Conversations Journal existed to bring about honest dialogue on the ways our lives are shaped by God. One of the aims of the publication was to examine themes of Christian spiritual formation through various lenses of the faith (denominations/traditions/streams of Christianity.) This month we’ll be studying the topic of fear, or rather how not to fear, with a re-release of the Fall 2013 issue, Be Not Afraid. This issue will have a permanent home here at Conversatio, with a companion course that allows readers to take the topic a bit deeper, and journey into a personal experience of the theme. The editors invited voices from a variety of Christian traditions to share about how our faith shapes our relationship with fear and anxiety. As Gary Moon reminds us in the opening pages of this issue; “fear can make us forget our true identity as an image, likeness, and child of God.” He goes on to say, “Soaking in the awareness, the experience of divine love, is the solution to our fear response. Fear is cast out by perfect love. It has no choice.”
In the Transformational Theology section, Jan Johnson wrote a lovely article that reminds us of the most frequent command in the Bible, “Be not afraid.” It has been over a decade since this issue was published, and the web of technology has widened its grip on our lives even more, but the essay by Dr. Archibald Hart on the increase of anxiety in the digital age is prophetic when you look at the statistics on mental health in our world. Anxiety and loneliness are at the top.
Over the years I’ve wished there was a “part two” or continuation of the conversation for many of the articles that have appeared in this journal. Gary Black’s interview with Deiter Zander is one of those. Keep reading, and you’ll find more honest stories about how folks have dealt with hard things like financial stress, health concerns, and panic attacks. The writers shared how their faith not only remained intact but was reshaped by the way they experienced God’s love amidst fear.
Art, poetry, and beauty have a way of settling us when it feels like the world is spinning out of control. Lucky for us, this issue doesn’t just explore the topic of fear but includes several resources that can help the reader get back to the tranquility of heart that God had in mind when he created us. The Features section includes a meditation on the cover art, a whole-body experience with Psalm 23 for all ages, and selected poems by Marilyn McEntyre and Paul Willis. An excellent article by Dr. Greg Moffatt recounts his personal story of being steadied by the love of his grandmother during a scary moment. He provides rich wisdom for parenting in an age of anxiety.
Finally, visit the classroom for a deeper dive into this topic with questions for discussion and exercises to help stir your own conversations with others on the theme of “Be Not Afraid.”
Our hope was to explore the topic of fear, one of the most basic human emotions since the beginning of time and offer a Biblical response that isn’t trite. The stories collected here are filled with hope, bravery, and the reminder that we’re not alone. May you borrow from the courage of those who’ve walked this path, as you read and consider how your response to fear is shaping your faith.