The Transformation of Suffering

This article offers reflections on The Passion of the Lord, edited by James A. Noel and Matthew V. Johnson. The title “The Transformation of Suffering” refers not only to the transformations emerging from the epic suffering endured by Jesus and by peoples of the African diaspora, but to the ways each of us may be spiritually transformed by the crucible of suffering, and to the imperative of discipleship to act with creative agency in transforming the conditions of suffering and injustice that exist in the world.Liza J. Rankow, is an interfaith minister and independent scholar based in Oakland, CA. She is the founding director of OneLife Institute for Spirituality and Social Transformation and is a recent past member of the board of trustees of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, co-founded by Dr. Howard Thurman.