Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering

by Kelly M. Kapic

This book will make no attempt to defend God. . . . If you are looking for a book that boasts triumphantly of conquest over a great enemy, or gives a detached philosophical analysis that neatly solves an absorbing problem, this isn't it.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Christianity, Faith, Counselling

197 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2017

Reviews

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The place this book ultimately found me is too personal for a Goodreads review. But even without that context, I must testify to the way Kapic articulates the experience of Christians who carry daily suffering, of body and/or of mind. I often find that I do not have language to describe to those who have not gone through this themselves in terms that make sense of both the profound sorrow and profound hope of that experience. Kapic does so here. On the heels of unexpected yet nonetheless grace-filled and peace-covered loss, I found deep solace in Kapic’s words. Affirmation and validation of this constant tension in my bones as I strain toward hope, proclaim His holy name, and yet weep in the ashes of daily reminders of my finitude and brokenness. Even if my world must remain small, may I pour all my love into that world and not be consumed by self. May I ask God for the grace to multiply my love and show up when my body ails me, to ask for and receive help. And oh may I be bold in recommending this text, both to fellow chronic sufferers as well as to those who care for us, that we might find unity in Him who ultimately carries these burdens and intercedes for His people, that we might learn together what it means and looks like to suffer well in community, in truth.

[Amyanne Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book feels like someone who has entered into my personal experience of pain/hardship & sat beside me in it, refusing to offer an explanation or attempt to fix but instead pointing to the tangible hope experienced through the necessary process of lament and leading me to the Man of Sorrows Himself.

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most awkward moments you can ever face is to walk into a hospice, a hospital room, or a home and get bombarded with “why” questions: why pain, why this catastrophe, why this decline and death. What truly makes it clumsy is to then start waxing eloquent about the problem of evil and pain and the goodness of God in a defensive, apologetic posture. Most of the time the family is not asking, needing or wanting a crash course in philosophy. I learned early on in situations like this to simply sit down, shed tears with the family, and hold hands with parishioners or patients. Kelly M. Kapic, professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain Georgia and able author, presents similar advice and direction from personal experience in his new 197 page paperback, “Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering”. This fine little book is “a theological and pastoral meditation” (4) for the hurting, the healers and the helpers.

Kapic takes readers through three levels dealing with the struggle, the strangeness of God and life together. On the first stage the author looks at how pain brings us to think “hard thoughts about God,” to ask questions that often accompany the sorrow, to see how we should and shouldn’t react to those aching or grieving, and to make certain we do not belittle the body and its role in bringing us to recognize our place and space. “Our existence occurs not as beings who drop out of the sky but rise from the dust” (50). Since embodied pain reminds of this, it helps us also to know that we “cannot act as if we have complete control over our bodies or live as if our actions have no purpose beyond our own convenience and pleasure” (55). There is some well-seasoned thinking between these soft covers!

“Embodied Hope” then ascends to the next plane by addressing, rightly, the incarnation, cross and resurrection. Here is where strong theology moves out of the seminary and confessional books, arrives to sit down beside our sickbeds, take hold of our hands and become therapeutic. “Our physical pain genuinely matters to Jesus – it matters to God! We are far too prone to spiritualize what Jesus makes physical, even theologizing his physical suffering into a response to our spiritual problem (sin), as if our true being were only spiritual and not physical. For Jesus, the physical and spiritual are indissolubly connected, and his life and death address them both” (94) as do, also, his resurrection.

The final platform serves up the more practical aspects, both for the healers and helpers, as well as the hurting. Kapic leans mightily on Luther, and draws heavily from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” in these three chapters. The author addresses the task of the congregation, the place of confession, and the importance of commitment. “Frequently, what the sufferer needs most is not answers but a loving presence and lasting commitment. Both the sufferer and those who care for them need to be committed to faithful suffering” (151).

“Embodied Hope” is teeming with wisdom, direction and consolation for the hurting, the healers and the helpers. As a pastor I can unashamedly say that every minister should snatch up a copy, read it through, dog-ear it, mark it with pen and highlighter, and employ its counsel with prayer and grace. This volume would be ideal for adult groups to read and discuss. But also, sufferers and caregivers alike will find it a bountiful boon. I strongly recommend the book!

Thanks to InterVarsity Press for providing, upon my request, the free copy of the book used for this review. The assessments are mine given without restrictions or requirements (as per Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255).

[Lizzie Lowrie]

This is a stunning book. Exploring the different ways that the church has engaged with suffering over the centuries. I love how the book begins by saying 'This book will make no attempt to defend God.' Instead the book focuses on how we, as followers of Jesus and the church engage with the inevitability of suffering. Written from the perspective of personal experience of witnessing his wife live with a chronic condition, the book also addresses the struggle with the physical body which is a huge challenge for those who believe they are created by God, yet live with ongoing physical pain and limitations throughout their life. It also has unpacks lament in a really helpful and practical way.

