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Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst
Are you tired of reading another news story about Christians supposedly acting at their worst?Today there are too many examples of those claiming to follow Christ being caustic, divisive, and irrational, contributing to dismissals of the Christian faith as hypocritical, self-interested, and politically co-opted. What has happened in our society? One short outrageous video, whether it is true or not, can trigger an avalanche of comments on social media.Welcome to the new age of outrage.In this groundbreaking book featuring new survey research of evangelicals and their relationship to the age of outrage, Ed Stetzer offers a constructive way forward. You won’t want to miss Ed’s insightful analysis of our chaotic age, his commonsensical understanding of the cultural currents, and his compelling challenge to Christians to live in a refreshingly different way.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2018
201 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read
About the author
Ed Stetzer
136 books57 followersEd Stetzer, PhD, holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair for Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and is the dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College. He also serves as the executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton. Stetzer is a prolific author and a well-known conference speaker. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; holds two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and has written or cowritten more than a dozen books and hundreds of articles.
Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today and a columnist for Outreach magazine. He is frequently interviewed for or cited in news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. He is also the executive editor of The Gospel Project, a bible study curriculum used by more than one million people each week.
Stetzer cohosts BreakPoint This Week, a radio broadcast that airs on more than four hundred media outlets. He serves as the interim teaching pastor at The Moody Church in Chicago. Stetzer lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife, Donna, and their three daughters.
You can also connect with Ed on Facebook and Instagram.
Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today and a columnist for Outreach magazine. He is frequently interviewed for or cited in news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. He is also the executive editor of The Gospel Project, a bible study curriculum used by more than one million people each week.
Stetzer cohosts BreakPoint This Week, a radio broadcast that airs on more than four hundred media outlets. He serves as the interim teaching pastor at The Moody Church in Chicago. Stetzer lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife, Donna, and their three daughters.
You can also connect with Ed on Facebook and Instagram.
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November 20, 2018
Stetzer notes that our world is awash with anger. How are Christians to walk through this? Stetzer is quick to point out that there are areas that should generate Christian anger, such as human trafficking. But how do Christians keep from allowing unrestrained outrage?
The book is divided into three section. Stetzer first looks at what causes the outrage and how Christians have contributed to it. Next he identifies the lies that reinforce the outrage. Stetzer then suggests ways Christians can counteract the outrage by developing a Christian worldview, by loving others, engaging them thoughtfully, etc.
I gleaned many insights from this book. Because of the influence of Christianity in the past, Christians came to think they “owned” culture in America. American Christians have not learned how to flourish in a minority situation, as did early Christians. Another insight was about tribalism and having a win/lose attitude, like in sports, rather than one of coexisting.
Perhaps the most disturbing insight was about trading a kingdom-based identity for a world-based identity. Stetzer identified what we Christians have done to have others outraged at us. The most glaring has been to use kingdom-based identity to achieve world-based ends, such as in politics.
The bottom line is that, “Outrage is a product of the flesh.” (2224/5424) Stetzer offers practical suggestions on engaging others in the Spirit, placing the focus on God and His glory. He also includes resources for further study.
I recommend this book to Christians who are ready to own up to how we have helped create the negative environment we now experience. You'll be encouraged to discipline your minds to think more critically and to engage others with the gospel, not hatred.
Food for thought: “You see, you can't hate people and engage them with the gospel at the same time.” (2252/5424)
The book is divided into three section. Stetzer first looks at what causes the outrage and how Christians have contributed to it. Next he identifies the lies that reinforce the outrage. Stetzer then suggests ways Christians can counteract the outrage by developing a Christian worldview, by loving others, engaging them thoughtfully, etc.
I gleaned many insights from this book. Because of the influence of Christianity in the past, Christians came to think they “owned” culture in America. American Christians have not learned how to flourish in a minority situation, as did early Christians. Another insight was about tribalism and having a win/lose attitude, like in sports, rather than one of coexisting.
Perhaps the most disturbing insight was about trading a kingdom-based identity for a world-based identity. Stetzer identified what we Christians have done to have others outraged at us. The most glaring has been to use kingdom-based identity to achieve world-based ends, such as in politics.
The bottom line is that, “Outrage is a product of the flesh.” (2224/5424) Stetzer offers practical suggestions on engaging others in the Spirit, placing the focus on God and His glory. He also includes resources for further study.
I recommend this book to Christians who are ready to own up to how we have helped create the negative environment we now experience. You'll be encouraged to discipline your minds to think more critically and to engage others with the gospel, not hatred.
Food for thought: “You see, you can't hate people and engage them with the gospel at the same time.” (2252/5424)
July 6, 2021
A great read, overall, that I would recommend to virtually any Christian in America.
Stetzer covers quite a bit of ground here, focusing primarily on our attitudes and how our reactions and speech are a product of our worldview and love for Jesus. He specifically talks about how we conduct ourselves on the internet, but I appreciated that toward the end of the book, he also mentions that we need to be neighborly and loving in our "real" lives and, especially, connected with a local Church congregation.
I thought he could have done a better job on a few things:
- The discussion of nominal believers vs real Christians was necessary, but a bit long, and since it was toward the beginning of the book, it set a negative tone.
