EMQ » April – July 2025 » Volume 61 Issue 2
Facing Danger: A Guide Through Risk
By Anna Hampton
Second edition
William Carey Publishing, 2024
244 pages
US$19.99
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Reviewed by Mark D. Wood, PhD, director of the Kingdom Leadership Training Center, Darhan, Mongolia.
The task of reaching the least reached is increasingly accompanied by risk. Anna Hampton, drawing on her years of experience in Afghanistan, helps guide the reader through risk in the second edition of her book Facing Danger, originally published in 2016.
The book is divided into three main parts. Part 1: Bible and Spiritual Background of Risk explores biblical definitions and illustrations through world studies and stories; Part 2: Discernment and Transformation in Risk focuses on the worker’s attitude and orientation to God in the midst of risk; Part 3: Assessing and Managing Witness Risk is the heart of the book containing nine of the book’s 16 chapters. Part 3 explores how to evaluate, plan, and mitigate risk. Each of the chapters concludes with application questions and a valuable summary of the chapter.
The strength of this book is its breadth in taking the reader through understanding risk and considering areas that are not usually included in discussions on the subject. Old and New Testament perspectives on aspects of risk are present (chapters 2–4) as expected. But there are other helpful subjects covered that are not in standard risk surveys such as the discernment of spirits (57–59) and emotions in the experience of risk (124–129). There is even a section on comfort foods that includes a donut recipe! Talk about being holistic in approach!
There are two areas of suggested improvement for this book. The first is that a succinct definition of risk at the beginning would be helpful. Although there is a definition in the prefaces (x, xii), stating “Cross-cultural risk entered into for the sake of carrying the gospel with a high probability of experiencing great loss.” Making this definition more prominent would strengthen the book. Hampton often implies a definition through several different word studies and distinguishes what risk is not. A useful glossary is provided at the end of the book; unfortunately, it does not include a definition for risk.
The second suggestion is for broader examples of risk. Hampton’s personal experiences of facing and navigating risk make the book come alive, and she is to be commended for it. However, examples of risk in various settings would better illustrate the range of risks international workers face. For example, risk from environmental hazards, like extreme air pollution, is a growing concern.
Facing Danger is best suited for those either going into areas of risk or those sending workers into areas of risk. The book will be of assistance, and I recommend it for workers to develop their own theology of risk as well as risk mitigation strategies in their given context. I also think it would be a great book for small groups that want to support and stand behind those serving in difficult places. Facing Danger is a very practical and accessible guide to risk.
For Further Reading
Experiments in Love: An Anabaptist Theology of Risk-Taking in Mission, American Society of Missiology Monograph Series, by Emily Ralph Servant (Pickwick Publications, 2021).
EMQ, Volume 61, Issue 2. Copyright © 2025 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
