Stetzer - Christians in the age of outrage: how to bring our best when the world is at its worst

Ed Stetzer is a cultural navigator helping us walk faithfully in the midst of this cultural storm.

MATT CHANDLER

Lead pastor, The Village Church; author of The Explicit Gospel

Once again, Ed has analyzed a troublesome trend in our culture and given us solid advice on how to respond to it in a Christlike manner. If youve ever wondered how we can share the love of Jesus in the midst of all the shouting and division, you need to read this book immediately.

RICK WARREN

Senior pastor, Saddleback Church; author of The Purpose Driven Life

From political campaigns to nightly news, from clickbait headlines to social media, we exist in such a perpetual state of outrage that escape seems impossible. But with thorough research, compelling anecdotes, and clarity of both vision and communication, Ed Stetzer offers a way out that is not only possible but for the Christian imperative.

KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR

Author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist

Sometimes it seems that everyone is angry today. Division and strife are everywhere. In Christians in the Age of Outrage, Ed Stetzer lays out the problems in the culture and in the church, but then gives us a God-honoring path to bring our best even when the world is at its worst.

BRYAN LORITTS

Author of Insider Outsider: My Journey as a Stranger in White Evangelicalism and My Hope for Us All

Its an angry world right now, and we need a grace-filled and gospel-driven response. My friend Ed Stetzer shows us how to walk through the minefields of disagreement in winsome and God-honoring ways.

SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ

President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

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Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst

Copyright 2018 by Ed Stetzer. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior photograph of sheep copyright Jan Stromme/Getty Images. All rights reserved.

Designed by Mark Anthony Lane II

Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney and Associates, Naples, FL 34113.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stetzer, Ed, author.

Title: Christians in the age of outrage : how to bring our best when the world is at its worst / Ed Stetzer.

Description: Carol Stream, Illinois : Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2018. |
Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018024370 | ISBN 9781496433619 (hc) | ISBN 9781496433626 (sc)

Subjects: LCSH: Christianity and culture. | Anger Religious aspects Christianity. |
Violence Religious aspects Christianity.

Classification: LCC BR115.C8 S734 2018 | DDC 261.0973 dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2018024370

Build: 2018-09-12 11:29:59 EPUB 3.0

To Rick Warren, who taught me much about engaging culture well

Y OURE A LIAR.

No, you are.

Billy is a jerk. Billy and I grew up on the same street in Levittown, New York, and I remember this thought flying through my head just before he and I got into another one of our countless fights. Ive edited out the expletives it was New York, after all but every fight always ended the same: with each of us yelling at the other and storming off. We were friends because we were neighbors, but mostly we fought. As kids, thats how most arguments go. Yelling. Fighting. Insults. Running away.

Eventually I lost touch with Billy. If I saw him today, we might still fight, but I imagine there would be fewer expletives and tears. After all, weve both grown up. But when I look around at the way our world deals with conflict today, I realize culture has not.

Suddenly the go-to move of politicians and journalists has become Youre a liar, followed by the rejoinder No, you are. Were bombarded with this level of discourse every day.

And its filtered down (or maybe it filtered up) throughout the culture. Facebook is a cesspool of conspiracy theories, straw-man arguments, and schoolyard bullying. We have reached the point where the comment sections of major newspapers are a greater testament to the depravity of man than all the theology of the Reformers put together. Many publishers have removed comments from below their online articles so the vitriol will end.

These arguments have a cumulative effect, with each successive interaction ratcheting up the outrage. Even those rare instances of well-intentioned and reasonable discussion eventually fall victim to misunderstanding and offense. In these cases, I often remember Godwins Law: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Hitler approaches one. In other words, people eventually start comparing others to Hitler. And just like that, we are off to the races of anger, insults, and division.

Lest we get on our high horses about all those bad, angry people out there, we need to recognize that outrage often comes from Christians. During his fifteen minutes of fame, Joshua Feuerstein started the 2015 Starbucks Red Cup controversy. Soon people were saying that Christians were upset, though I saw only one person Joshua Feuerstein truly outraged. He posted a Facebook message saying, Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they hate Jesus. He also tagged media to attract attention. Without fail, the outrage cycle began.

Of course, Starbucks denied the accusation, assured worried Christians everywhere they were welcome to say Merry Christmas to their hearts content, and insisted that the company did not hate Christmas. Can you imagine the conversation in the Starbucks boardroom? Did they say, Those Christians are fair-minded, gracious, and thoughtful? I am guessing not.