Dealing with anger, hostile debate, hatred towards opposition, disinformation campaigns, and animosity is difficult. It was difficult throughout human history and throughout USA history. Everyone has an opinion, usually an opinion that benefits themselves. Or an opinion they learned in childhood or during difficult days.
There are many times in America’s history when anger and unrest have overwhelmed our society. The civil war was a boiling point of debate and arguments over the depravity of slavery and its economic enrichment of landowners. The suffrage movement challenged societal norms and the roles of leadership in families. The Prohibition movement intended to improve society led to lawlessness and organized crime. The McCarthyism of the 1950’s cold war scare over communism resulted in reckless accusations and political attacks to facilitate the destruction of many citizens’ reputations. President Nixion’s corruption stunned Americans. The Vietnam War caused protest demonstrating the growing unease of public sentiment over the war effort. Even the founding of our nation was a struggle of unrest and anger against the powers that ruled from across the pond.
America has survived many difficult times throughout our 250-year history. Perhaps we can do more than simply survive. Perhaps we can actively work in these days to find a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God through applying the Bible’s ancient solutions. Certainly, we are not the only generation in history to turn opinions into weapons of anger and hatred. God has watched people fight wars, hatred, and human destruction for thousands of years. He is very familiar with whatever we are arguing over. He knows why we argue and how to change the discussion and bring greater unity and cooperation into our society.
My beliefs are that being a follower of Jesus is a lifelong journey. Jesus walks with us as a wise, all-knowing guide, shepherd, teacher, and physician. We learn from Jesus primarily through prayer and Bible study. As our Savior, Jesus forgives us for our sinful actions and thoughts and sends the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. This change helps us give up the bad habits and behaviors which are sinful and which lead us to committing greater sins. We are active participants in this journey. We must do our homework and be prepared to implement our newfound knowledge while letting go of our previously sinful behaviors or opinions.
Is anger a sin? My favorite answer learned from my pastor as a child is, “well, yes and no,” God does get angry at sin and sinners who refuse to learn that their behavior is wrong, harmful, or destructive. He was willing to send His son to die on the cross as an atonement for our sins. God not only hates sin he provides the ultimate solution through a sacrificing Savior and the indwelling Holy Spirit to those willing to change and be changed.
A Bible search of “slow to anger” reveals these passages.
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Even though God does get angry, He is slow to become angry, and He is patient with us, knowing that we are but children struggling in a difficult world. There are times when adults are often angry over minor grievances. But after decades they begin to wonder, “Why did I care so much about something so inconsequential to my life and happiness?” I hear many discussions and explanations about how toilet paper should be put in the holder. Or how important it is to put the toilet seat up or down. Or if the toothpaste cap must always be screwed back on the tube. Women sitting around a table during break, lunch, playdates discussing and arguing over such things. Ladies, I am not a man, so I do not know what insignificant things they complain about in their group discussions. But I imagine they are as ridiculous as women in complaining over trivial things and actions. As humans we are capable of obsessing over the trivial while ignoring the more consequential aspects of life.
It is not always wrong to be angry, but we need to consider the best response to solve our problem or address that which caused our anger. There is anger when children are harmed, murders are committed, or retirement money is stolen, Obviously, there are more important problems than toothpaste caps and toilet seats. In my experience with God, He tends to teach me in small things before talking to me about significant problems. Small things can be getting cut off in traffic and refusing to yell obscenities and blow my horn in anger. Accepting that my child is not the most gifted child on the team or in the choir rather than arguing for the group leader to position my child as the star. Perhaps not using a shovel to fling my neighbor’s dog poop back into their yard, but finding a better way for disposal, (one of my personal lessons). Choosing to not engage in political discussions at weekly gatherings, which continue to raise blood pressure. Instead, finding a weekly ministry providing help for others while still gathering with friends. Taking a quiet walk in the woods or going to the gym with a friend rather than calling or talking to engage in the sin of gossiping. Yes, busy body conversations over other people’s life, problems, and beliefs as a form of gossip is fun, whoops, I meant to say it is a sin.
