Resurrection & The Problem of Pain
0 Comments Published by Melvin Bray, coordinating storyteller on Monday, April 28, 2008 at Monday, April 28, 2008.
We will meet at TILT ROOM again, in Castleberry Hills, this Tuesday, 29 April, from 8-10pm.
Several regular participants in the Emergent cohort showed up at Emory last Wednesday to hear N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham for the Church of England. Wright has been formative for many as a proponent of narrative theology and scholar of the first century who has challenged Christians to pursue a theology that is intellectually honest.
In his newest book, Surprised by Hope, which he discussed on Wednesday, he identifies Resurrection as the most significant occurrence (his exact words were "the linchpin") in the Christian story, perhaps the only thing that creates hope and meaning in a human story fraught with suffering.
He echoes this same theme in a recent online conversation hosted by beliefnet.com with Bart Ehrman, a distinguished professor at UNC, renowned biblical scholar and agnostic. Ehrman is a former evangelical who lost his faith while wrestling with the problem of pain and suffering. For Ehrman, Christian and Hebrew scriptures offer at best contradictory explanations for suffering, none of which suffice. He discusses his views in his recent book, God's Problem.
I invite you to read Ehrman and Wright's brief 3-part exchange, and to come prepared to share your thoughts. Allow me to offer a few guiding questions:
Several regular participants in the Emergent cohort showed up at Emory last Wednesday to hear N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham for the Church of England. Wright has been formative for many as a proponent of narrative theology and scholar of the first century who has challenged Christians to pursue a theology that is intellectually honest.
In his newest book, Surprised by Hope, which he discussed on Wednesday, he identifies Resurrection as the most significant occurrence (his exact words were "the linchpin") in the Christian story, perhaps the only thing that creates hope and meaning in a human story fraught with suffering.He echoes this same theme in a recent online conversation hosted by beliefnet.com with Bart Ehrman, a distinguished professor at UNC, renowned biblical scholar and agnostic. Ehrman is a former evangelical who lost his faith while wrestling with the problem of pain and suffering. For Ehrman, Christian and Hebrew scriptures offer at best contradictory explanations for suffering, none of which suffice. He discusses his views in his recent book, God's Problem.I invite you to read Ehrman and Wright's brief 3-part exchange, and to come prepared to share your thoughts. Allow me to offer a few guiding questions:
- What is the significance of resurrection?
- Where does resurrection leave us on the problem of pain?
- What makes it difficult for many to hear this as adequate?
Labels: pain/suffering, resurrection
