The Suffering of God is good, hearty biblical theology that can be applied to preaching, academia, or faith formation. Fretheim lays out the pathos of God, the giving in and giving up of God's self for humanity's sake. From the beginning, when God breathes life into the first human being, "the words imply that God's life was in some sense being expended." Fretheim's alternative reading of the Bible in this way creates a space in which believers can rethink the character of God and their relationship to the divine, who may not just be all-powerful but also compassionate enough to give up that barrier of strength and unknowability for our sake. ( )

I am currently reading this book. Fretheim is certainly not your average fundamentalist orthodox Christian in the way he thinks. He says some things in this book that would make your pastor turn red in the face and excommunicate you. I believe he provides great information and Biblical theology is much more useful than systematic theology. This guy is worth reading and is very deep. It is definately a book I will read again. ( )