Further Thoughts on the "Ethic of Outrage"

..title courtesy of Brandon at BadChristian.

For me, being a practicing Christian has always felt like walking a tightrope. It's so easy, in many areas, to fall off the rope into one extreme or another. Let's take sexual sin as an example- there is such a thing as sexual sin and to deny it- to act as though our actions in this area have no consequences or don't matter- is to fall off one side of the tightrope. But we can fall off the rope on the other side if we focus on sexual sin as though it is the only thing to be concerned with, as though it cannot (or should not) be forgiven. I must strive to care for the poor, while warned by Jesus that poverty may be a never-ending problem. Jesus said to turn the other cheek- but if someone keeps hitting me, surely it's okay to step out of the reach of their fists? Sigh. Tightrope walking.

Of course, there are areas that Jesus asked us to go ahead and fall off the rope into those extreme territories. Forgiveness is one of those areas. Love for the other is another.

But every now and then, I come up against an issue that leaves me hanging on by only my toes, unsure of how to keep my balance. Outrage is one. I feel strongly that there are appropriate times for outrage. Sometimes a thing is done or said in God's name that is so heinous that to take it calmly, graciously, would seem a condoning of that action or word. To never feel it, to never express it, is to fall off one side of the tightrope. It's to look into the face of pain or injustice and turn off your heart and mind with a smirk and say, "It's all in God's hands. Isn't this a wonderful world? Everything will turn out. Just trust." Even Jesus showed anger at times in the gospels- throwing the moneychangers out of the temple, and think of the times he called out the Pharisees with some pretty harsh language. The fact that Jesus expressed outrage at these times tells me that it must be appropriate to do so...at least occasionally. When the Pat Robertson debacle happened a few weeks ago- outrage shown by those in the Christian community
was in some ways a positive thing. It let the world know that the views of Pat Robertson do not represent the views of many who claim to worship the same God. It was outrage over the way the image of God was being sullied by his comments. There must be a place for prophetic outrage, or we (We) are left to wander wherever we wish, making God into any kind of god we need to justify our sin.

The other side of the tightrope is to stay in Outrage, all the time. There's no way leading out to forgiveness, to mercy, to reconciliation, to hope. There is no love. You become bitter, angry, depressed. You stop looking at the way your own sins and failures can indict you in some of the very things you are Outraged over. And so when in church I hear the preacher say, "All of us, not just Pat Robertson, have a tendency to remake God in our own image," my heart stops for a moment. Of course he's correct. I share the same guilt as Pat. Many times I have stopped trying to learn who God is and simply assumed that I knew. And my assumptions played into whatever my selfish motivations were at the time.

As zalm states in some of his recent posts over at his blog, there do need to be guidelines for how we express outrage. We need to speak the truth. When we resort to ad hominem attacks or character assassinations we do more harm than good. We need to keep always a sense of humility, knowing that we shame God at times ourselves. We need to be known primarily for our love, even love for the hate-filled zealots and fundamentalists who insist that we and our kind will make up most of the population of hell.

I'm still learning. I'm still flailing my arms around like an idiot trying to figure out the ethics of outrage as I stay on this tightrope. I'd love to hear feedback from anyone else who might have thoughts or input on this subject.

Comments

[Libby]

What a slick slope.... I have to agree with you and confess that I have no pre-packaged answers. For instance, bombing abortion clinics. Of course it's righteous! We're defending life by killing! You know what I mean? No idea. I'll keep an eye out a let you know if wisdom bites me in the butt anytime soon. :)

[Edy]

I think the balance comes from humility. Maybe, if we try to see God for Who He is, instead of being immersed in our own selves, we might see our relation to Him and that we are actually down in the squallor with all those we are out-raged at. Maybe we could then choose to not get so worked up. There but for the grace of God go I.
Rob and I have gotten sick and tired of being angry, too.

[Brandon]

You know, as I read this, I wonder if flailing our arms in confusion isn't the perfect response.

For, the flailer, at very least is flailing FOR the Kingdom. The flailer may not hit all the right notes, or flail all the right directions all of the time, but at least you're trying to find a balance.

I have to think that Jesus, had he been a dumb shit like me, would've flailed till Kingdom come.

We look funny when we flail. But, grace (in the dancing, tightrope walking sense) isn't the be all end all of the Christian life.

Grace, though, in another sense, is what makes our lack of grace-mid-flail all work out in the end.

Flailing for Jesus,
Brandon

[Leighton]

Outrage is a drug just like alcohol; both provide a kind of buzz that can lend (or sap) psychological strength at important times, or when just living day-to-day life. The two relevant issues are (1) what kind of person you are when you engage in outrage as frequently as you do (however frequently that is), and (2) what the consequences to others are while you're under the influence. (1) is important because we do have to live with ourselves, and (2) is important because others have to live with us too.

Some people can practice outrage quite a lot while bringing about positive changes for themselves and others, while others take one sip and become uncontrollably outraged. Most are somewhere in between. Just like alcohol, it's partly temperament, partly social and partly the habits of thought and character you've already established. If outrage leads me to drop my defenses and be more honest while demanding the same of others, great. If I have a tendency to obscure the truth and pursue my own twisted sense of egotistical honor while outraged, I probably should stay calm as often as possible until I can figure out some way to practice outrage responsibly.

"Don't outrage and dialogue" might be an inarticulate counterpart to don't drink and drive; outraged discourse is a call to attention, not usually something you engage in once you have your target's full attention (i.e., both sides have stopped acting according to their prepackaged scripts).

[Nicole]

It seems that there are two different aspects of faith in Christ that hold the rope: grace and justice. The call for justice, I think that is often what causes or sometimes righteous outrage. But, we are also called to accept God's grace and to be a people of grace, even to the unjust.

It is holding such seemingly illogical concepts in my head, heart, and life that sometimes is the only thing that keeps me convinced that I must rely on God to sort it out. When I start to try to "fix" things on my own, It feels overwhelming, hopeless and a never ending cycle of outrage.

It takes constant turning to God in my life to be able to give the smallest amount of grace to others...and that let's me know that there's something wrong with my human conception of grace.

So..Justice and Grace...for everyone the just and the unjust. Sigh, it seems so impossible, but God promises it's not.

[zalm]

Okay, so I'm a little tardy with my thoughts on this. And I'm more or less flailing my arms along with you. But I responded hither.