ABSTRACT
In the Introduction we encountered and briefly examined several examples of God-talk. We applied Donald Capps’ method of reframing to these pastoral phenomena and examined them in regard to what he called second order change. We learned that God-talk often hints at or assumes second order change. But one question remains for us here. Why do pastoral caregivers frequently misunderstand God-talk in this way? One answer is the resources that counselors and sufferers refer to generally utilize first order language. Their thoughts on suffering are important and helpful, but they generally do not ask, and sometimes even evade, the questions that would allow a move to second order change. Thus, the sources we ordinarily look to for guidance in times of tragedy unwittingly make problems out of difficulties, to use Capps’ terminology.
