What Happens When the Breakthrough Doesn’t Come? | Dr. Craig Keener on Suffering

Have you ever prayed for a breakthrough that never came, and wondered what that says about your faith? Dr. Craig Keener, one of the most respected New Testament scholars, says we're only looking at half the story. He joins Remnant Radio to explore the theology of suffering - not as a theological afterthought for the Spirit-filled believer, but an essential part of the story Scripture actually tells.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Dr. Craig Keener, F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, has spent his career defending the biblical and historical case for the miraculous. His two-volume Miracles is an essential read for believers (also available in his shorter version Miracles Today). His newest book on suffering turns to the question that so often gets left unanswered: what do we do when we've prayed, and prayed, and the diagnosis doesn't change?

Keener explores what Scripture actually shows us about suffering and healing side by side, including in the lives of the apostles. The conversation moves through difficult ground in Christian theology: whether suffering can be God's will, how the crucifixion holds together the greatest evil and the greatest good in human history, and why the two churches in Revelation given no correction from Christ are the two enduring persecution.

This isn't an argument against miracles. Keener has given his career to defending them. Rather, it's an invitation to hold suffering and hope together, the way Scripture always has.

0:00 – Introduction
2:06 – Keener's Testimony and Ministry
4:16 – Why Write About Suffering
8:38 – Western vs Global Suffering
14:19 – The Problem of Evil
15:55 – Miracles as Foretaste
23:10 – Purpose Found in Suffering
32:52 – Keener's Divorce and PTSD
41:34 – Faith Defined Rightly
44:46 – Birth Pangs and New Creation
54:16 – Caring for the Poor
58:48 – God's Will and Suffering

ABOUT THE GUEST:
- Dr. Craig Keener's website — https://craigkeener.com
- Suffering: Its Meaning for the Spirit-Filled Life by Craig S. Keener  https://a.co/d/0iO8MUtB
- Miracles Today https://a.co/d/0i145Az1
- Miracles : 2 Volumes: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts https://a.co/d/0gOxo5Ar

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