This book approaches the question of suffering from a refreshing angle and it is richer for it. Theologically robust with story woven through it, this book is one I return to repeatedly for reference.

[Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Dr. Kapic's special attention to John 11 and his meditations on being with and for were delightful.

The practical wisdom in this book has already had me recommending it to so many friends and family who struggle with chronic pain/suffering.

I will probably read it again this year.

[Claire Williams]

While not my favorite amongst the books I have read on pain and suffering, this book had valuable insight. I needed it.
I was reminded that God cares and suffers with us. I don’t have to hide or ignore my pain, don’t have to pretend it’s not there; don’t have to detach myself from it; don’t have to hide it from others, thus stealing the blessing found in helping the hurting. I can embrace my humanity. I don’t have to treat this broken body as a shell. One day, it will be restored and I will be pain- and limit-free.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: This book will make no attempt to defend God. I will not try to justify God or explain away the physical suffering in this world. Instead, I wrestle with nagging questions about our lives, our purpose, and our struggles. How should we live in the midst of this pain-soaked world? How do we relate to the God whose world this is? If you are looking for a book that boasts triumphantly of conquest over a great enemy or gives a detached philosophical analysis that neatly solves an absorbing problem, this isn’t it. Instead, this book aims to invites you into a larger conversation, a conversation greater than my family, and a struggle bigger than your pain and doubt. For while our pain, or the suffering of those we love, may cause us to feel isolated, these challenges remind us that we are actually part of the much larger stream of humanity.

Premise/plot: Embodied Hope is a Christian book about pain--chronic physical pain to be exact. It is divided into three parts: "The Struggle," "The Strangeness of God," and "Life Together."

The premise is simple: "Physical suffering often affects how we relate to God and others….The condition of our bodies does influence how we understand God and his ways….Pain in our body often influences how we relate to others." Kapic writes, "We must not pit the body against the spirit, the mind against the heart, the individual against the community. For our struggle is not ultimately with a single side of suffering but with how it affects us in our totality: from our relationships to our faith, from our bodies to our hope, from our mourning to our love."

Kapic examines the subject of pain in the world in this world. How pain impacts the individual, the family unit, the church community, and to a very small extent society itself. It isn't necessarily a theological book on "the problem of evil" vs. "the goodness of God." I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Kapic seeks to avoid the general and abstract in favor of the intimate and personal. In fact, he writes, "Rightly understood, doing theology is more often like farming than it is like stacking doctrinal bricks. Theology is lived; it is not regimentally constructed….Only when we begin to see that theology is not merely about repeating back answers but instead more like caring for a garden can we care well for others….There is a world of difference between reading a book about caring for people and actually caring for people. To theologize well, we need to love well."

The truth of the matter is that every person is unique. Every person has his or her own way of dealing with the pain, of coping with the pain, of living with the pain. And as much as he tries not to make generalizations, I think a few slip in.

In the first part, he explores "the struggle" of living with pain and the theological implications. He assumes that pain leads most to have "hard thoughts" about God. He assumes that most pain sufferers have false notions of God. For example, they see him as angry, distant, cruel, harsh; someone who enjoys watching people suffer. Pain sufferers might conclude that God isn't good and merciful and kind.

Kapic writes, "How does God look upon us in our weakness, even in our sin? Is God really angry or wrathful with us, his children? His bride? What picture of God is really warranted by the Scriptures? How do these passages like Zephaniah 3:17 and Isaiah 62:5 intersect our own experience? How can we then deal with the “hard thoughts” that tempt us, especially in our suffering? How do we develop a profound and affectionate trust of God rather than a sense of alienation? Our journey is to learn why such hard thoughts don’t reflect the triune God. Our hope is to learn to hear him singing over us, to trust his presence in the middle of the pain. Some will immediately object that this is wishful thinking based on a few obscure verses here and there. However, we will see that we are not talking about a few scattered biblical texts but are diving into the heart of the gospel, the heart of the good news discovered in Messiah. Only here will we unquestionably discover the very heart of God. To understand God and his relationship to our pain, we will need to examine the case of Jesus of Nazareth, a man who walked the dusty roads of Galilee over two thousand years ago. Only by listening to his words and by following the movement of his life, death, resurrection, and ascension might our very human struggle be seen in different light. Because he was and is God’s revelation of himself to us, it only makes sense to start there. In this endeavor it is to be hoped that our view of the God of heaven and earth will deepen beyond our current understanding. But to see Jesus clearly we need to stop defending our preconceived notions of who God is."

In the second part, the focus shifts to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

In the third part, the focus shifts to the church, to the community of believers. How can the church of God best care for the people of God? How can the church reach out, include, better understand those living and struggling with physical pain and suffering?

