When the noise won't stop

Book Review (Paul Grimmond)

When the Noise Won't Stop: a Christian guide to dealing with anxiety, by Paul Grimmond. Matthias Media 2022.

(Two disclaimers: (1) I did receive this book for free, though not with the intention that I review it; (2) my wife does work for the publisher of this book.)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything... Philippians 4:7

I suspect many people with anxiety have trouble remembering the second half of this verse, because who can get past the first half of this verse and its injunction not to be anxious. Is there anything quite as anxiety-producing as having divine Scripture tell you not to be? So troubling is this verse that you can quickly do a search for "Is Anxiety a sin?" and receive a variety of answers, most of which I will dare say are not very helpful, let alone true or biblical.

There is a clear need, then, for a book that tackles the question of anxiety in a way that is pastoral and caring, as well as intelligently integrates Scripture, as well as science. "When the Noise won't stop" is a book that does so, and that's why I took the time to read it, and to give you my thoughts here.

I myself do not suffer anxiety, neither at a disorder level, nor even am I a generally anxious person. I do feel occasionally anxious about individual things, but I am not much of a worrier even on the ordinary scale of things. I do however have several people in my life who are anxious, either being simply prone to worrying more than is usual, or more than is healthy, right up to people who are suffering a diagnosed or diagnosable anxiety disorder.

What does this book do? It lays out a few areas of helpful thinking that put the pieces together for Christians to think through anxiety as a whole. Firstly, it provides a good but short introduction to thinking through wisdom literature in the Bible, and how we should approach and appropriately interpret wisdom material. That's key, because wisdom literature is really about the Scriptures helping us make sense of the world we live in, and how to live in it well. Secondly, it provides a brief overview of science, and psychology-based approaches to anxiety. Especially valuable here is (i) a very brief history of psychology as a discipline, (ii) an exploration and push-back on "anti-psychology" views among Christians. That latter part, the idea that Christians should reject and avoid all forms of psychology and anything that doesn't directly come from Scripture, is not an idea that I have ever entertained, nor do I think it's prevalent in my circles, but I know that it's clearly prevalent in some circles, and that's why I appreciate the rebuttal here.

Grimmond then does some really helpful work, in talking about how anxiety is not all negative, that being concerned for things is itself simply a part of our psychological make-up, but that anxiety as a disorder is part of a greater disordering of our world, and that's why it interfaces with the concept of sin, not because anxiety is only, ever, always sinful, but because the disordering of our world affects and mars everything in it, which includes our minds and bodies, and hence anxiety is disordered.

Grimmond is careful to pitch the rest of his book not as a "cure", but as a series of contributions in the ways in which the truths of the Gospel, and the wisdom of Scripture, can generally help anxiety-sufferers to get better than they are. It's a book that offers persistent hope, not cheap fixes, and doesn't dodge the reality that for most people this is going to be a slow, painful, but hopefully a patient and persistent upwards path to living with anxiety better.

Personally, I also appreciated that towards the end there's a chapter specifically on supporting others with anxiety. As helpful as I imagine this book can be for those with anxiety, we are not called to life alone, but life together, and I want to better understand those who have anxiety, just as much as I also want to care sensitively and appropriately for them.

In our world, our navigating the collective, mass crises that beset modern living in 2022, anxiety is a huge issue, and it's not going away. But the word of the Scriptures is not one of piling on yet another thing you're failing at, "Don't Worry!", no, it's a word of comfort and consolation. "Do not be anxious..." is an invitation and succour from a God who knows our anxiety, knows our sufferings, has entered into them, and has borne them for us. It's part and parcel of Christ's invitation to all who are weary and heavy laden, to come to him and find rest for their souls.

When the Noise Won’t Stop is available direct from Matthias Media, in Australia, or the US, or 10ofthose in the UK.