Out of the Canyon

In his first book, The End of the Island, Jeffrey C. Tucker wrote an engaging, accessible theology of suffering. In his second book in this series, Out of the Canyon, Tucker focuses on the behavioral and pastoral care sides. We follow the canyon journey of one who suffers, written in the first person as a journal. Throughout the difficult and sometimes treacherous trek, the narrator reflects on the many challenges of human suffering encountered along the way. In the process, the traveler comes to understand more fully the biblical and human voices of suffering; the problems with those voices; our sometimes mal-adaptive coping mechanisms; our sometimes unhelpful views of God's power; the unique suffering of violence and trauma; the short and longer-term needs of suffering; human spirituality; the path of healing; coming to terms when we don't heal; and what we most need to give and receive as pastoral care providers and recipients. This book offers insightful, practical, and creative approaches to our own respective journeys of healing and transformation–all through the eyes of our narrator. And, as the story nears the final edge of the canyon, the trekker discovers the most valuable and unexpected lesson of all.