Prof. Dr. John Lennox: Responding Human?s Sufferings with Love

The third day of the Christian Responses to Global Health Issues (CRGHI) Conference, December 4, 2015 was started with a session from John Lennox, a Professor from Oxford University who talked about how human should respond sufferings with love.

In this session, John began with an explanation about the role of empathy to healpeople in sufferings. Empathy is said to have a bigger impact compared to technical skills in the health world, it was done through words of hope for the people with sufferings. With this, we can reach more people from various kinds of society.

Furthermore, he gave numerous explanations about the human condition in facing sufferings through a pastoral point of view. As a pastor, according to John every suffering that human face has two reasons, which is Human Nature or Moral Evil and Natural Problem or Natural Evil. Then, John also talked about how human should respond towards their own sufferings and how to treat our neighbor who suffers.

In relation with the suffering caused by Natural and Moral Evil, John explained the two with Job?s story, as how it was written in the Book of Job. The story about Job illustrates a combination of the two causes of sufferings. For example, in the story Job has to face the sufferings because of the natural condition, such as deadly storm and also sufferings from moral evil, such as when he experienced a massive robbery, or when his wife questioned the existence of God in his life. John said that Job?s wife words could be said as a theological evilness which persuaded Job to curse God and swore for Job to die because of the heavy suffering he experienced.

What had happened to Job has also happened in the life of people nowadays. ?When someone is experiencing such a heavy suffering, one tends to ask God, ?Why did He do this to me? Why do I have to suffer? Where is God?? John expressed these questions which are often questioned by many.

Furthermore, the most dangerous thing is when human are faced with the atheist view, that doesn?t believe in God and assumes that human suffering doesn?t have any meaning.  They don?t have appreciation towards life itself and they don?t have love at all, though this is what differs human as God?s creation compared to animals. This condition is the actual suffering of human being.

From all the sufferings in this world, John wanted to remind that in facing suffering, one has to get back to the absolute moral which only exist in the truth of God?s words. God is the anchor of human life that is capable to gift human with freedom to choose to do good or bad. Human also has to remember that since human was first created, human were given a great potential to love. John believed that without love, human could never appreciate the entirety of their life in this world, including their sufferings. They will lose hope in God and then decide to look for another way to end their sufferings. One of the available ways is by using the advanced technology which promises healing for human?s suffering. But sadly, along with the technology development the higher demand for payment also follows, and this demand isn?t suitable for all kinds of people. The fact is that technology development doesn?t actually assure that human will forever be free from pain and suffering, moreover it only makes human question more about their life meaning in this world. This should be our main concern.

According to John, human?s sufferings couldn?t only be healed physically, it also need a complete healing which involves mental and spiritual healing through love and words of hope. When people who suffers questions about their life?s meaning, we can help them by reminding them with God?s love and grace in their life. God loves human so much that he wouldn?t just leave them is suffering. ?As an example, a parent would take the risk of raising their children with a possibility of the children growing up, becoming an adult, and leaving them with suffering. But with love, a parent will keep raising their children and protect them. The same thing applies with God, God took the risk of suffering upon the cross to save us, who He really loves,? explained John while he encouraged participants to share this hope for their suffering neighbor.

John also said that to realize God?s love when we?re experiencing suffering, can reduce the possibility of that certain person to experience ?spiritual death?. This spiritual death is the highest death level according to John and it is certainly more severe than physical death.

This presentation of John Lennox gain the attention from not less than 2000 people in the Grand Chapel and it was also broadcasted through a Live-streaming program to be watched by lecturers and students in several locations at UPH. Aside from that, for the public who didn?t attend and witness this session, it is now available in Youtube, which could also be accessed through www-dev.uph.edu and TV Channel Khairos in First Media. This third day, was continued with the last keynote speaker, Elizabeth Styffe, the Director of The Global HIV & AIDS Initiative who talked about ?Incurable Disease, Pain, and Dying.? (mt)

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