When Faith Is Tested

Jeffry R. Zurheide was Pastor of Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Connecticut. A former hospital chaplain, he held the D.Min. in pastoral care and counseling from Brite Divinity School and was a member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

Howard W. Stone is professor emeritus of psychology and pastoral counseling at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University. He is the author of many influential books, including Depression and Hope, and editor of Strategies for Brief Pastoral Counseling.

"This is one of those rare books for pastors and lay caregivers that engage the reader from the very first page to the last. Jeffry Zurheide provides realistic illustrations of how any caring person may respond thoughtfully and helpfully to the 'Why' questions that tragic deaths inevitably evoke in us. This book also presents a clear theological orientation in which belief in the power of God is not diluted as a means to 'explain' why these things happen but rather affirms the power of God as manifest in the very vulnerability of God. Zurheide's capacity to make this theological position intellectually persuasive and emotionally consoling is, to me, the real strength of this significant new book on an age-old experience whose power to crush the soul is as great today as ever." --Donald Capps, William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary

"This book is a result of Jeffry R. Zurheide's reflections about his own experience of personal loss and the suffering and losses of the many people he has served as a hospital chaplain and as a parish pastor. He shares his insights on how to offer care to those who are not only devastated by a tragedy but also are plagued by 'Why' questions." --Howard W. Stone, professor emeritus of psychology and pastoral counseling at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University