I found the tenth chapter the most thought-provoking. In this chapter, he discusses the importance of confessing our sins to one another. This isn't a subject that is addressed often in contemporary theology. So he gave me a lot to think about!

Favorite quotes:
"Laments rise to the heavens as a strange combination of complaint, grief, questions, confusion, desire for rescue, and expectation of divine faithfulness. Our great hope is that lament is not all there is to human experience. Nevertheless, any who have truly lived and loved must come to believe that lament is at least part of our existence. Only the idealistic and unloving belittle tears and sadness. Only the coolly detached never raise a complaint about the condition of things, including our broken bodies. If we never lament, then it is legitimate to wonder if we have ever truly loved."
"To have a healthy emotional, spiritual, and mental life, we must be honest with ourselves. One truth about our lives is that we are broken; we inevitably encounter our own suffering and that of others, and eventually we die. How does our Lord teach us to respond to this? He teaches us hope, and within that hope we use lament to speak to God of the painful delay of peace. All laments ultimately go to God, with whom we wrestle and rest."
"If we fully and completely felt the lament of this broken and sinful world, it would crush any and all of us. We know that because it crushed Jesus. But thanks be to God, this Jesus also rose from the depths of despair and from the grave. He rose and lives even now. For now, let us simply appreciate that we are allowed, even invited, to lament. Yet we must take those laments to God since they will not crush him."
"To be a truly human story—which is the only way we should understand the Christian story—means it must confess both grief and hope, sin and faithfulness, struggle and promise. We must learn to be truly honest with ourselves, with others, and even with God. Our theology requires it. Our stories demand it. Only with this kind of confession and lament are we finally in a position to capture a glimpse of the God who is, rather than the god we imagine him to be. Only then can we discover the scandalous grace of God so often spoken about, but so seldom truly savored."
"The church has always believed that we do not testify properly to God if we lie about the state of the world. Sin, death, and devilish activity are all around us. Anguish, heartbreak, and troubled relationships are everywhere. This is the world we live in. And it is in this world that we must learn to live. Consequently, Christians are to live before God in this world by honestly facing the reality of pain’s presence and all that it represents. We neither deny nor glorify it, but we must face it nevertheless, for this is the world we inhabit."
"So how are we to live when our present moment includes a constant guest called pain? How are we to embrace the present moment, not just in light of the possibility of some future death but as we live in the midst of very real suffering? These questions are not easy. But learning to ask questions, to wrestle honestly with God amid our laments, can actually serve as a way to live faithfully before and with God in the present, even amid our struggle with pain."
"God concerns himself for us in our sin and pain, neither because it was required of him nor because he had personally done anything wrong, but because he loves us and is the only one who could restore what was lost, repay the debt, free the slave, and heal the sick."
"So if faith and hope are to mean anything to us in our suffering, they must come to us in the context of love, or, to put it another way, faith and hope are only properly applied with love: a love accomplished and given through the person and work of Christ."
"Love is what we are called to, and love is what we should never try to escape from. But in this fallen world, such love also brings with it real suffering."
"We experience divine love most concretely when we receive and give it to others. God expresses his love and extends his comfort through his people."
"When faith and hope grow out of love, they are like food for the hungry and medicine for the sick. Thus we need faith, hope, and love, but without love we lose all three."
"Simply facing pain everyday does not free us from sin. Nor does it make us more sinful. But what it does tend to do is heighten our awareness of sin and brokenness in the world and in our own life. In a counterintuitive way, those who are hurting can also help those who are relatively free from pain: they remind us that the world—including our body—is not as it should be, and it is this which suffering and the pains of death never let us forget. But with these sisters and brothers we can also see the promise of shalom and hope, a promise not yet full realized. To understand these dynamics we must learn why those who suffer often have a heightened awareness of the reality of sin, not only in themselves but in the world."
"I believe the act of confession, and in particular confession to a fellow believer, is crucial to sustaining the struggling saint. As we will soon see, for those facing physical suffering—where they have a heightened sense of their own sin—this act of confession becomes one of the keys to life-giving faith amid the voices of condemnation. This is not because they are greater sinners but because they sometimes have a greater sensitivity to the presence of sin in their lives and this world, and they sense their deep need for forgiveness and grace. We all need these gifts of divine compassion and mercy, but our relative health often masks the darker realities of our spiritual neediness."
"To be forgiven, healed, cleansed, and restored to God requires that our offenses, diseases, dirt, and alienation be obliterated and that we experience the consequent forgiveness, healing, cleansing, and restoration. This requires an honest reckoning. Confession before others, therefore, to be of any use at all, requires that those others are safe and trustworthy, and that we are open with them. Normally, those who receive our confessions must have enough life and spiritual experiences in line with what is confessed to serve us well."
"We need to hear the gospel from others, from outside ourselves. The power of the gospel preached personally to me from a faithful sister or brother has a power that I cannot conjure for myself."
"Confession before others can also help us disentangle our pain from the idea of personal punishment. Here we can know forgiveness and grace even in our pain (1 Jn 1:9). Here we can honestly affirm and confess the brokenness of the world and the failures of our own hearts. In confession, we are brought before Jesus, whom we encounter through our brother and sister (Mt 18:20; 2 Cor 2:10). Looking into their eyes, hearing their voice, and feeling their touch, we can receive Jesus’s promise to us: “your sins are forgiven.”"
"We may not be able to take away the physical pain, but we can point one another to him who promises one day to completely heal us. For now we cling to his promise of restoration, cling to him who has the ability also to restore the body. He will make all things new (Rev 21:5). We will be free from sin, pain, and tears (Is 65:19; Rev 21:4). We will be free from isolation, selfcondemnation, darkness, fear and anger (cf. Is 35:10//51:11; Rev 21:22-27). We will be utterly free to love our Creator and our neighbor. While we may not fully experience that freedom now, we can help one another to experience genuine tastes of shalom even in the present, even in our pain, even as we struggle with our sin."
"Confession liberates us, not from physical pain but from shame and condemnation. And here, the “healthy” can learn from the hurting, like the blind teaching the Pharisees to see (cf. Jn 9:31–10:41)."
"Witness holds an important place in the Christian tradition. These days when someone hears about Christian witness, they almost inevitably think about believers testifying of Christ to nonbelievers. That is what we call evangelism. However, what is often forgotten is how important giving witness or testimony can be within the Christian community, especially in times of difficulty. This witness is always twofold: acknowledging that our troubles are real and that God is unflinchingly faithful."
"We are called to have compassion, to come alongside others in their pain, and to love them. This is risky. Almost inevitably you will—even if only in some small way—suffer with them. However, in this shared pilgrimage you will also discover afresh the grace and tenderness of God."

