The Outrage Age
No denying that everyone around us is in a tizzy, which, fittingly, it seems, just happened to be the Wordle of the day recently. Whether face-to-face at yet the latest protest over something going on in another country, or leaning in with angry gusto at the pixel image before them over a Facebook comment, everyone's veins are a-popping and their spittle is a-splattering. Why is everyone around us so outraged these days? And, if we could be honest for a moment, why is our own blood boiling? Perhaps a few explanations can be offered.
We live in a time of immediate knowledge and communication. At 186,000 miles per second, an event that in another generation would never have even been brought to our attention now streams repeatedly over our social media before the people involved know what hit them. The adulterous couple at the Coldplay concert did not stand a chance. Their few seconds of fame, from their smiling, standing spooning to their horrified attempt to hide (Remind you of another guilty couple?), was immortalized within minutes. Endless reenactments and memes mocking and judging them exploded on other stadium kiss cams and the internet. We were not made to be omniscient but how we pretend. Our finite minds and souls cannot stand the built-up pressure. So we vent at others.
Omniscience is one thing. Omnipotence is another. As Carl Trueman points out in his article, echoing C.S. Lewis' warning, "Abolishing Ourselves," the nations are seeking to rule over the allowance or denial of human existence with their modern technology and policies. He states,
These two phenomena—the assumption of power over who lives and who dies, and the approaching era of the mechanical manipulation of the creation of human life—bring the question of what it means to be human into focus.
When men are vying to exercise God's power, they will naturally become indignant at others who try the same. Chaos and disagreement ensue.
Long Covid has more symptoms than weariness, brain fog, and muscle fatigue. Societal angst is another one. The virus brought the world to a standstill a few years ago and frustrated us with the draconian measures taken to stop it. The effects linger on. Now, anyone in authority who speaks with any type of Fauci-esque pronouncements on any subject immediately becomes a person of suspicion, resulting in public outcry. We may have no true knowledge of the subject at hand, but that does not stop us from speaking loudly about it. We are determined not to let that happen again.
The cultural divide regarding sexuality has become a great chasm. When perversion becomes the norm, and you can no longer tell if someone is Norm or Norma, misunderstandings are inevitable. To top it off, if you try not to swallow the self-identity another person is cramming down your throat, for some reason, that is offensive to them. Why is it so difficult to have a discussion about these things these days? Well, if you want to talk to someone on the other side of a canyon, I guess you do have to shout.
Our leaders certainly are not helping calm the turbulent waters. In my youth, I often witnessed politicians disagree yet show cordiality and even humor across the aisle. Today, they skewer one another with their tongues with all the delicacy of serial killers. Yet, lest we in the church be too quick to point the finger, let me say I have seen similar treatment across the aisles of ecclesiastical courts. The Bible regularly associates civil and religious leaders abusing their power with drunkenness (see Is. 28:1-8 for a gross example). Since drunken men swing thorns and shoot arrows at every passerby (Prov. 26:9-10), it is no wonder laypeople are agitated at their agitated leaders.
How do we respond to this outrage age? Clearly, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are to "be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (Jam. 1:19). Yet, given that James also teaches the impossibility of taming that wild tongue of ours, these three short phrases are easy to say yet take much training to practice.
To offer some practical help, the presbytery where I reside recently had a conference at which Pastor David Hanson, minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Southside Indianapolis, addressed the subject of anger. These messages listed below are direct and clear, and are worth the investment of time in seeing how the Lord would have you clearly direct your own anger. If the church, empowered by the Word and Spirit, met the megaphonic spirit of our day with the truth, peace, and quietness of Christ, we might see a response of some silent contemplation. Then, perhaps, people might start listening to the One they really need to hear.
Anger: The Biblical Emphasis (Part 1)