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Few questions have drawn people closer to God and pushed people farther away than this one: Why Suffering?

The Christian faith offers many responses, but the Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary, Ian Markham, really helps frame these responses in a thoughtful and reasoned way. His four video presentations are entitled:

Origins
Suffering and the Bible
Suffering and Blessing
Coping with Suffering

This course offers hope and encouragement for those who are struggling over this perennial mystery.

Here's a video preview:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take me to complete this course?
It will take an average student about 45 minutes to complete this course. You can pause at any time and come back. You can even re-take lessons. Each course features 3-6 video lectures that are from 5-7 minutes in length. Also included are downloadable Mp3s of each lecture plus Discussion Questions and a one-page synopsis of the course called The Takeaway.

Who’s teaching this course?
Our instructors come from a variety of traditions, mostly mainline Christianity - Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian. They meet two criteria: 1) they are well-studied, even experts, in their fields, 2) they offer a moderate viewpoint.

How long will I be able to access the course material?
Those who purchase individual courses (for $10) can access all the course materials for 6 months from the date of purchase. Those who purchase individual subscriptions ($15/mo unlimited) can the course materials for all of our courses as long as their membership is current.

Is this course downloadable?
Parts of the course are - Mp3s of the lectures, the Takeaway, and the Discussion Questions. However, the course is designed to be an online learning experience and the video lectures, quizzes, and discussion are only accessible online. However, if you'd like to take the course in a small group, feel free to hook your computer up to a projector or big screen.

Can I cancel my subscription anytime?
You bet. It's easy, look for instructions as well as answers to more questions in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Also, a technical note:
This platform works best on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, which are both free downloads. Internet Explorer 9 and above also works well. However different computers have different anti-virus and spam filters installed that can inhibit the downloading of lots of different materials, so if one browser is not working for you then try another.

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