Personal and communal tragedies provoke intense emotions. In Scripture, these emotions were given expression in complaints or laments, the latter being the most frequent genre of psalm. Laments are found throughout the Bible, also appearing in Prophets (the book of Lamentations is in fact named for this human response to tragedy). Yet neither lament nor complaint seems to be widely practiced in churches today, except at times of extreme communal catastrophe. Bringing together biblical scholars, liturgists, and practical theologians, this book begins to provide bridges between the Biblical and contemporary worlds in order to enrich our ability to respond appropriately to personal and communal tragedy and to understand those responses. Miriam J. Bier teaches Old Testament at the London School of Theology. Tim Bulkeley has taught Old Testament at the Universite Protestante du Congo, the University of Auckland, and at Carey Baptist College. "An intriguing and helpful exploration of the...