Does God suffer? Although the biblical testimony has been variously interpreted, leaders of the early church rejected the notion of divine suffering. In the late twentieth century the suffering of God with his suffering creation has emerged as a critical question for contemporary Christian theology. Several recent theologians have affirms divine suffering, although they have not focused on the issue systematically and each of them has reached that conclusion through a different line of thought.
Warren McWilliams has chosen six contemporary advocates of divine suffering-Jürgen Moltmann, James Cone, Geddes MacGregor, Daniel Day Williams, Kazoh Kitamori, and Jung Young Lee-as representative figures in the first in-depth, systematic study of the issue since 1926. They represent a variety of theological perspectives and diverse geographic, ethnic, cultural, and denominational backgrounds-a German Lutheran theologian of hope, an Afro-American exponent of black theology, an American Presbyterian “patripassianist,” an American Congregationalist process theologian, a Japanese Lutheran, and a Korean Methodist. From his careful study of their work, Professor McWilliams concludes that the suffering of God “the wounded healer” can become “the basis and resource for human action to oppose suffering.”