His notion of valuating 'suffering' seems very much like a typical reduction of modernity. Let us take, for instance, the reduction of the statement "from the point of view of biblical faith there is no inherent value in suffering." Whose biblical faith is he speaking of, the faith of the Philippian Church cf. Phil. 1:29? This text does not bear it nor do others in this concept genre. Biblical faith inheres with the weight of suffering in our post-fall paradigm. Suffering opens an emotional-thought-ful space for God's mystery to fill. Modernity's rationality neither fathoms the depth of this space nor properly conceives of its existence because mystery is other than such rationality.
That space of mystery is filled with glory, lament-comfort, fellowship, and a plethora that issues from the infinitude of God’s nature. It necessitates experience in-formed by the stories of His word to give it meaning.
Also, a brief allusion to one Pauline text is another reduction that misses the richness found in an extensive word study of “suffer” with its cognates in Pauline writing i.e. Romans 8:17ff; Col. 1:24 etc. I commend such a study to anyone serious about the subject. I suggest that you will find that "joy" is inextricably bound to suffering. I agree with his assertion that the believer is not called to seek suffering for that is an issue of misplaced valuation stained by sinful motive and intention not the biblical valuation of the inevitable, suffering.
To sum, I appreciate his provocative introduction of the subject but find his primary notion that "suffering has no inherent value in biblical faith" seriously wanting. For a non-western excursus I suggest Ajith Fernando's: A Call to Joy and Pain: embracing suffering in your ministry. From one who has tasted the joy and pain AND filling of that mystery, I hope some will give my critique consideration.
