In this third sermon in the Freedom and Suffering series, Thurman focuses in on the suffering aspect. Suffering is the common experience of human beings, and perhaps all living beings. Thurman says that the Christian tradition itself was born out of pain and suffering, and represents the human project of squeezing optimism from pessimism. Thurman adds that we are always trying to deduce the logic of our suffering, but even still there are times when the balance of reaping and sowing does not add up. In these moments we may feel like a victim in the world, but Thurman insists that we have the freedom to work with our fate creatively, revealing the meaning, worth, and dignity of our lives.

Part of the Collection, Freedom and Suffering (1959, Marsh Chapel, Boston, MA)

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Description by Rodell Jefferson III.

Recorded in Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, Massachussetts

Citation: Thurman, Howard, “Freedom and Suffering, Part 3, 1959 November 22,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/1053.