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
Oh dear. Does that mean believing and repeating everything we see, hear, and read on social media, TV, and in newspapers as the absolute truth is a form of sin? Yes, it does. We must learn to take things to God before we believe gossip about other people. We must learn to mind our own business before proclaiming the latest second or third hand facts about others.
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Another bad habit many Americans participate in is complaining about the government’s corruption and mismanagement. In my twenties when I began working after college, the people at work spent many breaks and lunches bemoaning the state of our government. This happened in the 1980s through the 2020s when I retired. It seems to still be a popular pass time. Somewhere during this time, I began tithing 10% of my gross income. Many people told me to only tithe from net income, not gross income. But I made a list of all the things my tax dollars provided for me. Such as paved roads, libraries, fire protection, and military protection. The list can become rather long when we stop to think about all the benefits we receive from our tax dollars. I know that my tax dollars could not bring all of these things into my life if it was up to me to make it happen. My taxes are a small contribution to the many things I enjoy across this land.
Of course, the US government changes with the wind every 2 or 4 years. We the people vote them into office and then we vote them out of office. This is the reality of a democratic nation. There are simply no perfect governments in the world today or throughout world history. We are imperfect people who keep electing imperfect people to make decisions for us.
Looking back through 2000 years of church history, we find an imperfect sometimes cruel and evil Christian church struggling to control and solve the world’s problems. Even in America, with our freedom of religion, speech, and association, the church has made many bad decisions. If the church with its access to the very power and wisdom that created us cannot get everything fixed, why do we expect the government to excel in everything we demand from it?
We face so many challenges, problems, and disappointments. Where do we find the answers to all our problems and dissatisfaction? There is only one answer. It is the willingness to let Jesus lead and guide us. To trust and obey Him and let the indwelling Holy Spirit change us from the inside out. It is not the church that will save us. It is not democracy or any government that saves people. Human history has found no other lasting solution.
Accepting Jesus as our Savior and allowing the Holy Spirit to change us, one at a time from the inside out is the only hope for a better life and a better country. The Holy spirit offers the fruit of the Spirit to be planted inside us. We work along with the Holy Spirit to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Once the fruit is planted by the Holy Spirit, we begin to cultivate it by putting down bad habits and picking up better habits. We pray daily and read the Bible to learn many things God want us to know. We pray for God to open our eyes and ears that we may see as He sees and hear as He hears. That we may grow and put away our egos and begin to have the mind of Christ.
As with any fruit, it contains not only nourishment for the body but also seeds for the future. As we grow in the fruit of the Spirit, we will have seeds to turn into trees of love, joy, peace, kindness and so forth. We can learn to grow fruit trees and over time orchards of love, joy, peace, kindness etc.
People like Florence Nightingale cultivated the fruits of kindness and gentleness to wounded soldiers in the Crimean war. She turned the nursing practice into a respected and worldwide cherished career for millions of people. John Newton began following Jesus and changed from a ship captain, slave trader, and investor in the slave trade to and Anglican minister. He wrote many hymns including Amazing Grace which has planted love, joy, and peace in millions of hearts. Habitat for Humanity was founded by Christians Millard Fuller, his wife Linda, and Baptist theologian and farmer Clarence Jordan in 1968. These people have planted many of the seeds from the fruit of the Spirit creating an organization working in 70 countries to build housing for the poor. A well-recognized orchard of fruit for new homeowners and for millions of volunteer builders.
This web page discuss the many fruits of the Holy Spirit planted and nurtured into orchards in American through hospitals and medicine. In his book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the Credibility and Impact of Christianity (Baker Books, 2019), John S. Dickerson explores how Christianity spawned and perpetuated Western Civilization, including how followers of Jesus created the university and college systems, created literacy through public education, founded modern science, began the fight for women’s rights, ended open slavery and continue to drive racial reconciliation, fighting for justice and progress in a multitude of arenas.
I could talk forever about the many good and wonderful things God can and wants to bring into our society if only we will participate in His ancient methods of learning. The Bible is nearly 2,000 years old, some parts are even older. God is ageless. He existed before time began. He actually created time. His knowledge and ability is far greater than anything we can conceive. He made us. He knows what we need to do to have an abundant life and society. There simply is no other way.
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.