Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No To Take Control of Your Life

Cloud and Townsend are clear in identifying their own Christian faith and how it guides their approach to boundaries. They articulate their purpose in writing Boundaries as the following: “Our goal is to help you use biblical boundaries appropriately to achieve the relationships and purposes that God intends for you as his child” (24). Biblical principles are therefore embedded into the very premise of the book, the authors’ view of God as a loving, caring father strengthening their convictions via arguments supported by biblical passages. Due to the casual nature of these references, the authors take for granted that their readers will have at least a foundational, working knowledge of the Bible.

As the authors define what boundaries are—invisible property lines that help people understand where they “begin” and “end”—they use biblical passages to highlight the importance of self-care. In their exploration of how people should care for others without fully taking responsibility for their needs, the authors cite the idea of “carrying each other’s burdens” from Galatians. When the authors emphasize the need to say “no” at times, they reference the biblical concept of “letting your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’” from the gospel of Matthew and the book of James.