[John Boyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kapic's book on theological meditations on pain and suffering is an excellent resources both for counselors and laypeople to gain a deeper understanding behind how best we are to react to pain and suffering in the Christian community. While the author wrote this book on physical pain it can be easily applied to all forms of pain such as psychological, emotional, or spiritual. The emphasis of the book is on the character of God and how growing deeper in our understanding and worship of the Creator can lead to peace and comfort in times of pain. I most appreciated the part where he discusses Job and how God allowed him to cry out "Why is this happening to me!" and where God doesn't respond "Because..." but instead responded "This is who I am". That was so powerful to me that in light of our pain we can cling to our Creator and Savior and know that in His sovereignty we can have peace in pain without every fully understanding God's purposes behind them. This book can be a comfort to those in pain as well as a training tool to those who want to learn how to comfort others.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kapic writes this book as one walking alongside those physically suffering and broken, acknowledging their pain, and pointing them to Christ - the One Who willingly entered into physical suffering for them. It is saturated with Scripture and theological truth that leaves the reader encouraged and motivated in their Christian life.

As one who lives with chronic pain, I greatly appreciated this book, as it navigated some of the particular challenges one faces when seeking to honor the Lord when walking through physical pain.

[Unchong Berkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our bodies matter; pain and suffering challenge us spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It is a stunning truth that Christ our savior took on weak flesh to give hope and to elevate our physicality. Kapic wrestles with these themes in a very pastoral & theological way. At one point or another each of us will suffer or walk alongside those that suffer, and the themes of this book provide wisdom for both situations.

[Miandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a sober but hopeful (through Christ) book that talked about how to consider the reality that we live in a physical body with the reality of the brokenness of the body. Our need for God, the hope he’s given us, and the fact he knows that we are within a physical body and those limitations are discussed throughout the entire narrative It made me think and provided concepts to chew on.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My, what a book! I marked and dog-eared nearly every page.

[Patrick Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the theology of pain, suffering, and hope. Kapic’s writings always includes angles that I often have not thought about. This is a good book that speaks from the heart and more importantly, from the scriptures.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m currently in the study Dr. Kapic is doing on Christian lament with a few others, and decided to read this alongside. Coincidentally, life has very much kicked up on the personal side, so all the material in this book (plus the study) has been very applicable. This is a book I will come back to and recommend for others. I appreciate his call to honesty before God, bringing things back to faith, hope, and love. The embodiment piece was familiar as well as I had read his other book on embodiment. He is an author who is theologically sound but also extremely practical and easy to understand. I appreciate having all 3, and know that lament is very much a part of any person’s life who is a follower of Christ, and want to practice this even to the glory of God. This book helps to walk through that process.

[Justin Lonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The problem of evil supposedly keeps theologians and (especially) atheists awake at night. This is not a book about that. Kapic takes both a fallen world filled with pain, suffering, and injustice and the infinite goodness and power of God. His focus is on what meaning there is in pain, and particularly, how we should approach suffering in the church: how we should acknowledge pain individually and corporately, and how we should consider our responsibility to those who suffer.

