FEARFULLY MADE
A Criticism of Christian Views on Fear
by Abby Bezrutczyk
Someone, somewhere, is spreading the notion that people will be converted to Christianity thanks to a billboard, or a road sign, or some other not-so-subtle evangelism aimed at drivers. I’m not sure if the statistics support it (perhaps measured in saved souls per mile), but what bothers me more than the billboard is the spread of eye-catching misinformation.
“WORRIED ABOUT 2020? DON’T BE!
FEAR IS A SIN AND MEANS YOU DON’T TRUST GOD!”
I often pass a church with a large white sign outside. Every few weeks hosts a new message—your standards, such as, “Jesus is the light of the world,” and, “Blessed is the man who delights in God’s word.” But before the new year, the sign’s message hit me in an unexpected sore spot—and I can imagine that other drivers felt similarly repelled. It read, “Worried about 2020? Don’t Be! Fear is a sin and means you don’t trust God!”
If the writers of these signs want to attract people to the Christian church, I think this message misses the mark. It not only alienates someone dealing with fear by pairing it with guilt, but it also puts the onus on them to rid themselves of it. All aspects of this present a judgmental, uncaring God to the world—when, in truth, God is a comforter to the afraid. Our churches should reflect that.
What is there to be afraid of in 2020? Apart from the current global pandemic, the change of the year can bring major changes in relationships, the chance of loss and heartbreak, and great uncertainty about the future. I’d be surprised if anyone thought of the new year without some mild apprehension.
But those are individual fears. Researchers from Chapman University have studied our generational fears.[1] They found that in 2018 our top fear was political corruption, followed by environmental issues like climate change, animal extinction, and various forms of pollution. Rounding out the list were illness and death and the fear of not having enough money in the future. But these fears—and the ones particular to the new year—all boil down to one thing that continually terrifies us: a lack of control.
The new year can confront us with things that we’re not equipped to handle. What can one person do in the face of climate change, corruption, or the certainty of death? It makes sense, then, that in response to our inability to move the problem, we’re stuck with the negative feelings it brings. And then comes the unhelpful advice: “Don’t be afraid.”
The real problem with the sign’s message is not the object of fear—we agree that 2020 can be a scary thing. Rather, the sign’s problem lay in its judgment of fear. This judgment seems to only make the fear feel worse; we shouldn’t be afraid, because fear is a sin.
The sign’s judgment is not without biblical basis, but it is a gross oversimplification. Christians believe that our actions can separate us from the God we love—we call these actions sins. These actions can be big or small, from disobeying a command, giving in to things we know are bad for us, even to the extent of thinking evil thoughts about others. There are verses in the Bible that say, “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,”[2] and “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.”[3] If we just read these verses, we’d say that fear is a sin—disobeying a direct command in Scripture.
This sin-centric viewpoint suggests that having fear is a sin. And, when any sin is revealed to us, we naturally feel guilt. In response to sin, the Christian tradition tells us to ask for forgiveness and seek to do better. With promised forgiveness, we can let go of that guilt, and the wayward act is resolved.
Maybe in the middle of this sin-forgiveness-transaction you forgot about your fear, focused on denying yourself of the emotion, and replaced it with pleading eyes towards God. At the end, however, that fear is probably going to come back to you; the transaction doesn’t validate or resolve fear. Instead, it denies it. So what do we do? Do we start the cycle over again, feeling guilty in our sinfulness? I think there’s an alternative to what the sign campaigns.
Thomas Aquinas, an influential philosopher and theologian from the 13th century, presents some basic issues with the sign’s logic. He defines fear as an innate passion, or emotion. If this fear is innate, and God did not create humans with sin, then fear cannot be considered a sin.[4]
“At the end, however,
that fear is probably going to come back to you;
the transaction doesn’t validate or resolve fear, but denies it.”
It turns out biologists agree with Aquinas; fear isn’t something unique to humans. It is a natural response to danger—fight or flight—in which our heart pounds and we prepare for some kind of attack.[5] While I’m unlikely to fight off a bear on the way to Mann Library, the response is still ingrained in us and all animals. In short, fear is universal.
But while fear is natural, it’s still unpleasant. In truth, I don’t want to be worried about 2020; I don’t want to be constantly fearing the loss of those I love. It might not work to deny fear, but we still don’t want to live with it if we can help it.
How should we respond to the fear if it is not a sin? Aquinas suggests an answer: digging in and addressing what we are really afraid of.
Instead of disapproving of fear itself, Aquinas takes issue with what we do with that fear. He distinguishes between being afraid of what you should not: being afraid of something that is not worth the energy, or being afraid as you should not: letting the fear immobilize you.[6] In either of these cases, the natural element of fear has gone wrong, and the fear is not helpful.
Maybe the fear isn’t truly an imminent threat—for example, I didn’t need to be worried this January about the structure of my life five years post-graduation when I have not graduated yet. (I like to think ahead, to a fault.) Sometimes, realizing the irrationality of your anxiety is enough to put things in perspective.
Which brings us to the other distinction: being suffocated by that fear. Scott Bader-Saye, a dean at Seminary of the Southwest, writes on Aquinas’s views, “Because of this fear, we contract; we withdraw into ourselves to conserve what strength and energy we have to better fend off the danger.”[7] Letting fear win, letting it take over our thoughts and lives and actions, can crush us. When we are in that place of darkness, we wish we could obey the command to not be afraid. And, because that fear is tied with a sense of powerlessness, it feels futile to free ourselves.
What I have not yet mentioned is that the root of our fears may not be so sinister. Aquinas argues that “Fear is born of love, since man fears the loss of what he loves.”[8] It is a gift to love something or someone—and it may also be a pathway out of fear.
“fear is born of love, since man fears the loss of what he loves.”
The way forward is not simply analyzing our fears—we can reason our anxieties into panic attacks, and that is anything but helpful. If the lack of control is the foundation of our existential fears, however, perhaps the answer is to enter into our fear and embrace our lack of control. In examining our fears, we can also become more aware of what we love. In other words, we can approach fear with humility and even thankfulness—and instead of judgment, we open ourselves to comfort.
That sign I saw back in December was missing this key truth: the comfort for our fears. The rest of the verses I mentioned are steeped in comfort, saying, “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”[2] And, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”[9]
This comfort is a balm to our fears. While it cannot eliminate our every fear, while there still may be present dangers, and while fears may rise again, we do not need to hide from our fear in shame. There is a God, listening to all, who asks for our cares.
As Christians spread this good news—news we believe to be not only comforting, but life-saving—we must reflect on the messages we spread. As humans, we cannot always leave our fears at the door; we come weary and heavy-laden into the new year. The church, then, should welcome the fearful:
“Worried about 2020? I am too; let’s learn together how to trust God.”
SOURCES
“Survey of American Fears 2018,” Chapman University, 25 March 2020, <https://www.chapman.edu/wilkinson/research-centers/babbie-center/_files/fear-2018/2018-Fear-Campaign-Summary.pdf>.
Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
Matthew 6:34 (ESV)
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II-II, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province (Allen, Texas: Thomas More Publishing, 1948), Q. 125, art. 1.
“Fight or flight response,” Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 March 2020, <https://www.britannica.com/science/fight-or-flight-response>.
Scott Bader-Saye, “Thomas Aquinas and the Culture of Fear. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics” 25(2), (2005): 101.
Bader-Saye, 105.
Aquinas, Q. 19, art. 3.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
ABBY BEZRUTCYZK
is a senior from Long Island and is studying Environmental Science. She loves being outdoors, especially when it involves writing, tea, or goldfish crackers.