Customer Reviews

Making Sense Out of Suffering

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Peter Kreeft has written an intellectually stimulating book on something we all have to face: suffering. He does so by giving us clues from philosophy, the arts, and the Bible to the meaning of suffering. As a Catholic Christian, Kreeft finds the ultimate meaning of suffering in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is a book worth reading and re-reading. In my view, his most striking insight is how in literature, including the biblical story of Job, the protagonist must undergo suffering before the final triumph of good over evil. He urges us to view ourselves as protagonists in the midst of our own life stories. If good finally triumphs, as Christians believe, then the story is worthwhile, even with its inevitable suffering. Like a true philosopher, he also includes a thought-provoking chapter on why modernity can't understand suffering. This is a book that will appeal to all Christians, Catholic or non-Catholic, and to all persons searching to understand the meaning of suffering.

Peter Kreeft has done a masterful job of creating a readable work that can both address the confounding issue of God and suffering, and at the same time bring comfort to a wounded believing heart. Though rightfully indebted to C. S. Lewis, Kreeft brings a philosopher's precision to this topic, which differs from Lewis's more popular, though no less effective, approach. Moreover, there are times when Kreeft's prose is crafted so well, it can make the reader want to stand up and cheer - which can be awkward in public places. I have purchased multiple copies of this book to replace ones I've given to others. This is the book for the broken-hearted contemplative who seeks to make meaning out of his or her sorrow and better understand God's role in their pain. I am grateful to Dr. Kreeft for the comfort he has delivered through this compassionate and intellectually honest book. I recommend it unreservedly.

Kreeft's best asset is that he has read the right books. His task in this tome is to tackle the giant question that looms over our modern era: Why do we suffer? If you are willing to wait for an answer, you'll probably believe it. A reader might grow impatient because Kreeft does what modern philosophers are reluctant to do--or don't believe they can do--which is to state absolutes. We are never totally happy, for example. Who is patient enough to really consider that anymore? It is our right as an American! But Kreeft will lure you away with a colloquial style and wise exhortation. He brings with him the wisdom of many ages: Socrates, to Jesus, to C.S. Lewis. Kreeft is best at exposing the fallacious thinking that guides our popular mindset. Once that thinking is cracked, Kreeft fills those flaws with the universe's strongest glue: the love of God. This is a compelling work, one that can be read during a moment of grief, and should certainly be read after. This book would have received a 10, but I admit (and Kreeft probably would too) that C.S. Lewis' efforts in this area are better.

I would like to strongly recommend this book to all. It handles the hard question in a very sober and inspiring way and even humorously :-). Kreeft has not the role of an excathedral theologian or philosopher. No, he is a philosopher in the true sense. Majeneutics, the Socratic method of philosophical dialogue, is mixed with reflexions. The author points out and by hints lets the reader find the answer. He is a seeker, voyager and a challenger like we all. Like any good voyager he has his common sense and lot of experience as compass and ofcourse lot of professional knowledge and wisdom. Thouse of us who luck it or can not structure our life-experiences should read this humble and beautifull creation of a genius. Suffering makes sense. AMDG

Eschewing easy answers, Peter Kreeft calls us to explore the mystery of suffering. Examining the thoughts of philosophers, artists, and prophets, he shares clues to the why of suffering. This culminates in Jesus, "the one who would solve the problem of suffering by suffering, who would solve the problem of death by dying, and in so doing transform the meaning of suffering and death."

People of our day think feeling good is the ultimate objective, and therefore see suffering as an incredibly bad thing. But when you realize the ultimate objective is the glory of God, suffering is truly a momentary light affliction. Peter Kreeft helps us understand that.

Peter Kreeft wrote a book twenty years ago that I've just gotten around to reading. I wish I had read it twenty years ago.

Kreeft is a philosophy professor at Boston College, and his book Making Sense Out of Suffering is a look at the implications of suffering in philosophy and theology. His audience is the skeptic, the person of uncertain beliefs and convictions who is tossed about in this world of sorrow and pain and is struggling to find some way to understand existence in light of that raw fact.

One thing that I really enjoyed about his book was his attention to various traditions and schools of thought. He starts with this observation:

"By the time you finish reading this book, ten thousand children will starve, four thousand will be brutally beaten by their parents, and one thousand will be raped.

If you took a poll asking who the profoundest thinker of all time was, the man who would probably come out second, after Jesus, is Buddha. Buddha's entire philosophy centers around his answer to the problem of suffering. How can we not hear him out?"

