." ~ Mark L. Bailey
"God declines to explain himself to us. But he nonetheless manifests his presence to us in the midst of our suffering." ~ Douglas K. Blount
"Though we may never understand how our sufferings work together for our good, we know that they ultimately will do so." ~ Douglas K. Blount
"Instead of providing us with explanations and timetables, God calls us to trust him."~ Douglas K. Blount
"God is in control of everything from paralyzing accidents to autism, and he permits what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves. He loves showcasing his power from the platform of a person's weakness."~ Joni Eareckson Tada
Read
May 2, 2012Foreword by Randy Alcorn
I have never said yes to endorsing a book, much less to writing its foreword, unless I believed in it. I anticipated Why, O God? would be good, but I am pleased to find it exceptional.
Let me offer some context. Because I’ve written books about Heaven, over the years I’ve received hundreds of letters from people whose loved ones have died, after extended periods of suffering. While researching my recent book If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, I read close to 100 books on the problem of evil and suffering—by theologians, pastors, physicians, Holocaust survivors and atheists. I interviewed many sufferers, some of them victims of abuse, diseases, disabilities and accidents, others who’ve lost children and spouses.
This is why I don’t appreciate neat, tidy and superficial references to suffering that seem to say “Cheer up,” and “God will protect his children from suffering,” and “It’s not so bad, if you’re a Christian.” Actually, it’s sometimes very bad. As our dear friend Joni Eareckson Tada—one of this book’s contributors—told me, “Suffering is a messy business.”
Why, O God? addresses issues in the Bible, theology, church and pastoral ministry, counseling and much more. Each chapter makes a unique contribution, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Rarely have I seen biblical and theological knowledge integrated with moving and helpful personal stories and extremely practical ministry guidance. And as a bonus, I enjoyed the beautiful art.
There’s something in this book for everyone—whether you’re looking for biblical perspective on suffering, insights in how to serve those who suffer, hands-on guidance on establishing a disability ministry in your church, or how to deal with the ethical questions in end-of-life issues.
I particularly appreciate the fact that the writers are not strangers to suffering. After forty plus years in a wheelchair, Joni says, “Disability ministry is not disability ministry unless the disabled are ministering.” One of the authors has raised an autistic child, another’s wife has multiple sclerosis, one is an insulin dependent diabetic who’s had two kidney transplants and is legally blind. Another—whom I know personally—grew up with a disabled father, stood by his daughter in a long battle with leukemia, then suffered a serious head injury from a biking accident which has resulted in nine years of nearly constant pain. These are not ivory tower theologians, out of touch academics or head-in-the-sand clerics. These are real people in touch with real people, daily serving a God who shed real blood on a cross.
One of the things I love about Why, O God? is how it demonstrates there is much more to helping suffering people than wheeling them forward in healing services, then hiding in the back of the church those who aren’t healed. My friend John, a church elder, told me of a handicapped woman visiting his church, who had been in many other churches over her lifetime. After observing him on the platform in his wheelchair with the other elders, she told him he was the first disabled church leader she had ever seen.
My mind goes to one of the stories in Why, O God?, about six men in a church being trained to take care of a disabled man in eight hour shifts, in order to free his wife to attend a weekend women’s retreat. Everyone came out ahead—the man, his wife, the men who served, and the Lord who took pleasure in it. This is the church at its best—not denying suffering or ignoring it or cloaking it, but bringing to it the love of our suffering Savior. An uncaring world will never be won to Christ by an uncaring church. But when people see the church behaving like this, they will line up to find out about the Christ we serve.
Finally, I appreciate this book’s eternal perspective. Christians are empowered by God’s Spirit, covered by his grace and assured of the resurrection to the happiest life imaginable on a New Earth. We should never forget this, and it can sustain us through great heartache. But meanwhile we are not immune to the fall and the curse. Only when we fully realize this can we see the loving power of God’s sovereign grace. Because even the very bad, in the hands of our Redeemer who turned history’s worst Friday into Good Friday, is part of the “all things” God will ultimately work together for our good.
To top it off, the final paragraph of Why, O God? is one of the most powerful you’ll ever read. You could turn to it now, but I’d recommend reading all the way through to appreciate its significance!
My thanks to each of the authors, and also to Larry Waters and Roy Zuck for assembling this excellent book. May it bring honor to the risen Christ, and enrichment to his people.
Until the day we see His outstretched hands, marked by the scars of His love for us,
I have never said yes to endorsing a book, much less to writing its foreword, unless I believed in it. I anticipated Why, O God? would be good, but I am pleased to find it exceptional.
Let me offer some context. Because I’ve written books about Heaven, over the years I’ve received hundreds of letters from people whose loved ones have died, after extended periods of suffering. While researching my recent book If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, I read close to 100 books on the problem of evil and suffering—by theologians, pastors, physicians, Holocaust survivors and atheists. I interviewed many sufferers, some of them victims of abuse, diseases, disabilities and accidents, others who’ve lost children and spouses.