This small book is worth reading for anyone who has experienced suffering or is living in it now, who loves someone who has experienced suffering or is living in it now, and for those who may someday experience it.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already know that I'm going to read this again. As the author notes, it's not intended as a full theodicy but as a meditation on the experience of suffering and how our emotional and spiritual lives are impacted by chronic physical pain. The author absolutely nails it when it comes to the modern church's weaknesses in counseling and serving those who suffer in this way. The second half of the book is especially practical and fruitful. Absolutely recommended, especially for those in ministry.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book. Kapic looks at suffering in a different way than many books on suffering, not trying to explain it or justify God but more look at and work with the effects of suffering on the Christian. Chapters 10 (on confession) and 11 (how to talk to a sufferer) are so, so good. I wish I could give a copy of this book to every Christian I know.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

he best books to read on suffering are those written by those who are personally acquainted with it. Author and professor Kelly Kapic writes not as one detached from suffering, but as a fellow-sufferer and the husband of one deeply acquainted with pain and suffering.

In eleven chapters Kapic provides pastoral and theological wisdom in regard to pain in suffering. In the early chapters of the book Kapic addresses how pain and suffering often tempt us to think ill of God and the need to be reoriented to God and the place of lament and questions in pain in suffering. In the second of section Kapic points readers to the cross and the significance there is in Christ's identification with us for the pain and suffering we find in this world. In the final section Kapic addresses the importance of community for suffering saints, also noting how in  suffering there is a temptation to isolate oneself from community for fear of how others will react. 

Of all the subjects one could read about it might be asked why anyone should want to read a book on pain and suffering. Kapic speaks to certainties of life in addressing pain and suffering. If you are a Christian you will suffer in some way, it is part of being a follower of Christ sharing in His sufferings. Not only that those you love and know will suffer. If you are in ministry everyone you minister is suffering or will suffer. Kapic's book is a valuable resource that points faithfully to the bedrock foundation we have in hope even and especially in the midst of suffering.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of the book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

[Ian Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes
- "The questions people ask amid suffering may have the same wording as academic problems, but they are not the same questions; the subtext here is not theoretical curiosity but guilt, fear, and often a distorted view of God." (19)

- "When contemporary churches cease to sing laments as part of their regular catalog of songs, instead only choosing happy or upbeat music, the people of God lose their ability to lament well: our muscles for godly mourning atrophy." (38)

- "The saints speak to God for us when we struggle to believe and speak alone. Further, the saints are also called to speak to us for God when we seem unable to hear him on our own." (128)

- "Yet because discussions of sin can so easily go sideways when dealing with people in pain, we are tempted to go to the other extreme, leaving it altogether out of the equation. Unfortunately, our fear of hurting people in this way can leave us less than fully helpful to the sufferer. While we should reject the idea of simplistic retribution, we should not miss the fact that sin is a real problem. And it is a real problem even for those in chronic pain. Simply facing pain every day does not free us from sin. Nor does it make us more sinful. But what it does tend to do is heighten our awareness of sin and brokenness in the world and in our own life." (136)

- "Here is the interesting point: our ability to hide our sin gets compromised when we are exhausted and in constant pain. It becomes much more difficult to pretend that we are fine." (137)

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for those who are going through physical suffering, such as chronic illness. It was a great reminder that Jesus did not only defeat sin, but death as well, and that means we can look forward to physical restoration in the new earth.

I especially liked his focus on community, how we are to encourage one another and walk alongside one another in suffering.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book lays out an excellent Christian theology for physical (and emotional) suffering. I’ve already sent it as gifts to two different friends going through difficult circumstances. The author does a great job interweaving stories of personal suffering, the experiences of friends, perspectives of theologians, and Biblical truths - it’s a tough balance to pull off! But Kapic does it very well.

[Thomas Creedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely superb. Beautifully written, theologically astute and pastorally sensitive. Scratching a lot of my itches and echoing some of the connections I’m most interested in.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Kelly Kapic crushes it with this book. I wish I had this book to give out when My daughter was in the NICU and so many people were saying “I wish we knew how to help you.” This isn’t a comprehensive theology of suffering. It’s Kapic reflection on suffering from a number of angles. The specific type of suffering that Kapic focuses on is Chronic Pain. Kapic wife suffers with chronic pain and he has wrestled with how to care for people who suffer in this way. In my opinion part one of the book is worth the price of the entire book. I suspect this will be a top ten book for me this year. @ivpress

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite my three-star rating I want to suggest a disclaimer right away: This is an important read in the contemporary religious setting.

Embodied Hope provides a thoughtful look at specific areas of pain and suffering in the lives of people and how it intertwines with a theological focus. Kapic does a solid job at balancing between the emotionality of pain and experience and the rationality of critical thought about the subject.

