Beyond Fear

 

 do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
 but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 

Romans 8:5

Bob Woodward, award-winning journalist best known for partnering with Carl Bernstein in revealing the Watergate break-ins 45 years ago is back in the news again. The Watergate investigation and the insider revelations of the mysterious Deep Throat were the beginning of the end for the Richard Nixon presidency.

Woodward has a book, soon to be released, on the Trump White House and it is already creating a major stir in Washington. It shouldn't surprise anyone that it portrays an administration in disarray which one senior official describes as "Crazytown" and in which non-elected administrators are doing their best to steer an "amoral" and unpredictable president away from catastrophic decisions. Surprise, surprise. We've heard this before but Woodward's credentials as an investigative journalist give this book heft.

I'm intrigued by the title which focuses on the world FEAR, emphasized in bold capital letters. For me the title may be as revealing as the content of the book. Trump may be a wildly inconsistent POTUS in terms of policy and diplomacy but he is steadfast and skilled in engendering fear in those who support him, including a large conservative religious base. After a recent dinner for evangelical leaders at the White House he offered a warning that they were “one election away from losing everything.” Christianity Today, an evangelical publication asked shortly afterward What Are Evangelicals Afraid of Losing? The author, Michael Horton admonished those who buy into this fear-based message:

And yet, swinging from triumphalism to seething despair, many pastors are conveying to the wider, watching public a faith in political power that stands in sharp opposition to everything we say we believe in. To many of our neighbors, the court chaplains appear more like jesters.

These are strange times we find ourselves in, aren't they?  Perhaps we would be best to stick with Jesus who told his disciples "let not your hearts be troubled."