Christian Monthly Standard

Fearless by Max Lucado Review

There is much to fear in our society. The current fear is swine flu as family and friends have now contracted this virus. Television tells us to fear health care reform, layoffs, economic problems, the national debt, national security, and social security. Do not forget the annual problems of hurricanes, blazing wildfires, blizzards, tornados, and earthquakes. We are living in a time where fear is news and it seems more people than ever fear the future.

Max Lucado has undertaken the task to help us fight the fears that consciously and subconsciously reside within us. In Fearless, Max Lucado moves through the New Testament showing the frequency of Jesus’ words to not fear and be courageous. The author does an excellent job revealing the fear of various people in the first century and how Jesus was able to combat those fears. He even addresses fears that we may not have recognized within us, like the fear of not mattering to others and the fear of disappointing God. Max Lucado continues in the style of his most recent works, examining the scriptures in relation to the topic he is discussing. Each chapter contains practical thoughts about why each fear is not rational for the Christian.

Overall, I recommend Fearless, giving it four stars out of five. It is a “page turner,” capturing my attention and propelling through the book with the author’s engaging, conversational style. I would have liked to have seen a little more discussion about each Bible story rather than Lucado emphasizing his own personal stories or stories of those he knows. I was also disappointed to see the author place the sinner’s prayer at the end of chapter 3, considering the scriptures never teach to pray to become a Christian (see Acts 2:37-38). Outside of these flaws, I was encouraged and strengthened by Lucado’s observations and I believe you will profit from reading this book. It is possible to live a life full of hope rather than full of fear.

I was given a pre-publication copy of Fearless as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/