- He says at one point that if our various "systems" (church, political, other) require us to work to maintain them, we're following the wrong god... then later talks about how God created us to work. I understand the argument of grace vs works, but he didn't connect this very well.
- He's quite critical of those who choose to remain "silent" on certain moral/political issues, but also talks about needing discernment to know when to jump into a conversation (especially online) and when to stay out of it; I think many people (especially introverts) who are wisely refraining from getting wrapped up in unproductive debates will feel chided, unnecessarily. And he never really mentions that just not joining in a particular conversation on Facebook, for example, is not the same thing as remaining entirely "silent" on an issue.
- He gave away the ending of a book I haven't read yet. (Frankenstein) I hate it when authors include spoilers, as if everyone has read all the same books they have. So frustrating!
Also, it's a bit long.
As I said, it's a great book overall, but there are these minor things that detract from it. So read it with discernment, the way we should read all books. :)
Stetzer covers quite a bit of ground here, focusing primarily on our attitudes and how our reactions and speech are a product of our worldview and love for Jesus. He specifically talks about how we conduct ourselves on the internet, but I appreciated that toward the end of the book, he also mentions that we need to be neighborly and loving in our "real" lives and, especially, connected with a local Church congregation.
I thought he could have done a better job on a few things:
- The discussion of nominal believers vs real Christians was necessary, but a bit long, and since it was toward the beginning of the book, it set a negative tone.
- He says at one point that if our various "systems" (church, political, other) require us to work to maintain them, we're following the wrong god... then later talks about how God created us to work. I understand the argument of grace vs works, but he didn't connect this very well.
- He's quite critical of those who choose to remain "silent" on certain moral/political issues, but also talks about needing discernment to know when to jump into a conversation (especially online) and when to stay out of it; I think many people (especially introverts) who are wisely refraining from getting wrapped up in unproductive debates will feel chided, unnecessarily. And he never really mentions that just not joining in a particular conversation on Facebook, for example, is not the same thing as remaining entirely "silent" on an issue.
- He gave away the ending of a book I haven't read yet. (Frankenstein) I hate it when authors include spoilers, as if everyone has read all the same books they have. So frustrating!
Also, it's a bit long.
As I said, it's a great book overall, but there are these minor things that detract from it. So read it with discernment, the way we should read all books. :)
July 8, 2019
I feel like every Christian who gets angered or frustrated by any blog or news articles, or social media posts, or political debates, or social injustices should read this book. At times when I felt frustration or anger creeping back in over the last few months, I would take to a treadmill at the gym and read this book, because he does such a good job of putting things in perspective and coaching logic and reason when I’m tempted to let my emotions take over. An excellent read that puts the spotlight back on Jesus and the gospel as the answer.
May 31, 2020
Quotes:
Anger in christians is because their values and practices no longer shape culture (post-Christian). They no longer have influence. They want their country back, and by that they mean their cultural power. This can lead to hostility and fear that this trend this will lead to their cultural marginalization.
We need to be willing to think critically about who is influencing us, and how we engage with others. Are we contributing to or fighting against the age of outrage?
It is helpful not to talk politics in certain circumstances (in person or online) in order to develop relationship, so that when discussing spiritual things can grow into something more meaningful. Relationship is more important than scoring points.
Society usually call out hypocrites, but many label themselves Christians because of seeming advantages with neighbors or family values, such people are not equipped spiritually to live a faithful Christian life, so they behave as other secular people do. They are nominal Christians and respond with outrage because they don’t have the spiritual gifts or tools to exhibit Christian love. Without the Spirit, they devolve to expressions of outrage.
Being a convictional Christian makes a difference. Nominal Christianity is a problem for the church because its conflates professing Christians with a worldview shaped by the Gospel, with those who are merely culturally Christians, self-identifying as such….Nominalism may have a worldview, but it’s a distorted worldview (they don’t have the why or how). They try to have religiosity without Christ.
The sting of declining numbers is hard to accept even if we know that those who left never bought into the Christian life. There is inevitably the temptation to sustain the numbers and change our methods/message to accommodate those leaving. Into this temptation, God tells us that he is responsible for those going out, making plain those who have a Christian worldview and those that have mixed in with the crowd. Nominal Christians are not always easy to spot, they thrive on blending in, but they do become exposed in crisis/outrage. God is simply revealing the true state of the church and the mission field in which we find ourselves.
Characteristic of righteous anger is directed towards things that anger God (Mark 3, withered hand/Sabbath). i.e. injustice, corruption, oppression of poor, defamation of God’s glory, immorality; Righteous anger is aimed at the glory of God, but outrage is a reaction to personal injury or insult. RA is purposeful, intended for specific ends, outrage exhibits little critical thought about motivations or ends. Outrage is motivated by a desire to punish, rather than reconcile, through persistent love. Think through what you’re trying to accomplish, your end goal, to obedience or repentance, reconciliation with God?
Idolatry in politics is putting your hope in political leaders and policies that once was reserved for God and the work of the Gospel. 3 key idols Christians often embrace: politics, identity, and personality.
