Book Review of "Fearless" by Max Lucado

There are many things which can bring fear into our lives: talks of downsizing, a mortgage gone bad, sickness, terrorism, plagues, the economy, and the list goes on. Lucado writes, "imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear was your default reaction to threats?" (book jacket). The author then opens Scripture to look at Jesus' promises to His followers given with the purpose that we might live by faith and not by fear.

Fearless covers many different areas that can be sources of fear for an individual. These chapters include The Fear of Not Mattering, Fear of Disappointing God, Fear of Not Protecting my Kids, Fear of Violence, and other fears that can paralyze an individual.

In response to these fears, Lucado reminds the reader of the promises of God and yet brings a balance. For example, he points out that "legitimate concern" about the necessities of life can "morph into toxic pain" (p. 46) and lists examples of this. "Worry-stoppers" are suggested to deal with this particular fear. These include: praying first, slowing down, acting on fear, and other recommendations to deal with areas that can paralyze us.

This is a very helpful book which contains many of the promises of God for His children when faced with the various challenges of life. It definitely is biblically based and emphasizes the need to look to Scripture for the answers. It is a good reminder that Romans 8:28-30 is still in the Book, and although that passage doesn't say that everything works out for our happiness in this life, we can trust God that the experiences of life are part of His plan for us. For example, "just as some prenatal features went unused before birth" so certain events of this life may seem unnecessary, but are needed for the life to come (pp. 132-133)

My Problem Areas:

1. It raises flags for me when I see an author use a number of different Bible translations and/or paraphrases. I realize that no translation is more inspired than another, but some translations are certainly better than others on certain passages, and translations trump paraphrases any day. This approach gives me the feeling that the author is looking for a translation or paraphrase to support preconceived ideas (proof-texting).

2. My biggest problem arose in Chapter 7, "Dragon in my Closet" and is related to the translation issue above. On page 82, I understand the author to be declaring that Jesus was fearful as He faced the cross. If that is the case, then Jesus did not practice what he preached when he said, "don't be afraid," or "don't be fearful" in many of the passages which Lucado cites throughout his book. He then moves from the NEB translation which uses the word "horror" (Mark 14:33) and says that the word means "... a man who is rendered helpless, disoriented, who is agitated and anguished by the threat of some approaching event." I am not familiar with the source cited in the end notes for this definition (The Churchbook). My study of the Biblical text does not yield the above definition, and in my judgment is moving in the wrong direction in Biblical exegesis.

The definition cited by Lucado for "horror" above (specifically helpless and disoriented) is not what the Greek word, ekthambeisthai means in Mark 14:33 (from Grk. ekthambeo, "to be amazed, astonished" - Liddell & Scott, p. 433; see also Kittel, vol 3, p.4-6, thambos). Certainly Jesus experienced intense human emotions such as a shrinking back from the experience or dread. But Jesus was not "disoriented" about the experience. He declared precisely that it was "for this purpose I have come" (John 12:27) even though He declared "My soul has become troubled" (Grk. tarasso = "stirred" or "agitated"). Lucado also cites Matthew 26:37 as meaning "depressed and confused." The word that he cites as "confused" comes from Greek verb ademoneo which is translated "sorely troubled," "dismayed" or "to be in anguish" (Liddell & Scott, pp. 20-21, "ademoneo") which is significantly different from being "confused." Therefore the argument is not with apostle Mark and his record (p. 82), but with the translation and/or paraphrase of the Greek text.

3. I don't recall any place in the book where the author indicated that the promises made by Christ were for His followers alone. These were not promises just made to the masses. It would be inappropriate for a person who is not a follower of Christ to take the promises of Jesus and think that they can live a fearless life because they are quoting Bible verses. The promises are qualified. Lucado comes close in Chapter 14 entitled, "The One Healthy Terror."

Bottom Line: I feel that this will be a very helpful book for followers of Christ to be reminded of the promises that Jesus has made to His children – especially when facing issues that can cause fear. The book is an easy read, but the truths need to be digested. Lucado uses many mental pictures to drive home his points. (A discussion guide is also included in the back of the book.)

[This is the first Max Lucado book that I have read. Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing a review copy.]

Lucado, Max. Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. Thomas Nelson, 2009. 224 pages, $24.99.