Christians “playing angry” send a harmful message
by Gerry Sieber – Guest Writer
In recent years, the WSU Shocker men’s basketball team has adopted the intriguing slogan, “Play Angry.” Nowadays, though, the Shockers aren’t the only ones playing angry. Based on what I hear and read in the news media and social media, there are lots of people “playing angry.”
I would assume that anger is a legitimate human emotion. Acting out on the anger, though, raises some serious questions, especially when it negatively affects other people and the physical environment. It seems that it has become more socially acceptable to vent and express anger in violent, destructive, hurtful, and abusive ways. It seems as if adult bullying has become an acceptable norm.
Unfortunately, it seems like many of the angry transgressors claim to be Christ followers—Christians! That is difficult to understand in light of what many Bible scholars (including Pope Francis), who have done hours of Bible study, understand to be the fundamental message of the Bible—the inspired word of God.
The Way of Christ (Via Christi) expressed over and over is one of compassion, justice, joy, gratitude, and non-judgmental love. I assume that is also to be the expectation for the way of Christ followers (Via de Cristianos).
I’m not sure what version of the Bible some people are reading to come up with angry, judgmental and non-compassionate expressions, some that border on hate.
A song Christians occasionally sang some decades ago was, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” Might some disenfranchised people come up with a new version of the song: “We will know they are Christians by their anger?”
I’m wondering if the popularity of Donald Trump has to do with the angry “psyche” that seems to be prevalent among many Americans!
There seems to be a lot of hurtful, destructive expressions of anger regarding the poor, the disenfranchised, immigrants, people of other color, race, religion and sexual orientation, teachers, fraudulent voters, government leaders, or anyone who is “different” and who we don’t agree with!
Some are saying we have a moral crisis in our country. I’m wondering if the real moral crisis has to do, in part, with the unloving, judgmental, uncompassionate, and ungrateful expressions of anger by so called Christians.
This pervasive, toxic social environment perpetuates a negative downward spiral of society’s morale, and morals, instead of promoting the peace and goodwill on earth that the Bible speaks of, and that the world so desperately needs.
