Review of Fearless by Max Lucado

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Not RecommendedFearless is full of personal stories, but beyond the empathetic acknowledgment that humans are in a battle against fear, Lucado offers only a superficial view of Christianity.

Lucado identifies that we need to trust in God, cast our worries on Him, and so on, but he doesn’t go deep enough into HOW anyone would begin doing this.  He also gives no mention of fear being a supernatural enemy of a spiritual war.  How can we truly fight and overcome fear if we don’t recognize the root of the battle?

There are also theological problems; e.g., Lucado tells us that Jesus was fearful before He went to the cross, which contradicts the nature of God (perfect love driving out fear).  Jesus was certainly grieved about what was to come, but to say He was “feeling fear full bore” crosses a line; it suggests He prayed from a spirit of fear rather than the Spirit of God, and that He fell into the temptation of the flesh (undermining His sacrifice on the cross).

Fearless won’t help its readers strengthen their identities in the Lord or equip them for the spiritual battle at hand.  It may be inspirational to some, but only as ‘feel good’ encouragement.

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