A Liturgy of Grief: A Pastoral Commentary on Lamentations

In Lamentations, we read of the unbearable grief experienced by a group of believers. Leslie Allen suggests the book can be read as the script of a liturgy performed to help the people of God come to terms with the fall of Jerusalem and the national catastrophe it entailed. It reveals God's sometimes hidden support for those who grieve and for their caregivers.

In this unique commentary on Lamentations, respected Old Testament scholar and volunteer hospital chaplain Leslie Allen appropriates this oft-neglected book of the Bible to deal with a universal issue. Incorporating stories of pastoral encounters with hospital patients, Allen integrates Scripture and pastoral care to present a biblical model for helping those coping with grief. The book includes a foreword by Nicholas Wolterstorff, author of Lament for a Son.

Author: Leslie C. Allen
Publisher: Baker Academic
Published: 09/01/2011
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780801039607

Review Citation(s):
Christian Century 05/02/2012 pg. 22

About the Author
Leslie C. Allen (PhD, University of London) is senior professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has written several major commentaries and has been a hospital chaplain for more than a decade.