Do you remember the first time you had to speak in public? Maybe your heart raced, your hands became shaky and sweaty, and the urge to bolt for the nearest door almost overwhelmed you. For some people, public speaking is one of their greatest fears. Yet even for those who can breeze through a high-pressure speech, fear and anxiety have some place in all of our lives. Speaking personally, I had a bad brush with depression and anxiety coming out of seminary, and it affected my life at basically every level. That is one of the reasons I was interested in reading Edward T. Welch’s new book, Fear Is Not a Sin: It Is a Call to Action. Welch is a licensed psychologist and a faculty member and counselor at the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, and has written on a number of theological and counseling-related matters.
Summary
Welch begins by recounting a conversation where another believer claimed Welch was not a Christian because he struggled with anxiety (1). In light of this attitude, which can be all too common, Welch records that the phrases “do not be anxious“ or “do not be afraid” are found in Scripture around three hundred times (2). In his words, “fear and anxiety are not sinful. Left unattended, however, they can be dangerous” (3). That effectively summarizes many of his thoughts throughout the rest of the book. As Welch puts it, we have natural desires which lead to natural fears. One question to ask, however, is if our desires have become excessive (i.e., have overtaken our desire for Jesus), and therefore have led to sinful fear. Indeed, a life without fear and anxiety would mean you are “without love” (14), not to mention without common sense in some cases! Fear and anxiety come from weakness, but weakness itself is a product of our creatureliness (and in some cases the effects of the Fall) and not necessarily sin (17). Yet how can weak people trust that God will work in and through them, despite their weakness? God will be at work in and through them because of the greatness and sufficiency of Christ. Welch shows that even though God grows our faith (often through our run-ins with fear), he still uses and answers our small faith (25–30). Of course, fear and faith are companions throughout the Christian life, and “fear is always a time to grow in faith” (37). This growing faith leads to courage in the face of what might frighten us or make us anxious (37–40). Welch begins the concluding chapter by listing sins to watch for when fear and anxiety are rising within us: disobedience, complaining, or silence (55–61), each of which is a turning away from the Lord in the midst of fear (57).
Positives
There are a number of things in this book which are commendable. It is short (sixty-nine pages), which makes it a good candidate to hand out to people struggling with fear and anxiety who may not be capable of reading a large tome in the midst of their struggles. Each of the five short chapters ends with a couple prompts to reflect on the theme of the chapter and journal about it, an exercise which helps the reader internalize many of the things Welch discusses.
Welch helpfully makes us take a good, hard look at fear and anxiety itself, which is not usually an easy thing to do. As he says, “Underneath fears and anxieties are personal desires that are at risk. . . . If such desires are always wrong, then fear is sinful. But such desires are not always wrong” (11). He asks a number of probing questions throughout the book that will help the attentive reader get to the bottom of some of his or her desires and fears. Personally, I found this book to be a helpful reminder and a fresh look at some of my own fears and anxieties.
Throughout this little book, Welch is continually reminding us of God’s love for us in Christ. For example: “The Lord committed to be faithful and present, even when Jacob was less so” (24). Here he grounds our comfort in God’s covenant promises (23–24). These are comforting words for all of us in the midst of our fears and anxieties. Welch could have written a book belittling those who are anxious, hitting them over the head with the club of “fear not.” Thankfully, that is not what he has done. Instead, with a warm, pastoral tone, he seeks to show the love of God in Christ Jesus for those who are fearful and anxious. In the mind of this reviewer, Welch has succeeded.
Weaknesses
A few things in this book could have been changed or added to make it a bit stronger. For one, I am unconvinced about his statement that “do not be afraid” is never a command (4–5). There must be at least command as an element in these scriptural passages; otherwise, the utterance would make no sense. Also, a discussion about anxiety as a condition that can be treated holistically would have been nice, although I confess I do not know Welch’s stance on psychiatric medications and treatments.
Recommendation
With the above caveats in mind, I would recommend this small volume to those who are suffering from fear and anxiety, as well as to pastors who are seeking to minister to such sufferers. It will not be a silver bullet for the struggles of someone beset with anxious thoughts, but it will point them to the truth of God’s Word, and especially to Christ as he is clothed in his gospel. That can only be helpful for all of us, with all of our fears and anxieties.
©Christopher Smith. All Rights Reserved.
Edward T. Welch, Fear Is Not a Sin: It Is a Call to Action (New Growth Press, 2025).
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Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith is originally from Bellevue, Nebraska. A graduate of Westminster Seminary California (M.Div 2019; MA (Historical Theology) 2020). He is associate pastor of Phoenix URC in the United Reformed Churches of North America. He is currently pursuing a ThM in systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.
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