Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death [Paperback]

Johann Christoph Arnold (Author), Madeleine L'Engle (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

In Be Not Afraid, Arnold addresses fears that every person faces - fear of illness, aging, death, and loss, fear of vulnerability, and fear of suffering. A pastoral councelor who has worked with the dying for three decades, Arnold knows that the biggest challenges in life are the ones that won't fit the script, and which each of us therefore has to deal with in our own unique way. All the same he is convinced that there are plenty of common truths worth holding to the light.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Publishers Weekly 'Arnold writes in a prayerful and simple way.' Paul Brand, MD author, Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants 'I have read many books about dying, but this is the one I would give to a person approaching death or facing bereavement. From start to finish it shines with hope! I want a copy beside my bed when my time comes.' Andrew Fergusson, MB, MRCGP, CMF 'This is a challenging little book which every health professional should read.'

About the Author

Johann Christoph Arnold is the author of best-selling titles on sexuality, parenting, death and dying, forgiveness and peace. His books draw chiefly on his experiences as a pastor, and on wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of counceling couples and singles, teens and young adults, prison inmates, the aged and terminally ill.

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Plough Publishing House (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874869161
• ISBN-13: 978-0874869163
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #839,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No other book sets the tracks for 2002 like this one, January 8, 2002

By 

Dan (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death (Paperback)

The year 2001 was an incredible year, filled with shaking world events, but also with much that united us in our common humanity. As September 11th forced us to realize, we all grapple with weakness and fear, even as we cling to hope and faith and joy. As I witnessed in New York after the September 11th attacks, suffering brought forth an incredible strength of character in many people. It gave me hope in the ultimate triumph of Good like never before. And I found this message reinforced and echoed in every page of "Be Not Afraid."
After the events of this past year, including the wars now raging in many parts of the world, I cannot think of a more timely, more important book than this work of hope by Johann Christoph Arnold. As the subtitle suggests, the central theme is overcoming the fear of death, and yet the book is overwhelmingly about life-about living with joy and faith, no matter what meets us.
Through a treasure trove of personal stories that make the book near impossible to put down, "Be Not Afraid" meets the age-old human fear of death head on, with a power and intensity that leaves one changed. Again and again, the reader encounters a great and loving Power, far greater than the need and fear and weakness of human beings-a Power that draws especially near to the suffering and dying. We see glimpses of a reality so wonderful it takes one's breath away. I came away convinced: Death is not the last word. And the great Power in control of all things is telling us: Be Not Afraid!
The people whose stories fill the pages of "Be Not Afraid" have faced staggering obstacles and extracted life's deepest truths from them. If you want a true guide for the New Year (and the rest of your life), read this book. It is an extraordinary edifier of hope and faith-one that has the power to banish fear, even of the "last enemy," death.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fear Not, January 5, 2002

By 

Alice Calonga (Ellenville NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death (Paperback)

Death is a subject that most people try to avoid, but let's face it, no one leaves this world alive! Christoph's book Be Not Afraid is another shining example of what we need to do with our lives! It has been said that the only thing we need to fear is fear itself. Be Not Afraid brings us back to the reason we are here in the first place. This book is written in the wonderfully profound simplicity that Christoph Arnold is famous for. It is another treasured reading in my personal library.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories from Real Life, January 29, 2002

By 

Christian Lorentz (Chester NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death (Paperback)

Not much to say, besides that this book helped me in a low moment to go on with life, no matter what...it's true stories of people who were 'between a rock and a hard place'. If you know very low moments in your life, read this!