Glimpsing Resurrection

“Deanna Thompson resurrects. She resurrects Christian traditions that the dominant narratives about cancer so often ignore. She brings to life the space in which we can live with the honesty of suffering, lament, solitude and community. Thompson raises up proposals with psychological, biblical, theology and pragmatic integrity. Not only all Christians touched by the experience of cancer, but all students of theology will want to consider Thompson’s heartfelt constructive response to one of the most significant challenges to faith.”
—Monica A. Coleman, author Bipolar Faith: a Black Woman's Journey with Depression and Faith, Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religions, Claremont School of Theology

“In this ground-breaking work, Deanna Thompson connects the enigmas of cancer stories with a spacious telling of the Christian story, showing how the category of trauma can bear theological fruit. As she does so, Thompson creatively orchestrates a conversation between a range of theological voices about how to address the challenges raised by a traumatic experience with cancer. Throughout, she guides the reader toward a constructive vision of Christian hope that avoids triumphalism. Highly recommended!”
—J. Todd Billings, Author of Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life in Christ, Gordon H. Girod Research Professor of Reformed Theology, Western Theological Seminary, Holland MI

“Thompson breathes new life into the most familiar sites for Christian engagements with suffering—the Psalms, Job, crucifixion, Pauline resurrection—and insists that faith resides in the uncertainties, that Christ appears there, and that the church can hold space for grief and loss. Bringing life-threatening illness into the sphere of trauma, she rewrites the relationship between the cancer story and the Christian story."
—Shelly Rambo, Associate Professor of Theology, Boston University School of Theology