Recently, I posted (shared my soul): Shepherds Please Think, “Protect Well.” Please Stop Saying, “Suffer Well.”
I received an overwhelmingly positive response to this post—comments and likes on Twitter, Facebook, via email, private messages, texts, and on my blog. And, I had, by far, more views of this post than anything I have ever posted (and I’ve posted over 2,500 blogs).
I’m sure there are those who disagreed with my post who simply chose not to comment.
And a couple of people graciously “pushed back” saying that “suffer well” can be a beneficial term when used well.
Agreed—if used well.
In a future post or several future posts, I may share more of my nuanced thoughts on “suffering well” and on biblical “sufferology”—biblical principles related to suffering.
In today’s brief post:
- I’ll simply share a bit about “nuance.”
- Then I’ll share several resources where I provide additional (nuanced) thinking on suffering.
Nuance
If you’ve read any of my 2,500+ blogs, if you’ve read any of my over 100 published articles, if you’ve read any of my 23 books and booklets, then you know that “nuance” is my middle name.
Call me Robert William Nuance Kellemen!
I’ve often said that God designed and wired me as a both/and person. God fearfully and wonderfully made me to see both sides of issues.
However, I purposefully chose not to nuance Shepherds Please Think, “Protect Well.” Please Stop Saying, “Suffer Well.”
It would have sapped my personal sharing of all power if I had crafted it as “both/and” and “yes/but.”
Anyone reading my post can clearly identify the context—domestic abuse. In responding to domestic abuse, “Protect Well” must be our first thought and first action.
So, no, I would not want to nuance that post. I wanted to get the attention of pastors and counselors who are failing to protect Christ’s sheep.
Honestly, I’m glad that I “pulled away from” my typical both/and approach.
It was important that I be blunt.
7 Resources for a “Biblical Sufferology”
I’ve spent most of my “career” or “calling” seeking to help to equip the Evangelical world in general and the biblical counseling world in particular to think more richly and counsel more compassionately about suffering. I may have even coined the term “biblical sufferology.”
If you want a LOT more nuance on my thinking about biblical sufferology—what the Bible teaches about ministering to the suffering and responding to suffering—here are just a few of my nuanced resources:
With each of these links you’ll find free resources related to these books and booklets.
Also, you can go to my RPM Ministries Free Resources page here to find even more free resources.
