Is All Suffering Redemptive?

Okay, first off, it should be pretty obvious from the fact that I am finding deeper meaning from shows like "Heroes" that I am a theological welterweight. I am a theologian the way Fazzoli's is an Italian restaurant. So when my friend Eric throws out a question like "is our current suffering merely the symptom of a systemic evil rather than the reduplication of cosmic redemption?" then my first impulse is to go to Entertainment Weekly to see if a celebrity did anything embarrassing this week.
That being said, here is my best stab at an answer.
I do think all suffering is redemptive, because I think the "Christian Paradigm" is all-encompassing. Colossians 1:16 says that "God was pleased to have ALL his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself ALL things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians in general, uses that word ALL a lot. And while it seems bizarre on a human timetable, I have to believe that ALL suffering is redeemed by a God who is sovereign over ALL things.
Carol Burnett, the comedian, once defined comedy as "tragedy + time." That seems to be a pretty good definition of God's glory also. That given a long enough timeline, everything works to God's glory. It may be the morning after a tornado, when someone surveys the damage to his home and realizes that it could have been worse-- that his family is still okay. It may be the month after a job change, when I realize that no matter how painful it was to leave my old job, God has me in a good place now. It may be the year after a cancer diagnosis, when one realizes how much they have learned to depend on God and how God works through His people.
The bigger the tragedy, the longer the timeline it takes before "All things work togeter for good" (Romans 8:28). How long a timeline is necessary before we see 9/11 redeemed? We can see some elements of redemption even now, like shafts of sunlight in a dark forest. How long for the Holocaust? That one, I think, will take millenia. But Ecc. 3:11 says that God has set eternity in the hearts of men. Which means that we have been created for eternity. We have an infinitely long timeline. I think if you had stood on Calvary on the morning after the murder of Jesus, you would have thought the cross was the most horrible thing you had ever seen. Now, two thousand years later, we sing, "When I survey the wondrous cross."
God's glory = tragedy + time.
I don't think the Gospel ignores suffering. But when you ask whether it is just a symptom of a fallen world or a reduplication of cosmic redemption, I think it is both/and, not either/or. There is suffering because we are in a fallen world. There is systemic evil, because I believe we are at war with a real enemy, who desires to un-do creation. But I think it's like a fractal: smash a crystal into a thousand pieces and each piece will retain the structure of the whole. All of our light and momentary afflictions, according to 2 Corinthians 4:17, are "producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison."
Enough of that. I need to go find out who got voted off "Dancing with the Stars."

Claire Bennet, Lepers, and the Gift of Pain

I'm so excited that Heroes is back on the air. And after last season, I'm relieved it's not lame.

They seem to have found their foooting again by telling a great story.
Who is your favorite Hero? I've always been partial to Peter Petrelli-- the younger brother who could only do whatever the Hero standing next to him could do. As the youngest child, I always liked how he wanted to be like his big brother, and when his brother, who could fly, was standing close by, then the little brother could too. A psychological, birth order, sibling rivalry gold mine!
But now, I think I am really liking Claire. She's the cheerleader who can heal from anything. But this season, there is a new development. SPOILER ALERT! DON'T READ ANYMORE IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THIS SEASON!

Are you still with me? Okay, good. This season, after a run in with Sylar, Claire has lost her ability to feel pain. Before, she could walk through fire, get hit by a train, or throw herself off a water tower, but it would still hurt. And now, she misses the pain. She tells her mom that she wonders if she is even human anymore.

Who knew we could find such deep theology in prime time? Philip Yancey, in his book "Where is God When it Hurts" talks about leprosy. He says that the disease known as leprosy in Jesus' day was actually a deadening of nerve endings. A leper would lose the ability to feel a cut on his foot. So he would just keep walking, allowing the cut to become more and more infected. Or he would never know to blink away the grain of sand in his eye and would go blind. When Jesus healed a leper, He gave them the ability to feel pain again. Pain is vital. It makes us human. It is what makes us cry out for help, helps us learn from past mistakes, makes us aware of danger. Whether you believe in God or not, you at least must concede that without the gift of pain, we would not survive long as a species. And if you are willing to consider the possibility that there is a God, then maybe you can see pain as a gift from a god who loves us, rather than proof that God doesn't love us.

I understand the rebuttal. "How much pain is enough? When does it stop becoming a gift?" And for people who have suffered unimaginable loss and pain, I'm imagining that after standing over the grave of a child you've outlived, or signing your divorce papers, or watching your life savings swept away by natural or financial disaster, you're feeling quite human enough, thank you.

What Christians hang on to that makes us different from Hindus and Buddhists is the idea that suffering is redemptive. Hindus see it as punishment for the past. Christians see it as refinement for the future. Buddhists see pain as meaningless. Christians find meaning in pain and suffering when they understand it as part of the process of making us more like Christ.

Life Truths Redesigned Learner Guide

So, I am an editor for a living, and I am working on redesigning a Bible study curriculum for parents of kids still living at home. We know they don't have a lot of time to prepare for Sunday School before they get there, and we also know they want to connect the truth of God's word to how they are raising their children. So these two posts give you a preview of what the curriculum will look like, both the teaching plan and the learner guide. Have a look around, and please let me know what you think.

Get your own - Open publication

LifeTruths Leader Guide Redesign

Here is the leader guide for you to peruse. By the way, this PDF viewer is pretty amazing. Follow the "Get your own" and see how easy it is to use.
Get your own - Open publication

Blogs to Blog About

When I come across a blog that I feel has something to say to me, I am going to pass it on to you, my loyal fan base (thanks both of you). On the left hand column of this blog, you'll see a new area, creatively titled "Blogs to Blog About." So today, let me tell you about my friend Robert Smith, who founded Upside Down Ministries. Robert lives in Lawton, Oklahoma, and is a full time speaker and seminar leader. He offers youth culture seminars to parents and youth leaders all over the country, and shows he has the right to be heard by the way students respond to him in worship services. What I love most about my friend Robert is his heart for teenagers and his love of God. He and his wife Mary have taken legal guardianship of their 17 year old nephew, who refers to them as Uncle Dad and Aunt Mom. Very cool. So we can learn a lot about current youth culture trends from Robert, and I hope you enjoy his blog as much as I do.