When People Are Big and God Is Small (Edward T. Welch)

Welch, Edward T. When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Codependency, Peer Pressure, and the Fear of Man. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1997. 239 pp. $13.00.

Biographical Sketch of the Author

Edward Welch, a decorated author and counselor, earned his M.Div. degree from Biblical Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Utah in 1981. The same year, he started work for both the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and Westminster Theological Seminary where he serves as the director of counseling/academic dean and professor of practical theology, respectively. Welch has authored several books and articles on the relation of psychology and theology and has helped many believers live their faith out practically. In addition to Welch’s authorship, he has spoken at various conferences and organizations across the United States. He lives up to all of these credentials and expectations in his faithful exposition, When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Codependency, Peer Pressure, and the Fear of Man.

Summary of the Contents

When People Are Big and God Is Small is divided into 2 equally edifying parts. However, this book review will only be concerned with the first part, which is composed of five chapters: the introduction, “Love Tanks with a Leak;” chapter 2, “People Will See Me;” chapter 3, “People Will Reject Me;” chapter 4, “People Will Physically Hurt Me;” and chapter 5, “The World Wants Me to Fear People.”

The introduction, or chapter 1, provides a basic layout of what the book will be exploring and describes the fear of man in a believer’s life and the way it is recognizable. The second chapter talks about the origins of the fear of man and spiritual nakedness stating, “From Genesis on, nakedness, or the shame of being exposed to others, became… a profound curse because it symbolized the deeper, spiritual nakedness and shame that need covering. It symbolized that apart from God’s covering, [people] stand naked before him” (p. 25). Welch goes on in the second chapter to explain that this curse has developed into shame, but that God has an answer: “The gospel… the story of God covering His naked enemies, bringing them to the wedding feast, and then marrying them rather than crushing them” (p. 34). The third chapter informs readers that the world and many people around them will reject them. The same can be said about many people throughout history. Welch shares that even “Moses knew that people reverenced the opinions of others… fearing rejection from those who were considered more important” (p. 37). Chapter 4, warns believers that rejection from the world may and will lead to physical pain. It can either stem from sin itself or in some cases be caused by being sinned against, such as the sexual abuse case Welch talks about. Welch concludes this chapter reminding believers of Jesus’ exhortation: “[d]o not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (p. 72). In the final chapter of part one, Welch posits that the world desires Christians to fear others and he explains how they can identify where the world has influenced them to fear men. Some of these worldly influences include the ideology of victimization, self esteem, and unbiblical assumptions that affect the way Christians in the world think and even act.

Critical Evaluation and Application

In When People Are Big and God Is Small, Welch aims to share his knowledge about the fear of man and the way it is revealed in a believer’s life, and he seeks to provide the believer with a biblical solution—the fear of the Lord. He achieves this end through very practical means.

In the introduction, Welch talks about his personal experience with the fear of man and makes the case that the justification the gospel provides is not enough to combat this worldly fear of others. He states, “he didn’t have to measure up to the standards of others’ opinions because God’s opinion of [him] was rooted in the finished work of Jesus” (p. 12). However, he later shares that “[he] was a love tank with a leak [that] tried the old biblical answers that had worked before… but they were of no use” (p. 13). For Welch, there had to be another answer. There had to be an answer to this “epidemic of the soul called, in biblical language, ‘the fear of man’” (p. 14). He goes on to share a list of questions a believer can ask themselves in order to target where the fear of man exists in their life (pp. 15-17). If none of these questions lead the believer to an undeniable “yes, I have seen the fear of man in this area of my life,” then they ought to “check for a pulse” because “the fear of man is such a part of [all] human fabric” (p. 17). Welch then reveals several key themes the book will explore: the roots of the fear of man, the problem of needing people more than loving them, and the most radical treatment for the fear of man—the fear of the Lord (p. 19). These lists of evaluation and themes help the reader to experience the practical moveset in order to beat the fear of man. First, it teaches them how to identify the fear of man, and then it provides them with the way—the fear of the Lord—to kill the root, which is sin, and the way it manifests itself, needing others more than loving them.

Welch continues this extremely helpful practice of self evaluation throughout the book’s entirety and he always gives the solution—the fear of the Lord. I am among the recipients of Welch’s knowledge and I am in need of the fear of the Lord more than any believers who have or will read When People Are Big and God Is Small. Welch’s words have been so edifying for my walk with Christ. He has helped me to examine myself and to see where the fear of man is revealed in my life. For example, I used to think I was a pretty introverted person, but now I realize that the areas of my life where I am introverted may just be me hiding from others. I came to this realization through reading Welch’s list on pages 15-17. I have found that this list is extremely helpful in recognizing the areas of my life where I live fearing man rather than God. I pray that God will give me the prudence and desire to regularly consult myself and Him in prayer to find these areas for the rest of my life and ministry. I also pray that self evaluation is something I begin to not only reflect but also something that I regularly preach. As a Christian leader, I want to see the people under my care experience the fear of the Lord in contrast to the fear of man. While this task is achieved through my own reflection of the practice and my reminder to the people under my spiritual supervision, they are responsible for examining themselves. How can I better equip them to do this? I pray that the Lord gives me wisdom in leading his people to fear Him. Furthermore, I pray that the Lord continues to lift hidden veils in my life where sin abounds and where I fear people instead of Him. I desire to live confidently in the world as a witness to all people for the glory of God. Moreover, I wish to stand confidently before the throne of the Lord covered in the atoning blood of Christ, knowing that my work for Him was not in vain nor was fraudulent. I wish to know that I worked by the power of the Holy Spirit in grace and truth to make him known among the nations.

In conclusion, When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Codependency, Peer Pressure, and the Fear of Man offers believers incredible help in discerning the areas of life where they fall short of fearing the Lord. For that reason, all Christians who recognize their love, hate, rejection, conflict, admiration, fear, etc. above the love and fear of the Most High should consider picking up this book. It will be a resource to help conform them into God-fearing Christians. It has done so and will continue to do so for me.