As someone with religious academic education, a follower of Jesus, and chronic illness I appreciate what Kapic has done and the need for more books about lament, suffering, and Christianity are needed.

The book is, however, is a hit and miss and feels at times rather typical in its responsiveness to the problem of pain and suffering. Some chapters are phenomenally though out and really embrace a thoughtful vision that a theology of lament about pain while other chapters feel like kitsch and superfluous and almost a contradictory hindrance to the rest of the book. But the solid chapters are worth reading and transformational.

Kapic also peppers the book with an Evangelical Protestant point of view, which is fine, but he really misses out on some of the incredible Christian tradition and thought on pain and suffering. Personally, I would have liked to see him interact with Christian Literature such as DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL and other lament Christian writing. A solo quote from the Henry Nouwen is the only non-protestant pov besides verse from scripture and a few church father quotes. ( I will say his thoughtful analysis on Luther was a really helpful and great addition to the book- I definitely think Luther was either bipolar or clinically anxious with panic attacks, etc. )

But the book falls short in its scope at times it begs for a more experiential treatment of the topic and also feels like "church answers" to a non-theological problem. But maybe that is the price to pay to ever try rationalizing in any capacity something like suffering. It simply refuses to be systematically organized. And surely, that isn't Kapic's fault.

I think a great book to read alongside this one would be Prophetic Lament. The two together really would develop a strong sense of physical pain and suffering and grief in the Christian Tradition.

But neither truly hit on the suffering of Mental Health... which is something I was very sad Kapic barely mentioned. Maybe it was not in the scope of his thought, or perhaps it deserves a book (or books) of its own. Yet it wasn't approached with any kind of versatility in this volume.

Overall, worth the read and very glad I did. I enjoyed meditating through this and it definitely had some transformative value to life.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was hard for me at first, in a good way. I wanted to stop reading several times because of how applicable it was. But I ended up enjoying this book that was filled with Gospel freedoms that shine light to the darkness we are all enticed by.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a number of recent treatments on the problem of suffering. Christian writers and theologians have reflected on losing loved ones, trying circumstances, diagnoses of debilitating, chronic, and terminal diseases, and natural disasters. Many of these theologians seek to trace the place that suffering has within the purposes of God.  In Embodied Hope , Kelly Kapic offers his theological and pastoral meditation on pain, prompted by watching his wife battle chronic pain and fatigue for several years. He doesn't guess at the 'why' behind suffering but describes the reality of pain, and the resources available to those of us who suffer.

Kapic is professor of theological studies at Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Georgia) and an author of several books. He stands firmly in the Reformed tradition, but unlike some of his Calvinist friends, you won't find him tweeting about 'God's greater purpose' in the wake of profound tragedy. Embodied Hope doesn't attempt a theodicy—a defense of God in the face of evil's existence. His first chapter opens, "This book will make no attempt to defend God. I will not try to justify God or explain away the physical suffering in the world. Instead, I wrestle with nagging questions about our lives, our purpose, and our struggles. How should we live in the midst of this pain-soaked world? How do we relate to the God whose world this is?" (7-8).

In the pages that follow, Kapic examines the reality of pain, wrestling honestly with the experience (part 1), before examining the resources we have in the midst of suffering: Jesus (part two) and Christian community (part 3).

In part 1, Kapic takes an honest look at the problem of pain, describing its debilitating effect on our spirituality. In chapter one Kapic notes how the problem of pain causes us to 'think hard things about God.' In chapter two, he discusses the need for Christians to develop both pastoral sensitivity and theological instincts (24), by not attempting to untangle the 'why' behind suffering but instead seeking to love others well, even in our theologizing (26). In chapter three, Kapic advocates the place of lament and grief in Christian spirituality. He notes:

We will only discover hope when we are ruthlessly honest about what lies between us and that hope. At least such truth telling is required if we are ever to know the true hope of the ancient Christian confession. The church denies the power of the gospel when it trivializes grief and belittles physical pain, overspiritualizing our existence in such a way as to make a mockery of the Creator Lord. Faithfulness to the gospel requires the Christian community to deal with the messiness of human grief. Biblical faith is not meant to provide an escape from physical pain or to belittle the darkness of depression and death but rather invite us to discover hope amid our struggle (41).

Chapters five and six invite us to a spirituality that embraces our physical embodiment and the 'questions that come with pain.

In part 2, Kapic describes the resources available in Christ Jesus for Christians suffering and in pain. Chapter six discusses how Jesus' incarnation involved God's self-identification with us in our embodiment. In chapter seven, Kapic explains how Christ on the cross, entered fully with us, into the experience of pain and death. In chapter eight, Kapic explores how we enter into Christ's resurrection and the hope of redemption beyond our pain and death. Kapic writes, "Christian affirmation of resurrection is not chiefly about escaping this world but righting it. Resurrection is not about denying this world but rather enabling believers to have an honest assessment of their experience and yet to have a real hope for restoration beyond it. Pain is real, but it is not the only reality" (115).

