What do you think?
Rate this book
Mad About God: The Over-Romanticism of Pain and Why Your Suffering Is Not a Lesson
When life hurts, we're tempted to spiritualize our pain and to find a lesson in the suffering.
We've heard, "Everything happens for a reason and God has an amazing plan for your life."
But sometimes, you just want to be angry with Him. You want to shake a fist and shout against the dark.
You don't want to rush past your healing with Christianese clichés and pat answers.
Another irreversible tragedy has left you doubting Him, wondering if He's really good and truly in control.
Maybe no one has taught us how to be mad about God.
Maybe the secret rage at our pain means we're closer to God than we think.
In this journey through our trials and suffering, we'll discover a safe place to vent, to be angry, and to grieve without formulas. We'll talk about True Detective, Louis C.K., the Serial Podcast, and The Shawshank Redemption. We'll also talk about depression, sexy cancer, second world problems, the pressure to do "great things," small town gossip, and misquoting Jeremiah 29:11. There's no silver bullet or magical formula in these pages, but perhaps we'll find a Faith that works in the face of death, and a Truth could carry us through to the end.
We've heard, "Everything happens for a reason and God has an amazing plan for your life."
But sometimes, you just want to be angry with Him. You want to shake a fist and shout against the dark.
You don't want to rush past your healing with Christianese clichés and pat answers.
Another irreversible tragedy has left you doubting Him, wondering if He's really good and truly in control.
Maybe no one has taught us how to be mad about God.
Maybe the secret rage at our pain means we're closer to God than we think.
In this journey through our trials and suffering, we'll discover a safe place to vent, to be angry, and to grieve without formulas. We'll talk about True Detective, Louis C.K., the Serial Podcast, and The Shawshank Redemption. We'll also talk about depression, sexy cancer, second world problems, the pressure to do "great things," small town gossip, and misquoting Jeremiah 29:11. There's no silver bullet or magical formula in these pages, but perhaps we'll find a Faith that works in the face of death, and a Truth could carry us through to the end.
- GenresChristianChristianity
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2015
13 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
J.S. Park
13 books207 followersJ.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, former atheist/agnostic, sixth degree black belt, suicide survivor, Korean-American, and follows Christ.
J.S. currently serves at a 1000+ bed hospital, one of the top-ranked in the nation, and was also a chaplain for three years at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.
J.S. has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Florida and a M.Div from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Some duties of a hospital chaplain include grief counseling, attending every death and Code Blue, help with end-of-life decision-making, notifying family members of loved ones in the ER, and advocating for patients and families in crisis.
J.S. is author of an upcoming book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve, part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir, published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. He is also the author The Voices We Carry: Finding Your One True Voice in a World of Clamor and Noise, published by Northfield/Moody.
In 2012, J.S. gave away half his income to fight human trafficking.
It was a check for $10,000, which was matched to raise another 10k, for a total of $20,000 for charity. The charity was One Day's Wages.
J.S. currently serves at a 1000+ bed hospital, one of the top-ranked in the nation, and was also a chaplain for three years at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.
J.S. has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Florida and a M.Div from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Some duties of a hospital chaplain include grief counseling, attending every death and Code Blue, help with end-of-life decision-making, notifying family members of loved ones in the ER, and advocating for patients and families in crisis.
J.S. is author of an upcoming book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve, part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir, published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. He is also the author The Voices We Carry: Finding Your One True Voice in a World of Clamor and Noise, published by Northfield/Moody.
In 2012, J.S. gave away half his income to fight human trafficking.
It was a check for $10,000, which was matched to raise another 10k, for a total of $20,000 for charity. The charity was One Day's Wages.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 2, 2015
"Honesty. This is the start of healing...but life is unfair, the world is selfish, and many of us will limp to the finish line..."
J. S. Park is mad. He asks the questions we all ask, those tough questions that Christians loathe to discuss in polite circles, most of which begin with the word "why" as we choke on our tears. He boldly proposes that sometimes these age-old existential inquiries may never be answered- and that even the answers wouldn't satisfy us.
A self-proclaimed cynic, Park is raw in his conjectures, humanizing pain and suffering, leaving no room for sentimentality or gloss. He allows pain the respect it demands. There are no pat answers to the questions pain stirs up. Park doesn't even try to explain away or sermonize suffering. From the unfairness of cancer to the self-induced repercussions of sin, Park rounds the bases and shines light on all the variants of suffering. His conclusions? Sometimes pain just hurts and there is no good reason. And sometimes the questions raised by pain force us to discover who we are and what we really believe. And, most importantly...
...pain forces us to search for a light in the darkness. We search for someone who desires to fight the dragons alongside us, not merely a rescuer, but a redeemer. Pastor Park suggests there is someone who fills that position perfectly- Jesus. Pain may not always have a purpose, but we never need to suffer alone. Jesus, our volunteer companion, isn't ignorant to our plight. He dove headfirst into the human condition and suffered as one of us. Suffered to death.
God is mad too. In "Mad About God," Park asks us to consider joining forces and be mad WITH God, to raise our voices to shout against the dark.
"What are we holding onto Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."
"Mad About God" is a must-read for anyone searching for a light in the darkness, for those who demand honesty, and for humans in general.
May 6, 2018
A book which is thoroughly honest and open-hearted about how bad suffering can be, refusing to wrap it up in "hero stories" and "look on the bright side" platitudes. Looks at the hardest issues (eg "If God loves me, why is this happening to me? - and don't give me that salt-in-the-wound of "because you will be a better person"!) with practical and Biblical spiritual truth - the kind that sets free.
Any answers you find here will not be the sort that mean you can plaster over the cracks (chasms) of suffering but rather will help you see that there is a chink of light in the darkness and it is worth at least starting a journey out of where you are towards that light.
Good for those who suffer and those who support others in their suffering.
Any answers you find here will not be the sort that mean you can plaster over the cracks (chasms) of suffering but rather will help you see that there is a chink of light in the darkness and it is worth at least starting a journey out of where you are towards that light.
Good for those who suffer and those who support others in their suffering.
March 28, 2015
Loved this book. First became aware of Park through his blog, and some quotes from this book as well as growing respect for Park compelled me to get it and read the whole thing. The first couple chapters were a bit of a mixed bag for me - a lot of brilliance/wisdom mixed in with a couple things I disagreed with (mostly some of the refining fire thoughts), and at times I struggled with his jumping-off point for the book (mostly because I run into way more Christians at the opposite end of the attitudes-about-suffering spectrum so that was just an uneven picture for me). But the book solidified fast for me, and the whole thing is loaded with tons of juicy stuff to think about that's balanced and beautifully put. Well worth the read.
September 29, 2015
The best of Park's writing that I've read yet. There may not be clear-cut answers to everything, but there is hope in Christ. Really drives home what needs to be grasped during this spiritual journey.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews