It's obvious from the popularity of their million-copy bestseller Boundaries and its numerous spinoffs that Henry Cloud and John Townsend have hit a nerve. Here they focus on the actual conversations that are critical to setting successful boundaries.
People often avoid conflict and confrontation, they write, because they fear angry responses, hurting others, or looking bad, but healthy confrontations help people grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
Those who confront well make a clear re-quest for change from the other person, the authors suggest. The emphasis, they write, is not on renovating the entire person—which can be overwhelming—but on solving a particular problem.
Most of the sample conversations and suggestions are simple. Be humble. Keep to the point. Apologize if needed. Specific chapters center on boundary conversations in particular arenas such as dating, marriage, parents, children, and work.
The authors mix in personal anecdotes, warming the book's tone and keeping it from feeling overly theoretical.
Can human sexuality be a nonessential issue for a denomination that seeks to “stand in the center”?
America is set to be minority white by 2045. Evangelicals need to stop thinking that’s a bad thing.
The psychologist at the forefront of trauma-informed care calls out leaders for protecting institutions over people.
With one pastor dead, another saved, and churches of all denominations destroyed, local believers race to the frontlines of emergency response.
