Pandemics are a vivid reminder that life in a fallen world entails suffering. As health, life, livelihoods, retirement savings, travel plans and more collapse like dominoes, God’s people are left with challenges and opportunities. How do we make sense of suffering ourselves? How do we serve suffering people? How can we use suffering as an opportunity for conversation with non-Christians?
This intensive unit is designed to help participants dig behind the immediate issues of suffering and think about the underlying issues and responses to them. It has a particular focus on physical suffering but is rich in wider applications.
COVID-19 may pass, but suffering continues until the Lord returns. Present and intending pastoral leaders need a good understanding of suffering and awareness of useful pastoral responses as they shepherd God’s people and stand to gain much from this Unit.
Dr. Kelly M. Kapic is professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. He is the author or editor of over fifteen books, including the unit text Embodied Hope (IVP Academic, 2017) which won the Christianity Today Book of the Year award for Theology and Ethics in 2018. Kapic is also part of a John Templeton Foundation grant studying “Christian Meaning-Making, Suffering, and the Flourishing Life.
David Burke is an adjunct lecturer (church history, applied theology, pastoral practice) and research fellow (cross-cultural studies). He is the Unit Co-ordinator for this Intensive.
David was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1979 and has a long background in pastoral and educational work in Australia and S.E. Asia. He taught at Christ College part time from 1981-1999 and was on the full-time staff from 2011 to 2019. David is involved in several majority-world ministry training projects.
David is married to Glenda, with whom he has an adult family.