The Pursuit of Safety: A Theology of Danger, Risk, and Security

In this lengthy evangelical work, Lundgren (director, Nicolet Bible Inst., Wheaton Coll.) argues that for people of faith, the safety of their homes, finances, reputations, and even family should never supersede the daily call to follow where Christ leads them. Lundgren acknowledges that there is real social (and biblical) value in avoiding calamities and daily dangers, but he reiterates over and over again—without adequately challenging other assertions—that without reference to God, the ideal of safety, which he defines as a society free from danger and risk, has become somewhat of an idolized concept, to be worshipped only at the altar of public opinion. To explain this point, he argues that, for people of faith, temporal safety should never become a top priority, and he makes repeated references to the COVID pandemic and how the social mandates—shutdowns, masks, and vaccines, for example—meant to ensure public safety were debated and scrutinized.