This is why I don’t appreciate neat, tidy and superficial references to suffering that seem to say “Cheer up,” and “God will protect his children from suffering,” and “It’s not so bad, if you’re a Christian.” Actually, it’s sometimes very bad. As our dear friend Joni Eareckson Tada—one of this book’s contributors—told me, “Suffering is a messy business.”
Why, O God? addresses issues in the Bible, theology, church and pastoral ministry, counseling and much more. Each chapter makes a unique contribution, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Rarely have I seen biblical and theological knowledge integrated with moving and helpful personal stories and extremely practical ministry guidance. And as a bonus, I enjoyed the beautiful art.
There’s something in this book for everyone—whether you’re looking for biblical perspective on suffering, insights in how to serve those who suffer, hands-on guidance on establishing a disability ministry in your church, or how to deal with the ethical questions in end-of-life issues.
I particularly appreciate the fact that the writers are not strangers to suffering. After forty plus years in a wheelchair, Joni says, “Disability ministry is not disability ministry unless the disabled are ministering.” One of the authors has raised an autistic child, another’s wife has multiple sclerosis, one is an insulin dependent diabetic who’s had two kidney transplants and is legally blind. Another—whom I know personally—grew up with a disabled father, stood by his daughter in a long battle with leukemia, then suffered a serious head injury from a biking accident which has resulted in nine years of nearly constant pain. These are not ivory tower theologians, out of touch academics or head-in-the-sand clerics. These are real people in touch with real people, daily serving a God who shed real blood on a cross.
One of the things I love about Why, O God? is how it demonstrates there is much more to helping suffering people than wheeling them forward in healing services, then hiding in the back of the church those who aren’t healed. My friend John, a church elder, told me of a handicapped woman visiting his church, who had been in many other churches over her lifetime. After observing him on the platform in his wheelchair with the other elders, she told him he was the first disabled church leader she had ever seen.
My mind goes to one of the stories in Why, O God?, about six men in a church being trained to take care of a disabled man in eight hour shifts, in order to free his wife to attend a weekend women’s retreat. Everyone came out ahead—the man, his wife, the men who served, and the Lord who took pleasure in it. This is the church at its best—not denying suffering or ignoring it or cloaking it, but bringing to it the love of our suffering Savior. An uncaring world will never be won to Christ by an uncaring church. But when people see the church behaving like this, they will line up to find out about the Christ we serve.
Finally, I appreciate this book’s eternal perspective. Christians are empowered by God’s Spirit, covered by his grace and assured of the resurrection to the happiest life imaginable on a New Earth. We should never forget this, and it can sustain us through great heartache. But meanwhile we are not immune to the fall and the curse. Only when we fully realize this can we see the loving power of God’s sovereign grace. Because even the very bad, in the hands of our Redeemer who turned history’s worst Friday into Good Friday, is part of the “all things” God will ultimately work together for our good.
To top it off, the final paragraph of Why, O God? is one of the most powerful you’ll ever read. You could turn to it now, but I’d recommend reading all the way through to appreciate its significance!
My thanks to each of the authors, and also to Larry Waters and Roy Zuck for assembling this excellent book. May it bring honor to the risen Christ, and enrichment to his people.
Until the day we see His outstretched hands, marked by the scars of His love for us,
May 31, 2018
This is an excellent book discussing the reasons why we suffer, taking the reader through different parts of the Bible including Job and the Psalms. Joni Eareckson Tada opens the book in a chapter entitled "Redeeming Suffering". The various contributors discuss the why and the how of including the disabled into the church community. There are some very good suggestions of how to incorporate ministries for these valuable people into the normal functioning of the church body. A good read for church ministry leaders and members both. I would recommend it to all who care about those less able than ourselves.
January 7, 2017
This book was inspired by a course taught at Dallas Seminary regarding suffering and disability. There are 20 authors which means that some presentations are very helpful, some are good and some are disappointing. Some of the best chapters include Redeeming Suffering - Joni Eareckson Tada; Suffering in the Book of Job - Larry Waters; Suffering in the Psalms and Wisdom Books - Ronald Allen; A Biblical Theology of Suffering in the Gospels - Mark Bailey; Suffering in the Non-Pauline Epistles - James Allman; Receiving Evil from God - Douglas Blount; Wheelchairs in Heaven? - Joni Eareckson Tada;
(I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding; 5 = All time favorites.)
(I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding; 5 = All time favorites.)
November 25, 2012
Overall, this is a resource that belongs on every pastor's shelf, but is written in such a way that anyone dealing with disabilities or perpetually asking "Why God?" will find comfort through the sound biblical teaching. Because such a wide range of topics are covered, most people won't necessarily want to read it cover from cover. Everyone will definitely benefit from reading and absorbing the biblical theology of suffering that spans the entire second section of the book. In addition, those who are engaged in ministry (which is technically everybody, but I mean those in explicit pastoral ministry) will find the chapters on counseling especially helpful.
See a more comprehensive review on my blog
See a more comprehensive review on my blog
July 3, 2025
It had some very amazing points on God and his role in suffering and disability. At the end, it described how a church or individual can start a disability ministry! Very inspiring and thought provoking!
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