T h e o l o g y o f E v e r y t h i n g Cos everything's theological Categories The Mystery of Suffering Krisztina Mair Krisztina holds degrees in Philosophy and Theology, and Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. She is a Christian Union Staff Worker with UCCF, based in Birmingham, and has lectured in philosophy at the University of Birmingham. View all resources by Krisztina Mair When approaching the topic of suffering all of us come to the table bearing scars of one kind or another. We reflect on this issue united not only by common experience, but by the One who eternally bears the marks of his crucifixion. The content of the following article will not be an assessment of the various theodicies of evil 1 . Whilst a theodicy encourages reflection to account for God's allowance of evil, it is  ultimately limited in scope to be able to comfort and strengthen the individual sufferer. After all, viewing evil as a ?privation of good? ? though it may better enable us to grasp how sharp are its teeth ? cannot help us tame the malevolent beast. Nor can we be protected from its bite as we better comprehend ?evil as a perversion of a straight line? 2 , for example. The intention of some of these explanations in many of our apologetic endeavours is clear: to reasonably and attractively communicate the Gospel, provide clarity and bring others to an understanding of the reality that