Author: Tim Reddish
Located in: Windsor, Ontario
Submitted: September 20, 2018
Tell us a little about yourself. Rev. Dr. Tim Reddish was ordained in December 2017 and, at the same time, was inducted as the minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Amherstburg, Ontario. He spent his formative years in Nigeria, where his parents were missionaries. Having obtained his PhD in experimental Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics at Manchester University (UK), he went on to be a Reader at Newcastle University (UK). Tim and his family moved to Canada in 2002 where he was a Professor of Physics at the University of Windsor. In 2011 Tim resigned to study theology at Knox College, Toronto. He has a diverse church background—Pentecostal, Baptist, Anglican, and Presbyterian. In 2011, Tim’s first wife, Anne, died of breast cancer at the age of 49 having battled with the disease for over 6 years. This book on suffering has therefore emerged both out of personal experience and theological reflection. He is also the author of: “Science and Christianity: Foundations and Frameworks For Moving Forward In Faith” (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2016) and “The Amish Farmer who Hated L.A. and 8 Other Modern Day Allegories” (Sisters, Oregon: Deep River Books, 2015).
What was your motivation behind this project? Some Christian responses to suffering can be as unhelpful as Job’s “friends” leaving sufferers confused and doubting God’s love – even God’s existence. What God-honoring alternatives are there? How can we better understand God’s activity in our suffering world? That was the rationale for writing this book, which accessibly weaves together personal experience, theology, philosophy, science, church history, and biblical studies. This book reminds us of our Trinitarian heritage, as I maintain that considering God as the social Trinity—as mutually indwelling beings-in-relationship—provides a much better foundation to address the age-old problem of suffering and evil than the “all-powerful” God of classical theism. This becomes vividly apparent when we consider the meaning of the cross, for how we understand the Divine action in that context shapes our view of God when we experience suffering. Having considered theodicies for both moral and natural evil in some detail, the book then addresses the key question: What is God doing about evil? My response is to explore God’s rescuing activity in the overarching biblical narrative, and then focusing on the broader meaning of the cross. This allows us to appreciate God is for us and continually at work bringing good out of evil. Consequently, the pastoral questions of those who have experienced suffering are addressed, including those pertaining to miracles, prayer, and the Christian hope of the resurrection and the world to come.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? The book is primarily for three kinds of people: (a) Those who have suffered and who are unsatisfied with “standard” church responses to the problem of suffering, and who desire to wrestle honestly with the issues. (b) Ministers, seminary students, and those who work with those who suffer (chaplains, medical practitioners, etc.). (c) Thoughtful, discerning Christians and those sympathetic to a Christian worldview who wish to explore various Christian responses to suffering. It is also my hope that those who have lost their faith in God because of their own experience of suffering might gain surprising, new insights that cause them to rethink their position.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? This is a book born out of personal experience, since my first wife, Anne, died of cancer. Suffering causes us to ask deep questions about God and the Christian faith, questions like:
• If “God is in control” does this mean God is to blame for suffering?
• Why did God not heal my wife’s cancer?
• Does prayer make any difference?
• Is Anne’s death what God wanted to happen?
• What is God doing about evil?
These are all good, practical questions that deserve a response. Yet some “answers” result in a “God” that we would worship (if at all) out of fear, not love. We need to explore the broad topic of suffering in a way that both listens to the pain of suffering and honours the very character of God. This I have done to the best of my ability, and my Christian faith has been deepened and enriched in the process.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? The book has an extensive bibliography. A number of key authors that have influenced me greatly include (in no particular order): Greg Boyd, Clark Pinnock, William Hasker, John Sanders, N T Wright, Douglas John Hall, Keith Ward, Thomas Long, John Polkinghorne, Terrence Fretheim, and Richard Rice.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: The crucible of suffering causes us to examine the kind of God we believe in, the nature of the world God made, and the relationship between the two (i.e., Divine action). This book responds to all three and sensitively explores the problem of evil and responds constructively to the complex issues that such questions pose. It also contains a good news message that gives hope and leads to wholeness as we discover afresh what the trinitarian God has done—and is doing—about evil. In other words, recognizing the Christian faith is in a Trinitarian God who has not abandoned creation, and who has also suffered and participates in the sufferings of the world. In the book’s conclusion we are reminded that, as Christians, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to be God’s agents of justice, restoration, and hope. Let us, therefore, move forward together and partner with our Trinitarian God to counter all the effects of evil in this needy world, and to help further God’s reign.
