Fear Not

So the other day, The Director and I were talking, and somehow the conversation got onto the topic of fear, and the role that it plays in injustice. We began to observe how in so many cases, an injustice done to an individual or an entire people group happens because someone else was afraid. 

It’s uncanny, actually, if you think about it, how many times you can see the fear factor in injustice.

• When a parent is overprotective and overly strict on a child, it is usually due to fear (either fear for the child’s safety, or fear of losing control).
• When one person sabotages another’s success, fear is usually involved.
• Israel was initially enslaved by Egypt because Egypt feared their sheer numbers. (See Exodus 1) Fear of economic loss played a major role in the continuation of slavery in America prior to the Civil War.
• Countries launch pre-emptive strikes against each other because they fear the other country will eventually dominate them. (Do unto others before they do it to you, or something like that.)
• Much of the current immigration issue in this country is fueled by fear. We fear losing our jobs to illegal immigrants (never mind that we didn’t want those jobs, anyway), or we fear that the infusion of foreign cultures into our own will endanger our way of life.
• Dare I say this? Much of gender discrimination comes from fear. (Yes, guys, we’re afraid of the girls.)
• Much of the so-called “culture war” is based in fear. For example, most Christians don’t actually hate gays, but many are afraid of the cultural repercussions of legitimizing the gay lifestyle, and the resulting discrimination and rhetoric comes across as bigoted and hateful (and frankly, entirely un-Christlike).

Now, this isn’t to say other negative emotions aren’t involved, too. Sometimes injustice done to individuals or people groups is as a result of sheer hatred or jealousy, for example. However, I’d also submit that emotions like anger, hate and jealousy are usually secondary emotions, built upon a deeper core emotion. If you could look inside a hateful person, it is probable that you’d find a deep fear of the people or things he/she hates. In other words, much of our hatred and jealousy is fueled by fear. We fear others, so we hate them, and consequently oppress them.

In fact, I’d venture to suggest that when you look at all atrocities that have happened, and continue to happen, in this world, the vast majority of them are fueled by either religion or fear–and quite often a very toxic combination of the two.

What’s the point of this rambling? In observing this, it actually got me thinking about the Christian walk itself, and how many times in the Scripture we are told to “fear not.” Paul said, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” I think it’s significant that sound mind is one of three things he lists as the opposite of fear. Why? Because fear tends to cloud our judgment. I can’t even count the number of mistakes I’ve made in my life as a direct result of being fearful. I panicked, so I reacted (or froze when I should have acted). Fear makes us act in irrational ways. It short-circuits common sense and wisdom.

I guess I see a great deal of activity today conducted in the name of Christ that claims to be out of a sense of righteousness or upholding God’s word, but is really based in fear. I look at what our nation calls the “Christian right,” especially during this political season, and I am amazed at how much of the rhetoric is either tinged with fear or intended to evoke fear. Where is the true righteousness in that?

I can’t help but wonder how much of our public platform would change if we removed fear from the equation. I’m not actually talking about who is right or wrong on any issue here; I’m talking about the role fear plays in the issue, and how the issue gets complicated by it. It begs the question: if we Christians were not plagued with fear about everything, how would it change the way we vote on the issues? The way we treat gays? The way we evangelize?

The way we live our lives?

Fear not. That’s our command. I think there’s a reason for that, and it’s not just that God wants to comfort us or make us all feel better. I think it’s because fear clouds our perception and our judgment, and gets in the way of our ability to act like Christ.

Now, to balance this out, I’m not saying all fear is bad. The same Bible that tells us over and over to “fear not” also tells us to have a healthy fear of the Lord. And there’s that instinctive fear that we have as humans, the kind of fear that stops us from ignorantly jumping off cliffs or sticking our hands into fire. But I think you know what I’m talking about here–that unwarranted fear of the unknown, of loss, of whatever, that begins to dominate our decisions and our actions. There’s a huge difference between experiencing fear and living in it constantly.

So what’s the alternative? I think the apostle John nailed this one:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” –1 John 4:18, NASB

I personally think love is the answer to fear–the antidote, if you will. If we are called to be the body of Christ on earth–to be His hands and feet–it starts by pursuing love, by seeking to understand the love Christ has for us all, and how we might show that love here on earth. We’ll do much more to further His kingdom by pursuing an agenda of love than by fearfully defending a certain way of life we’ve come to associate with Christianity in general. And in the process, we’ll do a lot more good in this world, and a lot less harm. Just saying.