I love the premise of this book. This is something we all need to do. This was well-written and I would definitely recommend. I recommended that my library purchase this book in physical and electronic format.

As a foster parent, the premise of "Fearing Bravely: Risking Love for our Neighbors, Strangers, and Enemies" appealed to me. This book, written by Catherine McNiel, encourages believers to get past our fear and choose to love those around us despite the costs. I especially enjoyed the first portion of the book that discusses fear and how to loosen its hold on us.

Each chapter ends with discussion questions, and this book would be a good resource for a Bible study group. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a powerful book. We are asked to love others, but it can be hard to know how to make this happen in our everyday lives. Too often we fail to do what Jesus asks us, but this book gives excellent guidance and suggestions as to how to live a more loving life.

McNiel writes that American Christians are more known for being hateful than for being loving. And that needs to change.

What has brought Christianity to this point? She writes that much of it is a fear of danger and idolization of safety. She say God didn't call Christians to be safe. God called Christians to love.

"Jesus taught his friends not to fear but to overcome with love: Love your neighbor, love the stranger, love even your enemy. Let me not sugarcoat it: This way of living killed him. It put his followers at odds with the political and religious powers of the day."

McNiel makes her point loud and clear. To become the hands and feet of Jesus is a big ask.

"That’s the sort of task that could consume a person’s whole life. But then again, Jesus said it would. He said it would be hard, that it would require everything. He certainly didn’t say it would be safe."

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to move away from fear and toward love.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for the review copy of this book.

A second pandemic is sweeping the globe, more deadly than COVID, simply because no vaccine has been discovered to control its spread. Catherine McNiel writes to immunize her readers against a destructive strain of fear that seeks to control us and keeps us from love. Her work in Fearing Bravely echoes the wise words of Marilynne Robinson: “Fear is not a Christian habit of mind.”

Fear shows up in countless disguises, clouding our judgment and diverting our attention from our mission. We exist to declare and demonstrate God’s love, but McNiel’s research reveals that, sadly, believers are better known for our fear than our love.

Turning our eyes and hearts toward eternal truth, we find that perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:9). This is not at all a call to a Pollyanna-ish denial of the facts, but rather a rallying cry to “confront our fears and step out in love.” It’s a call to fear bravely!

This is a posture that’s God-designed to change how we relate to our neighbors, to strangers, and even to our enemies, and this is the beauty of McNiel’s thesis. With “do not fear” resounding through the pages of our sacred text (frequently addressed, incidentally, to people who had very good reason to fear), it’s our privilege to put the power of resurrection life on display for our quivering, cowering world. Recognized by our love and fearing God above all else, we step into risk with the gospel orientation that grateful service to others is our right response to the grace we have received.

With suggested print and online resources, insightful reflective questions, suggestions for brave follow-up steps, the book invites readers into deeper individual pondering or stimulating group discussion. Too, I was personally enriched by paying attention to Catherine’s footnotes.

Loving our neighbor without fear is Step One. By grace, the God-appointed strangers who come our way, and maybe even a few enemies may become our neighbors as we begin to live from a posture of love in our churches, our homes, and our communities, a love that conquers fear.

McNiel writes straight to the heart of the matter with this book. Her direct identification of the common ways we try to translate away the call to love neighbors, strangers, and enemies is done with sharp, unapologetic prose that gracefully call us each to a more biblical and full approach to love which honors ALL HUMANS as loved by God and receiving of the same grace. Reminding us that "God's invitation and command - is for us to be a blessing." Beyond identifying who and how we can love, Mcniel provides "Brave steps" consisting of manageable practices and reflective questions at the end of each section that help to ease us into this risky business of love.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. I love Catherine McNiel's writing - it's fresh, beautiful and wise. This is a timely book.

3.5 stars.

This was a pretty quick read, from a purely length and writing-style perspective. It was a pretty challenging/time-consuming read, from the “I must challenge my own convictions and think on this!” perspective.

Interestingly, I started reading it at a point I was pretty darn fearful about some things in my own life resulting from choices I’d made. I’d love to have been removed from the consequences, lol…it can be super hard to be in a situation because I literally did ask for it, haha! So the read absolutely helped point me back to Christ and “do the work,” or at least start to, around that fear. The whys and wherefores, as it were: why do I feel this way? What is actual truth about the situation, versus what I’m afraid of (or regretting, or wishing could be different)?

I also loved the inclusion of discussion questions/journaling prompts at the end of each chapter, along with “look and listen” suggestions: art and music for further reflection.

And, of course, the book challenged me in more ways than just my immediate circumstance. Definitely a lot of lessons carry over elsewhere, and encourage me to practice hospitality and love both my neighbor and my enemy.

I did sometimes feel the language used and stories chosen lean toward a liberal or social-justice-heavy bent. I would love, someday/sometime, to see more nonpartisan dialogue or collaboration from both sides (or all angles, really, as I increasingly see a move away from the longtime two-party division in the US, anyway). Joint efforts could, I think, go even further in sparking change.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book because of it's writing style, unique topic, and the fact that it really provided a thought-provoking experience. Recommended for readers who want to read slowly so as to take time to process.