Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering

“True theology is shaped, refined, and informed by the harsh realities of life. In Embodied Hope, Kelly Kapic re–examines Christian theology from the vantage point of the ongoing physical suffering that has invaded his own family. This is theology that touches down in real life. It moves from abstract, theoretical notions of God to truth that is necessary for faith to survive. Against the backdrop of human suffering, Embodied Hope invites honest engagement with the God who loves us. This book is a gift for those who are wrestling with hard questions and an important resource for ministry leaders in the church and the academy.”

“I know of many books about loss. I know of very few books about physical pain, which is the subject of Kelly Kapic’s insightful and challenging book. His wife’s experience of pain awakened him to the problem, and his broad study and deep reflection prepared him for the writing. Kapic accomplishes what is most difficult. Embodied Hope is personal, to be sure. A book like this one almost has to be. But it is also learned and pastoral. He interacts with great minds, both past and present. He explores relevant, even surprising topics, such as the significance of embodiment. Above all he lifts up Jesus Christ as the one who suffers with us and for us, who conquers death, who stands with us. This fresh book does it all. I learned a great deal while reading this book; I also felt a great deal. It is the combination of the two that I found so helpful.”

“Out of Kapic’s own encounter with pain has come a book that reflects deeply on the theological challenges it poses. As a theological meditation, it helps sufferers dispel distorted images of God and gently nudges them to engage in consideration of God’s full identification with us in the incarnate Christ to find an existential answer to an existential problem. Pastors ministering to people facing the enigma of suffering will find here a resource that is at once theologically robust and pastorally sensitive.”

“A famous Christian once described preaching as ‘truth through personality.’ By that definition, Kelly Kapic’s new book is powerful preaching indeed. Kapic presents a range of biblical expositions, all filtered through his deeply personal wrestling with the ongoing chronic pain of his wife and some of his other friends. Here is sermonic theology to comfort, console, and fortify your faith.”

“Kelly Kapic’s Embodied Hope is a well–written and tremendously helpful theological meditation on pain and suffering, with many examples of ongoing and long–term conditions, including his wife’s chronic pain. It is full of biblical realism, acknowledging struggle, confusion, longing, and lament as human in a compassionate and humane way, centered in Christ and his incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming. It also emphasizes the need for loving and prayerful support from one another in the body of Christ and faithfulness in loving God and others in the midst of such chronic pain and suffering. Highly recommended!”

“Elegant and accessible, Kelly Kapic’s personal and probing book Embodied Hope gives a theological exploration of suffering that stands apart from other books. Instead of giving Christian clichés or therapeutic platitudes, Kapic testifies to the way in which the triune God’s light shines in the darkness of physical pain, chronic illness, and loss. With pastoral sensitivity and theological insight, Kapic calls the church to live into her God–given identity, even in difficult seasons. I highly recommend it!”

“I am all too familiar with the topic of this book, having lived as a quadriplegic for nearly fifty years and dealing daily with chronic pain. So I’m always heartened when I stumble upon a rich new resource that really encourages. That describes the remarkable book you hold in your hands. Rather than focus on why, Kelly makes much of how—how to trust God in this world. Best of all, Embodied Hope leads the reader to the foot of the cross, the only place to find true relief and healing. I love this book!”

“Here is a rare gift of love to the Christian church—especially for sufferers, their watchers, and all who observe deep pain. Kelly Kapic combines love for Scripture, familiarity with the spiritual masters of the past (Athanasius, Luther, and John Owen, to name but a few), and friendship with contemporary sufferers, together with a gracious sensitivity to the sometimes inscrutable wisdom of God. Kapic’s reliable and gently applied theology, married as it is to personal experience, offers exactly what the title suggests: embodied hope.”