Youth and a Theology of Suffering

This post is by Syler Thomas, a friend of mine who pastors youth in Chicagoland’s suburbs.

Clearly present in Andrew Root’s theology (co-author of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry with Kenda Creasy Dean) is a focus on the presence of suffering and pain in the world, and God’s connection to it. This is helpful because any youth minister will tell you that ministry to young people will always involve those who are wrestling with those questions.

Do we have this kind of a theology of suffering in our churches today? Do we point people to the crucified Savior as One who can identify with their suffering? What do you think of his assessment of how we handle those who aren’t healed versus those who are?

Root is at his best when he is urging us as youth pastors to probe the darkness, doubt, and difficulty for God’s presence.

On page 82, he says that “theology starts with a crisis, the very crisis of reality itself. The crisis is the fact that you live, that you have a life to live. …The crisis is the very mystery of our existence and the yearning for there to be some kind of meaning to it.” He then continues the crisis language, explaining God’s crucial role in the crisis. On page 86, he states that a “theologically rich ministry begins with inviting young people to articulate what haunts them.”

How refreshing is that? Crisis? What haunts you? Those kinds of statements are so shocking because it’s not what is generally accepted in church life, particularly in evangelical circles. Fear is often pushed to the sidelines, to make room for certainty and confidence.

I particularly appreciated his discussion about the subject of healing (chapter 8). In some circles, the healing of sick people is expected…it’s the norm. Root points out that it is our job as ministers to “first acknowledge the presence of God not with those who’ve been healed but with those who are suffering. To be healed in this world is to be abnormal. …Healing is wonderful, but weird; it is to be celebrated but not glorified… To suffer, however, is to be embraced by the crucified God; to hear no answer to your pleas for help is to find community with One crucified. …[W]hen someone suffers without healing, their perceived Godforsakenness is the very thing that assures us that they are with God and God is for them.”  And when we hear word of a congregant healed, while giving thanks to God for the healing, our very next thought must be for those whose loved one was not healed.

Do we have this kind of a theology of suffering in our churches today? Do we point people to the crucified Savior as One who can identify with their suffering? What do you think of his assessment of how we handle those who aren’t healed versus those who are?