Raging with Compassion: Pastoral Responses to the Problem of Evil (Book)
John Swinton, Author.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007.

Pastors are faced with the challenge of responding faithfully and helpfully to suffering within and beyond their congregations. Alas, words and theories, thinking and theology, often fall short of what people most truly need in the midst of crisis or sorrow. John Swinton, a professor of pastoral care, considers the limitations of a purely intellectual approach to evil and suffering. What we need, he asserts, is an approach that helps us both resist and transform suffering.

Many approaches to theodicy are abstract and philosophical, Swinton argues, and do not bring healing. They may even harm or deepen suffering. He shows the weaknesses and flaws of trying to explain away—or apologize for—the existence of evil. The real challenge is to help people live and persevere in the face of evil. This must be done relationally, in community—for it is in community that evil and tragedy can best be faced head on.

Swinton proposes a "practical theodicy" as part of the wider discipline of pastoral theology: careful reflection on the gestures and practices of Christian life that help people live with healing and hope. Those practices include listening to silence, making room for lament, encouraging forgiveness, being discerning and thoughtful, and embodying hospitality.

Ironically, Raging with Compassion at times displays the heavily theoretical and intellectual bent that the author finds inadequate for those who suffer. Nevertheless, this book provides a theologically rich foundation for counselors and pastoral caregivers.

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