In this article, Ed Welch discusses the best-selling self-help books, specifically by Henry Cloud and John Townsend, which popularize the idea that the key to sane living is to set boundaries, to stand up for yourself, and to say no to outside demands. Welch argues that when boundaries become a life-style, we think only of self-protection. Instead, God calls us to break down boundaries between ourselves and others. Welch concludes that the overarching image in Scripture is that we should break down boundaries between ourselves and others rather than erect them.