Part three describes the resources available for sufferers in Christian community. In chapter nine, Kapic discusses, through the lens of Soren Kierkegaard and Martin Luther, the ways fellow Christians enliven our faith when we are in a weakened state, proclaim hope to us when we are unable to proclaim hope for ourselves, and demonstrates to us the matrix of divine love by walking alongside us in our pain and suffering. Chapter ten reflects (with Dietrich Bonhoeffer) on the resources of confession for those who suffer (e.g. forgiveness, cleansing, healing, restoration, release from shame and condemnation and false images of God that compound psychological suffering, and mediating Christ's presence). Chapter eleven describes faithfulness in the midst of suffering.

Kapic offers these reflections as a gift to the church. Pastors, pastoral counselors and all who walk along side Christians in pain, will find Kapic's counsel to be both wise and sensitive. He avoids clichés and offers an embodied hope to those suffering. I appreciate the way he wrestles with the reality of pain and takes an honest look at it. He honors those who are suffering by describing with senstivity the difficulties they face, but also acknowledges how destructive pain may be for their spiritual lives:

Christians struggling with physical pain often develop defense mechanisms that are destructive in the long run. Denial, for example, can take many forms, like the cultivation of detachment from pain. By deadening their affections and repressing their frustrations, some seek to carve out an inhabitable and safe place. Not only is this strategy partly successful, but the colors of life soon dissolve into the blandness of grays and whites. . . .Although the one who closes off the pain this way may not literally lie in the grave, those who know them whisper concerns about how 'dead' they have become (58).

It is only after describing the dangers and realities implicit in pain, and encouraging sufferers to examine themselves honestly, that he describes the embodied hope we have in the midst of pain: the Jesus who took on flesh, suffered, died, rose and ascended and the body of Christ which mediates His presence today.

This book will be a helpful aid for pastors, sufferers of chronic illness and for their supportive community. I recommend this book highly. Five stars: ★★★★★

Notice of material connection: I received this book from IVP Academic in exchange for my honest review

[Ben K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why does God allow pain and suffering in this world he has created? If you are asking this question (and during this present crisis you probably are), this book is an excellent resource. It won’t answer the question, but its meditations, rooted in a solid theology of suffering and lament, will give you a great reason to hope - a hope found only in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There’s also some great material on how the body of Christ can practically minister hope to one another as we go through painful times. I highly recommend!

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book because an earlier book I read on the resurrection was quoting it a ton. So I thought maybe I need to read this book as well. It was a good book, though not as meaningful for me since it’s topic was more about suffering of pain not just suffering in general, nor was it as much about resurrection as the previous book had led me to believe. Why do I share all this? To explain why it didn’t land on me like it probably should have. I think if I returned to this in a time of pain it would minister to me more.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly Kapic never expected to write Embodied Hope. A reformed theologian by trade, Kapic is most comfortable considering the mystery of the Triune relationships or justification. But the past decade of walking alongside his wife in suffering and illness has led Kapic to press in theologically to the difficult subject of suffering.

Kapic warns the reader that Embodied Hope is not a memoir; it is a theological reflection on suffering. It’s a fair warning. You shouldn’t pick up this book expecting a personal journey. And yet, Kapic writes with warmth, empathy, and ultimately pastoral direction. In short, Kapic’s book leads with the head, but has plenty of heart.

Kapic says that in the midst of suffering, temptations abound. At the heart of those temptations is the temptation to question the character of God. “When these misconceptions take hold, they throw cold water on the small embers of our love for God.” The temptation of a theologian or philosopher is to come up with cold, rational explanations. They will not do. “Even if we had in hand a theodicy that made sense, such dispassionate philosophical explanations leave us empty when we walk in the fire and ashes of genuine suffering.” He continues, “when people mistake theodicies for pastoral care, the voice of the sufferer is often silenced.”

This does not mean we throw the baby out with the bath water. “Empathy and orthodoxy both matter.”

Kapic tells us that the portrait of God in the Bible reveals a God who leans into those who suffer. He is not cold-hearted, nor vengeful, he is patient and gentle. Kapic points us to the Psalms, which, “orient us to God. Our hope is in him who made and redeemed heaven and earth, not in our own intellectual acuity.” Kapic reminds us that, “All laments ultimately go to God, with whom we wrestle and rest.”

Kapic critiques the West’s distance from death and suffering. We have professionalized death and separated ourselves from disease and dying. “To have a healthy emotional, spiritual, and mental life, we must be honest with ourselves.”

