Why Do We Hurt?

C. Nathan Vannatta

Description

Pain in the world has caused many Christians to question their faith, so now take a look at a biblical, scientific, and situational study that shows pain has a purpose.
Why do we hurt? This is a question asked all through history by the rich and the poor, the slave and the free, the weak and the powerful, and the intellectuals and the dreamers. All of us experience pain and the physical and emotional suffering that it can bring. For many, this question has deep theological undertones and has posed a challenge to their faith in God.
Why is there so much evil and suffering, and how can we stop it? What is the purpose of pain? Is there even a purpose? If there is a god, why is all this pain allowed to continue? Why Do We Hurt? is a biblically rooted and deeply practical exploration of these questions and more. Readers will find spiritual nourishment, inspiration, and insight on each page.
Using clinical stories to illustrate main themes, author C. Nathan Vannatta addresses the many problems posed by the reality of pain. Combining arguments from logic, philosophy, neuroscience, and biblical exegesis, the issue of pain and suffering is addressed from various perspectives to lead readers to the hope we have in Christ.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Spiritual Growth
• Christian Living
• Philosophie et théologie
• God
• Pain

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 12 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664295483
• Langue: English

Extrait

Why Do We Hurt?
 
The Problem(s) of Pain
 
 
 
 
C. Nathan Vannatta
 
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2023 C. Nathan Vannatta.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book. The names and various aspects of the clinical stories used in this book have been fictionalized to protect privacy.
 
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9547-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9546-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9548-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905042
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 04/10/2023
 
 
 
 
 
Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
 
 
 
 
 
 
For Kelsey and Twila,
who taught me to live out
what I have written down.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1     A Pervasive Problem
Chapter 2     The Paradigm Problem
Chapter 3     The Philosophical Problem
Chapter 4     The Physiological Problem
Chapter 5     The Personal Problem in Principle
Chapter 6     The Personal Problem in Practice
Chapter 7     The Pastoral Problem—Helping in Pain
Chapter 8     The Pastoral Problem—Hoping through Pain
Conclusion
Introduction
Why do we hurt?
This is a question we all face. It is a question that has been asked through all of history. It is a question that confronts all people—asked by the rich and the poor, the slave and the free, the weak and the powerful, the intellectuals and the pragmatics. It is a question I’m sure you have faced. It is a question I have faced. It is a question I encounter regularly in my clinical practice as a physical therapist.
So answering it not only has very real ramifications for how we handle the challenges of each and every day, but it also leads to more abstract sorts of questions. You know, those questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. Why is there so much evil and suffering? How can we stop it? What is the purpose for it? Is there even a purpose? And, for many, if there is a god, why does he, she, or it allow all this to continue? In fact, this issue is one of the common unanswered questions given as a reason for not believing in God. 1 And it is the question that we will be taking head-on together in the pages of this book.
To help understand this question, there is a lot that we can draw from our personal experiences with physical pain. Understanding the physiology of pain provides an illustration for the broader experience of pain we see in the world around us. That is the primary perspective that I hope to offer with this book. However, making that application of our lived experience through physical pain to the broader experience of physical and moral suffering throughout the world, in general, necessitates a discussion of other components of how we each view the world. Because of that, this book will also discuss elements of philosophy and theology and how those are important parts of each of our worldviews.
I personally hold a Christian worldview informed by a biblical theology as best as I can ascertain it. So I will be answering this question from that perspective and also addressing many of the challenges to the Christian faith that I have encountered through this question.
At this point, I bet some of you perusing this introduction—trying to determine if this is a book worth reading—are now thinking, Good grief! Another Christian self -h elp book! Probably just another person trying to brand his own approach to Christianity . Or, Add it to the list—another high -m inded philosopher sitting back in his armchair, sipping brandy, and moralizing the world’s pain and suffe ring .
I am not going to deny that addressing the question of pain and suffering in the world from an intellectual perspective can often appear convoluted, cold, and without compassion. And I admit that I, too, have read books that seemed to philosophize the reality of pain and suffering into an abstract oblivion that made applying anything that was being said all but impossible. But I will be quick to add that there is a place in the conversation for these more intellectual discussions.
I will also admit that I have read books and articles that are amazingly superficial and that seem to say, “Pain is just a result of your sin. Turn to God, repent, and all will be well.” Or, “You of little faith! Just claim your healing! Believe, and God will take this trial from you!” These resources don’t seem to take seriously the complexities of individual situations. They don’t seem to appreciate the intricacies of unique circumstances. And it feels that they offer only pat answers that leave you feeling invalidated and not helped (despite their claimed intention). Yet there is some truth in these sentiments, and we don’t want to fall into the trap of believing that my situation is the exception to every rule .
So I don’t mean to add just another book to the plethora of literature and opinions out there. I want to offer a unique perspective on an age-old question. What perspective is that? Thanks for asking! Let me give you some of my background.
My interest in this topic was spurred while I was an undergraduate student. My wife and I married between my sophomore and junior years of college. During this time, she was going through a particularly challenging season in her life. She had had years of chronic pain, which had led to several appointments with numerous doctors with different training and philosophies. She had received multiple different opinions and recommendations on treatment, but pain persisted, a definitive diagnosis remained elusive, and the limitations on her activity ebbed and flowed with the severity of her pain.
I was studying physics in a pre-engineering track and was planning on attending medical school with a desire to become a team physician in sports medicine. But as her pain continued, I felt increasingly helpless in my ability to do anything for her. I did not understand what was going on (medically or physiologically), which led to me being confused at the vast array of symptoms she would experience. My confusion quickly led to frustration (because I hate not being able to understand things!). And when I am frustrated, it is really hard to be sympathetic, and instead of being patient and kind, I often become short-tempered and abrasive (maybe you can relate).
In response to this, I felt I needed to understand what was causing my wife to suffer from such pain. So I began to read—and read a lot! I read as much as I could find through medical databases and physiology texts about pain and the theories behind it. This pursuit, along with other circumstantial situations, led me to change my course of study. I moved from engineering to a more interdisciplinary program that merged a wider variety of fields. This allowed me to combine a lot of the studying I was doing on pain into the coursework I would need to graduate and also let me continue to study engineering principles in biomechanics (which was a huge interest of mine).
Further, I found what was probably the most helpful thing I was able to do for my wife during this challenging time was not acquiring all of the knowledge and facts about how scientists believe pain works but to be in the day-to-day walk with her. Being a consistent presence for her—attempting to understand what was going on in her body and how that was affecting her mind and heart . And through that process, I discovered that whatever health care career I ended up in, I wanted to be able to do that with people. I wanted to be able to walk with them through their pain, injury, or illness.
As I was learning more about practice patterns among various health professions, I ended up pursuing a degree in physical therapy, as its practice reflected this idea very closely. It also had a large emphasis on understanding human movement and musculoskeletal injuries—which just happened to be my primary medical interest! And unbeknownst to me at the time, the study of pain neuroscience was a burgeoni