Why Does it Have to Hurt?: The Meaning of Christian Suffering

We all experience suffering, some of us more than others. In fact, if you're a Christian, you've been called to suffer with Christ. But why do Christians suffer? Isn't God all-powerful, able to prevent suffering? Isn't he loving and good, particularly toward his children? What purpose does suffering serve in my life, or the lives of my loved ones? Why does it have to hurt?

Dan McCartney delves into Scripture to help Christians understand the meaning of suffering and why they suffer. Avoiding trite responses, he moves us to a better knowledge of our heavenly Father's purposes in our suffering and leads us to the rest and peace we have in Jesus Christ.

Dan McCartney

Dan McCartney (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas. He is the author of Why Does it Have to Hurt? and is a contributor to several reference works.

Endorsement

"Dan McCartney’s splendid book . . . has all the qualities necessary to help us deal with such a sensitive, personal, and often difficult question. It is thoroughly honest and realistic; its approach is marked by Christian wisdom; and above all, it is biblical—and set out in his clear, readable, and easily followed style. . . . the result is a book which every Christian should read."

—Sinclair B. Ferguson