fear as enemy - Blog - Fearlessness Movement2024-03-29T15:50:50Zhttps://FearlessnessMovement.ning.com/blog/feed/tag/fear+as+enemyConfession in the Face of Fear: Towards a New Theologyhttps://FearlessnessMovement.ning.com/blog/confession-in-the-face-of-fear-towards-a-new-theology2015-12-20T13:24:24.000Z2015-12-20T13:24:24.000ZR.Michael Fisherhttps://FearlessnessMovement.ning.com/members/RMichaelFisher<div><p>I have recently come across a wonderful book by Emmett Coyne (2012), <em>The Theology of Fear</em>. Emmett is a priest who had lived a rather unconventional path and recently has taken great interest in the In Search of Fearlessness Project and the ways that I point to "Fear" as our main enemy along the journey of which, in Christ's words, we have to come to love (i.e., "love thy enemy")... no small calling. I wrote a book review of <a href="http://http://www.amazon.com/The-Theology-Fear-Emmett-Coyne/product-reviews/1468015648/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending" target="_blank">Emmett's book</a> on Amazon.com which I suggest you check out. Here is the first paragraph from the book review I wrote there: </p>
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<div class="a-row"><a class="a-link-normal" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RVQ0970I5ZNHX/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1468015648"><i class="a-icon a-icon-star a-star-4 review-rating"><span class="a-icon-alt">4.0 out of 5 stars</span></i></a><a class="a-size-base a-link-normal review-title a-color-base a-text-bold" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RVQ0970I5ZNHX/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1468015648">Confession in the Face of Fear Equals Wisdom</a></div>
<div class="a-row"><span class="a-size-base a-color-secondary review-byline"><span class="a-color-secondary">By</span><a class="a-size-base a-link-normal author" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3R83V20B0KLTV/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp?ie=UTF8">R. Michael Fisher</a></span><span class="a-size-base a-color-secondary review-date">on December 16, 2015</span></div>
<div class="a-row a-spacing-mini review-data"><a class="a-size-mini a-link-normal a-color-secondary" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Theology-Fear-Emmett-Coyne/product-reviews/1468015648/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_fmt?ie=UTF8&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending&formatType=current_format"><br /></a></div>
<div class="a-row review-data"><span class="a-size-base review-text">I for one, not a "Christian" per se, but one who admires and aspires to be what Coyne calls "other Christs," has long been contending that until Christianity (and all the Abrahamic Tradition religions) re-evaluate seriously their privileging of fear (e.g., "fear of God," "fear of sin," and "fear of the Devil," "fear of the Earth," for a start... oh, "fear of flesh"-- i.e., sexuality and females) there will be no Kingdom of Heaven on Earth or anywhere else. But then, what do I know? I know a lot about fear and fearlessness, as my professional study for the past 26 years. And when I pick up a book like Coyne's on the theology of fear, and see his critique with two outstanding chapters (in my eyes) on "The Empire in Drag: Reinforcing the Reign of Fear" (Chpt. 3) and "The Afterlife: Living in Fear of the Future" (Chpt 4), my heart opens to what I see as a fragile and wonderful confession--and, in this case from a career-long well-traveled priest of the RCC. Frankly, I don't care who or what or where one makes this transformation to admit that we have been living in and utilizing fear as power--and, mostly not for good. Christ certainly wouldn't have supported living life by the Rule of Fear.</span></div>
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