Date of Award

5-1-2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Practical Theology

First Advisor

Bruce hartung

Scripture References in this Resource

Romans 8:18; Isaiah 53:4; Luke 10:27; Micah 6:8; Psalm 25:18; Job 42:3; Deuteronomy 26:7,8; Psalm 32:10; Proverbs 13:14; Jeremiah 6:7; Isaiah 53:10; Psalm 90:14,15; Exodus 3:7; Psalm 23:4; 1 Peter 2:21; Hebrews 5:8; 1 Corinthians 1:5; Matthew 24:8; 2 Corinthians 2:4; Mark 13:19

Abstract

Often people feel inadequate both in handling their own pain and in helping others who are in pain. It is easier to walk away and refuse to see the pain we know is there. In a world where self-help books and medical treatments abound, how can the Christian congregation offer its unique contribution of the Gospel? Christian community can help to remove pain, teach skills in coping with pain, and integrate pain meaningfully into life. A benefit of Christian community for individuals is in giving meaning to the pain they experience through Jesus' presence.

Chapter 1will explore the history and recent research in pain theory to better understand how pain works within people physically, psychologically, psychosocially, and spiritually. Chapter 2 will discuss some of the more popular treatments for pain. Chapter 3 will review secular and religious views for finding meaning for life while in pain. Chapter 4 will review several of the more popular Christian perspectives on pain. Finally, in Chapter 5 some practical applications for the congregation will be presented. The goal of this thesis is to understand pain better and to explore practical means by which a congregation can minister to people in pain. The practical means will include addressing issues in the church's community that increase pain and equipping members in developing caring skills as they relate to people in pain and suffering.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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