Gotama Buddha's voice is only the first of many which we must hear out. If we follow Kant's suggestion that the great questions revolve around God, the world, and the soul, then the question of suffering becomes a question of the existence of a supreme being and its relationship to the human world. The difficulty of suffering, for belief is that we are asked to accept the following:

1. God exists.
2. God is all-powerful.
3. God is all-good.
4. Evil exists.

How can this be?

Kreeft summarizes the possible alternate theologies, which differ on these points, either bluntly or subtly. For examine, the atheist may deny that God exists. Or one may more subtly say that God exists, but only as a psychological concept, thereby draining Him of real force and existence. All of these alternate answers have implications for the meaning of human suffering.

Kreeft's goal on the other hand, is to affirm Christian belief and answer a resounding "yes" to all these questions. The task then becomes making Christian belief intellectually credible and defensible. His technique is interesting -- rather than argue from cohesive deductive principles, Kreeft takes successive passes at the problem and allows answers and ideas to emerge suggestively, tentatively, rather than authoritatively and dogmatically.

Peter Kreeft wears two hats: 1) an professor of philosophy of religion at Boston College and 2) an extraordinary Catholic apologist. As a professor, Kreeft does not deny his bias, but probes with objectivity and impartiality. As a Catholic apologist, Kreeft is an advocate for his church and its beliefs and he presents his arguments and theories in an non-technical manner which can be easily appreciated and understood by a person who lacks formal religious or philosophical training. As a apologist he puts forth his position in an objective, non-proselytizing manner, an approach which will strengthen the beliefs and conclusions of those readers already predisposed to agree with him and give others pause even if they do not ultimately accept his conclusions.

In "Making Sense out of Suffering", Kreeft is wearing the hat of a Catholic apologist discussing and explaining what he acknowledges is the greatest obstacle to his faith. He provides a solid theological explanation to the problem of suffering, one which is consistent with traditional Catholic theology. Unlike Harold Kushner, Kreeft reaffirms all three of God's attributes: omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence. For a believer who wants to understand theodicy and square his or her faith in a theistic God with the world and personal suffering, there can be no better introduction or explanation than Kreeft's book. Even those who do not accept Kreeft's analysis and explanations will, after reading this book, at least understand "the other side."

This is one of those books that lives up to its title. Every so often something derails our lives and we seek to make sense of the scattered pieces. This book helps do that. I would suggest reading C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed" for an amazingly honest look at the topic from the inside. Some of the Psalms are very relevant as well.

I am a liberal 61-year-old deacon who, very likely like you if you're considering this book, has read thousands of books. This ranks with the very finest of them all. Creative, illuminating, reassuring, brilliant, entertaining (!), absolutely a must-read for every thinking human being. By far the finest book by Kreeft I've read. He answers the questions of suffering as no one has.

(4.5 *'s) Followers of Peter Kreeft's books have known for a long time now how deftly he is able to take difficult, yet lofty subject matter and make it accessible to the reader's heart and mind. In his excellent 1986 book, `Making Sense of Suffering' he again takes the most poignant and mysterious of human topics and brings some clarity and comfort to those willing to take the 184 page sojourn.

Not entirely different from Benedict Groeshel's 'Arise from Darkness,' Professor Kreeft starts out by sorting out Rabbi Kushner's `When Bad Things Happen to Good People,` and illustrates what he finds laudable and what parts he is at issue. Kreeft, a skillful alchemist, draws upon the Bible, psychology, literature, and philosophy to illustrate his points and counter arguments in a very smooth and laudable fashion. Just as an overview, some of his biggest references come from C.S. Lewis, Dostoyevski, Plato, Freud, and the Prophets. People with a cursory understanding of any of these figures should note that he paves the way of understanding for even the uninitiated.

His major premise is that life is filled with suffering. Like all mysteries there are aspects that are inscrutable, and he is at a loss to explain some of its ramifications. Aside from these necessary limitations, his work is to try and make something we find dreary and daunting into something that is meaningful and livable. His assertions and examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but they are nourishing, nevertheless.

While most of the passages are well integrated from premise to illustration, he also uses the technique of dialogue between himself and a prospective reader. The exchange while lively and blunt, sometimes makes the personified reader sound whiney, even if he (or she) does embody common concerns.

`Making Sense of Suffering' is written from the Catholic Christian perspective, but being the apologist he is, he is able to make a work that is inviting to people of a wide spectrum of faiths. Having taken the journey, I find myself refreshed with the ideas he has presented in this wise and illuminating book.