Kapic says that healthy suffering is an expression of hope. Godly suffering is rooted in a longing for shalom. “Hope does not rule out the need for mourning in our lives but rather demands it, because our hope itself tells us that our brokenness is wrong…Hope does not answer all of our questions. Christian hope does not mean a cessation of lament, since these two often go together.” Creating space for hope is creating space for lament. And lament flows from hope.

Kapic then considers the importance of our embodiment in the Christian life. He reminds us that “Our physicality was not a problem to be overcome but a gift essential to our existence.” This is rooted in the incarnate Jesus Christ. “Jesus identifies with us, not only in our beauty, not only in our grandeur, but especially in our vulnerability and temptation. At our worst, he knows us best.” Isn’t that glorious?

Kapic moves to the practical realm. He encourages us to “preach the gospel to ourselves” as has been encouraged for many years in the Reformed tradition. In addition, he urges us to confess to one another. Kapic believes that “confession becomes one of the keys to life-giving faith amid the voices of condemnation.” In bringing in community, we invite the Spirit of God and the presence of the assurance of the family of God. The people of God draw us back to Christ in our confession.
Kapic points out that confession steps into the gap of our therapeutic culture. “We need not therapy only; we need forgiveness. We need grace.”

Kapic offers a prayer for us as God’s people: “May we, as the people of God, care for one another in love. May we truly be the body of Christ. May we confess our sins to one another, offering honesty, grace, and transformed lives. Let us love one another in grace and truth. We are sinners. We are under the cross. Here is our hope. May it be so.”

Indeed, may it be so. I commend Embodied Hope to you. Kapic’s vantage point as a theologian and fellow-sufferer brings a weight and depth to the book that will shepherd you as a fellow embodied sufferer.

For more reviews see www.thebeehive.live.

[Chris Woznicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The problem of evil has been solved. Well, at least the logical problem of evil has been, which for the lived experience of most human beings is radically insufficient. Pain and suffering present a radically real problem for many people. People die, get sick, and deal with chronic pain. For some, these realities pose a major stumbling block to seeing God as good. Kelly Kapic, the author of Embodied Hope has experienced these realities first hand. His wife has dealt with the ravages and emotional toll of physical suffering. In light of this he has chosen to write a book which is both theological and pastoral, exploring the truths about God and ourselves which have bearing upon this problem of pain and suffering.

Naturally, the problem of evil is a really large topic, thus Kapic chooses to limit himself in two ways: First, he chooses to address Christians who suffer. Thus this book isn’t meant as a global defense against the existential problem of evil, or evil in general. It is aimed ad Christians who experience suffering. Second, he chooses to deal with suffering associated specifically with serious illness or physical pain.

The book is roughly divided into three parts. Part one deals with the limitations of easy answers often given to the problem of suffering and he deals with the nature of biblical lament. Here he also explores what it means to be embodied creatures. Part two turns to Christology in order to address some of these issues. Kapic believes that “Only by looking to this man [Christ] can we reorient our experience of suffering in a way that is truly Christian.” (15) In part three Kapic relates ecclesiology to the problem of suffering. He says that in the body of Christ we “discover a pattern for Christian discipleship that allows for genuine struggle, communal support, and transformative affection.” (15)

As someone who would consider myself to be a “pastor-theologian” I can really appreciate the nature of this work. Kapic works hard to make sure that our theological reflections are not separated from our pastoral practice. I found Kapic’s chapter on the Incarnation to be especially strong in maintaining this bond. Here he examines the theology of Athanasius and Warfield and concludes that,

The physicality of the Messiah takes us to the heart of the gospel and God’s promise, not just of sympathy but of rescue. God has come, come near, come to be God with us and God for us!” (75)

This is a powerful truth with major pastoral implications. Much incarnational theology has swung towards saying that the most important part of the incarnation is that Christ now has solidarity with us. This is certainly true, and pastorally significant, but solidarity without rescuing doesn’t offer much hope!

His chapter on confession was also enlightening. I have rarely seen a chapter on confession in a book addressing suffering. If I have, they are often very poorly written, wrongly teaching that our sickness/suffering is always tied to some hidden sin. So what does confession have to do with healing? Confession before others can help us disentangle our pain from the idea of personal punishment, it liberates us from shame and condemnation, it allows us to meet Christ in the other, and allows us to make ourselves truly vulnerable to the healing presence of God. This is truly powerful stuff!

So who should pick up this book? Undoubtedly, pastors! I mentioned above that this is a great example of pastoral theology. Kapic doesn’t present anything “new” here, or anything particularly interesting to academic theologians. However, he does an amazing job of making theology “real” for pastors and laypersons. I often hear that systematic theology is irrelevant or that it’s a nice intellectual pursuit, but here Kapic shows us that is simply untrue. The sort of historical theology and systematic theology he is engaging in this book is supremely relevant to the life of anyone who calls themselves a Christian.