Suffering as Participation with Christ in the Pauline Corpus

Suffering as Participation with Christ in the Pauline Corpus
Author: Wesley Thomas Davey
Publisher: Fortress Academic
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019
Genre: Bibles
ISBN: 9781978703094

The Pauline letters bear witness to the prominent role that suffering played both in the life of Paul and in the lives of the communities to whom he writes. Startlingly, Paul does not express alarm or frustration at suffering's presence, but instead identifies it as an essential and defining feature for faithful Christ-followers. Paul grounds his account of suffering in the concept of "participation with Christ." This book explores the connection forged between suffering and participation by engaging in close readings of texts, resourcing letters usually dismissed because of doubts about authenticity, and pulling together an overall characterization of "Paul's thought" on the basis of common patterns of reference that emerge. Utilizing a tripartite reading strategy of "exegesis," "canon," and "theology" offers nuance for and yields fresh insight into a central Pauline motif.

On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering

On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering
Author: Pope John Paul II
Publisher:
Total Pages: 107
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Suffering
ISBN: 9780819854582

Published on February 11, 1984, Salvifici Doloris addresses the question of why God allows suffering. This 30th anniversary edition includes the complete text of the letter plus commentary by Myles N. Sheehan, SJ, MD, a priest and physician trained in geriatrics with an expertise in palliative care. Acknowledgments of recent episodes of violence bring the papal document into a modern context. Insightful questions suited for individual or group use, applicable prayers, and ideas for meaningful action invite readers to personally respond to the mystery of suffering.

The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World

The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World
Author: Deanna A. Thompson
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2016-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1501815199

We live in a wired world where 24/7 digital connectivity is increasingly the norm. Christian megachurch communities often embrace this reality wholeheartedly while more traditional churches often seem hesitant and overwhelmed by the need for an interactive website, a Facebook page and a twitter feed. This book accepts digital connectivity as our reality, but presents a vision of how faith communities can utilize technology to better be the body of Christ to those who are hurting while also helping followers of Christ think critically about the limits of our digital attachments. This book begins with a conversion story of a non-cell phone owning, non-Facebook using religion professor judgmental of the ability of digital tools to enhance relationships. A stage IV cancer diagnosis later, in the midst of being held up by virtual communities of support, a conversion occurs: this religion professor benefits in embodied ways from virtual sources and wants to convert others to the reality that the body of Christ can and does exist virtually and makes embodied difference in the lives of those who are hurting. The book neither uncritically embraces nor rejects the constant digital connectivity present in our lives. Rather it calls on the church to a) recognize ways in which digital social networks already enact the virtual body of Christ; b) tap into and expand how Christ is being experienced virtually; c) embrace thoughtfully the material effects of our new augmented reality, and c) influence utilization of technology that minimizes distraction and maximizes attentiveness toward God and the world God loves.

The Physical Nature of Christian Life

The Physical Nature of Christian Life
Author: Warren S. Brown
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2012-06-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0521515939

This book explores the implications of recent insights in modern neuroscience that attribute mental capacities often ascribed to a disembodied soul instead to the functions of the brain and body in collaboration with social experience. It explores how this insight changes the traditional "care of souls," encouraging more attention to fostering spiritual growth through a social and communal focus.

'The Sufferings of Christ Are Abundant In Us'

'The Sufferings of Christ Are Abundant In Us'
Author: Kar Yong Lim
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2009-06-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567635147

This study investigates why Paul makes the theme of suffering so central to his argument in 2 Corinthians. It is pursued through an exegetical analysis of passages where Paul's suffering is described, namely 1:3-11; 2:14-116; 4:7-12; 6:1-10 and 11:23-12:10. By employing a narrative approach, this study argues that Paul's apostolic suffering is grounded in the story of Jesus. There are several implications arising from this approach. First, Paul understands his suffering as necessary and integral to his apostolic mission. Second, Paul claims that his suffering has positive missiological benefits, resulting in giving birth to the Christ-believing community in Corinth. Third, for Paul, the story of Jesus does not end at the event of the cross, and so he extends the invitation to the Corinthians to participate in the story of Jesus. Fourth, Paul's understanding of his suffering also finds its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures as seen in the allusion to and citations of Isaiah and Jeremiah/1 Kingdoms. Finally, Paul expresses his deep concern for the Corinthians in this letter. In essence, Paul sees his own suffering as a reflection of his embodying the ongoing story of Jesus - a story of suffering and death leading to life - and calls the Corinthians also to this cruciform pattern of living. Taking all the above implications together, it is suggested that 2 Corinthians should be read as primarily parenaetic in nature and that Paul's apology for his apostleship only plays a secondary role.

At the Heart of the Gospel

At the Heart of the Gospel
Author: L. Ann Jervis
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2007-05-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802839932

Suffering, while part of the human condition, is a state of being we would rather ignore. L. Ann Jervis here presents a convincing argument that human suffering is worth considering, and she offers the words of Paul as proof. Paul's insights into the predicament and significance of suffering provide the foundation for some of Christianity's most profound and unique contributions to understanding human life. Examination of three of his letters -- Thessalonians, Philippians, and Romans -- reveals his important reflections on accepting the suffering of believers with the conviction that, even as we suffer, God's plan for creation does not include suffering, and God will ultimately banish it. As a result, believing sufferers are not victims of suffering. Jervis hopes that hearing Paul's words on suffering in a fresh light may allow readers to be deeply marked, like the saints and shapers of Christianity, by the power of a gospel of which it is not necessary to be ashamed, precisely because it is not easy but transformative.

Why I Love the Apostle Paul

Why I Love the Apostle Paul
Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2019-01-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433565072

"Besides Jesus, no one has kept me from despair, or taken me deeper into the mysteries of the gospel, than the apostle Paul." —John Piper No one has had a greater impact on the world for eternal good than the apostle Paul—except Jesus himself. For John Piper, this impact is very personal. He does not just admire and trust Paul. He loves him. Piper gives us thirty glimpses into why his heart and mind respond this way. Can a Christian-killer really endure 195 lashes from a heart of love? Can a mystic who thinks he was caught up into heaven be a model of lucid rationality? Can an ethnocentric Jew write the most beautiful call to reconciliation? Can a person who lives with the unceasing anguish of empathy be always rejoicing? Can a man's description of the horrors of human sin be exceeded by his delight in human splendor? Can a man with a backbone of steel be as tender as a nursing mother? If we know this man—if we see what Piper sees—we too will love him. Paul's testimony is a matter of life and death. Piper invites you into his relationship with Paul in the hope that you will know life, forever.

Dying and Rising with Christ

Dying and Rising with Christ
Author: Robert C. Tannehill
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2020-05-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3112318226

The series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZNW) is one of the oldest and most highly regarded international scholarly book series in the field of New Testament studies. Since 1923 it has been a forum for seminal works focusing on Early Christianity and related fields. The series is grounded in a historical-critical approach and also explores new methodological approaches that advance our understanding of the New Testament and its world.