Conquering Fear

Jo Kadlecek finds Fear Not a harder command to follow

FEAR: A Spiritual NavigationJo Kadlecek Shaw, 192 pages, $9.99

There are those who say that if you believe in God, there is nothing you should be afraid of,” writes Kadlecek. “But I have found that the fears themselves have helped me believe all the more in God.” In this thematic memoir, the author frames her personal history in the motif of fear: fear of relationships, fear of differences, fear of mortality, fear of faith. Through Kadlecek’s real-life parables, we experience her journey from sheltered suburban kid to activist urban Christian.

Her metaphor of choice is water, and so she draws from her memories as a child at the deep end of the pool, as a teenager wading in the Pacific Ocean, as a thirtysomething discovering the Great Barrier Reef in a glass-bottom boat.

Kadlecek works to strip her language of the platitudes that are an easy temptation in this type of book. Mostly she succeeds, though some analogies feel a trace overdone. Still, her honesty and humor win the day. Each of her experiences holds a helpful, if not profound, lesson: Being a Christian does not erase life’s challenges—or fears—but it does help us approach them with grace and integrity.

Edward Gilbreath is an associate editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Christianbook.com offers Fear: A Spiritual Navigation.

Kadlecek has written for Christianity Today, Crosswalk.com, Ministries Today, and other publications.

RandomHouse.com has more information about Kadlecek and her book.

Outisder artist Matt Lamb’s “Fear Not” appeared in the April 5, 1999 issue of Christianity Today.

Also in this issue

The Legacy of Prisoner 23226: Twenty-six years after leaving prison, Charles Colson has become one of America's most significant social reformers.

Our Latest

News

Black Clergy and Christians Grapple with Charlie Kirk’s Legacy

Many say the activist’s inflammatory statements on race should inform how we remember his life.

News

A Sudden Death: Voddie Baucham, Who Warned the Church of Fault Lines

Known for confronting critical theory, moral relativism, and secular ideologies, Baucham died a month into leading a new seminary in Florida.

Why Many Black Christians Reject the Evangelical and Mainline Labels

The history of a prominent church pastored by MLK in Alabama shows the reason African Americans often don’t embrace either term.

News

Pastor Abducted in Nigeria Amid Escalating Kidnapping Crisis

Armed gang continues to hold him after family paid the ransom.

Review

The Liturgy of American Charisma

Historian Molly Worthen studies dynamic leaders, eager followers, and their shared efforts to “consecrate a new reality.”

Inside the Ministry

The Next Gen Initiative

Casting a captivating vision of following Jesus for the next generation.

News

Where Refugees Were Seen as an Opportunity from God

In Sweden, a church continues to advocate evangelism of Muslims, despite criticism from all sides.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube