When Faith Is Tested: Pastoral Responses to Suffering and Tragic Death

by Jeffry R. Zurheide

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 1997

Overview

When a religious caregiver visits a person who is suffering and dying or who is grieving a tragic death, questions arise concerning faith in God's goodness and power. This book deals with the pastor's preparation to deal with personal and cosmic issues of suffering and justice. Zurheide includes suggestions for conducting conversations with the dying.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Rather, we seek to bring the presence and empathizing love of God, along with counsel and the resources of faith (Scripture, prayer, sacraments), to suffering people. That is what we have to offer.” (Page 7)

“If accurate empathy is truly our aim, an open, nondirective approach is essential. The key here, for the pastoral carer, is to engender within oneself an ability to be led.” (Page 11)

“it is preferable that the pastoral carer allow the patient to take the lead” (Page 10)

“Play your position!’ If we could only do precisely that, and play our ‘pastoral positions,’ all would stand to benefit—sufferers and carers alike.” (Page 8)

“views God as the divine disciplinarian who uses pain and suffering to punish people for wrongs and sins committed” (Page 23)

Praise for the Print Edition

When a religious caregiver visits a person who is suffering and dying or who is grieving a tragic death, questions arise concerning faith in God's goodness and power. This book deals with the pastor's preparation to deal with personal and cosmic issues of suffering and justice. Zurheide includes suggestions for conducting conversations with the dying.

—Donald Capps

Product Details

• Title: When Faith Is Tested: Pastoral Responses to Suffering and Tragic Death
• Authors: Jeffry R. Zurheide and Howard W. Stone
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 96

About Jeffry R. Zurheide

Jeffry R. Zurheide is Pastor of Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Connecticut. A former hospital chaplain, he holds the D. Min. in pastoral care and counseling from Brite Divinity School and is a member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

Howard W. Stone is a psychologist, marriage and family therapist, a pastoral counselor, the author or editor of many books in the Fortress Press Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling series, and a professor emeritus at Texas Christian University. Two previous editions of Crisis Counseling have sold 45,000 copies in the United States and have been published in six other countries.