Many people place their pride and identity in America and the freedoms we enjoy. When our perceived personal freedoms and rights are attacked, we often respond with vehement opposition, biblical justification, and conflation of being Christian with being American. This denies the truth of our ultimate allegiance, and confuses non-Christians who wonder who or what we value most. (Most recently, we have seen racism emerge from people who call themselves Christians)
Turns our inward feelings, passions, rights into gods we bow down before and worship. We are traveling a dangerous road when we look inwardly to find meaning. This self-actualizing arrogance when masked as patriotism within the evangelical community indulges sinful fleshly patterns and destroys our relationship with the God of truth and our neighbor. When we trade our life giving identity as a son or daughter of God for the leaking cistern of self-identity and national pride, we are left parched int he wilderness of our own making.
Outrage is the newest manifestation of people’s sinfulness, result of their rebellion against and isolation from God. Forgetfulness and apathy always lead to idolatry. There is hope, as Christians, we understand the solution to this world’s problem is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He came to be the true savior, he is the way out of idolatry, and the truth that speaks to our idolatry, the wellspring of life that nourishes and satisfies our lonely and forgetful hearts. Part of the good news is that our work, energy, striving are over. If our political self-identification or church systems require us to work and exert energy to maintain them, we are following the wrong god.
Scripture consistently warns us about the quality of voices we allow into our lives. What we see and hear is the gateway to what we love and worship.
The only way to navigate challenges is under God’s guidance. Second, reading the bible is identity forming. Sadly, many Christians fail to grasp this truth about discipleship. We think about bible reading like a battery that needs charged, so we can faced the world. When our pastors encourage us to read the Word more for ourselves, we think of it more like gaining knowledge than a means to form our identity.
3 ways of understanding our sent-ness as ambassadors: 1, with an allegiance to the king, 2, sent with the message of reconciliation, 3, sent to a foreign land with a mission to complete.
To share the gospel to a hurting, broken, lost world means that I will share it with those who are like me, and most importantly, those who are not like me.
Social media activism (SNL comedy sketch), shared an article on Facebook. People confuse participating in an event to contributing to a solution. Our posts, tweets, or comments are changing things…We are content with perception without sacrifice.
As a Christian, if you are convinced it is time to speak truth to power, you have the obligation to sign your name (don’t be anonymous). Church history is replete with those who have suffered for speaking out against injustice and evil. There is no mechanism in scripture for those who want the fruit of discipline, without the hard work of relationally engaging one another.
Even if we think we’re having a private conversation, others are watching our online actions and holding them up to our claims to be Christ followers. This is connected to our witness!
Choose investment over consumption. One helpful way to frame our social media engagement, is if we’re investing or consuming. What is actually useful to our spiritual development? Are you connecting with friends, family? Are you tracking leaders who are teaching you about God, and how to connect the Gospel with your worldview? Are you following people outside your tradition who challenge you to consider your blindspots?
Anger in christians is because their values and practices no longer shape culture (post-Christian). They no longer have influence. They want their country back, and by that they mean their cultural power. This can lead to hostility and fear that this trend this will lead to their cultural marginalization.
We need to be willing to think critically about who is influencing us, and how we engage with others. Are we contributing to or fighting against the age of outrage?
It is helpful not to talk politics in certain circumstances (in person or online) in order to develop relationship, so that when discussing spiritual things can grow into something more meaningful. Relationship is more important than scoring points.
Society usually call out hypocrites, but many label themselves Christians because of seeming advantages with neighbors or family values, such people are not equipped spiritually to live a faithful Christian life, so they behave as other secular people do. They are nominal Christians and respond with outrage because they don’t have the spiritual gifts or tools to exhibit Christian love. Without the Spirit, they devolve to expressions of outrage.
Being a convictional Christian makes a difference. Nominal Christianity is a problem for the church because its conflates professing Christians with a worldview shaped by the Gospel, with those who are merely culturally Christians, self-identifying as such….Nominalism may have a worldview, but it’s a distorted worldview (they don’t have the why or how). They try to have religiosity without Christ.
The sting of declining numbers is hard to accept even if we know that those who left never bought into the Christian life. There is inevitably the temptation to sustain the numbers and change our methods/message to accommodate those leaving. Into this temptation, God tells us that he is responsible for those going out, making plain those who have a Christian worldview and those that have mixed in with the crowd. Nominal Christians are not always easy to spot, they thrive on blending in, but they do become exposed in crisis/outrage. God is simply revealing the true state of the church and the mission field in which we find ourselves.
Characteristic of righteous anger is directed towards things that anger God (Mark 3, withered hand/Sabbath). i.e. injustice, corruption, oppression of poor, defamation of God’s glory, immorality; Righteous anger is aimed at the glory of God, but outrage is a reaction to personal injury or insult. RA is purposeful, intended for specific ends, outrage exhibits little critical thought about motivations or ends. Outrage is motivated by a desire to punish, rather than reconcile, through persistent love. Think through what you’re trying to accomplish, your end goal, to obedience or repentance, reconciliation with God?
Idolatry in politics is putting your hope in political leaders and policies that once was reserved for God and the work of the Gospel. 3 key idols Christians often embrace: politics, identity, and personality.
Many people place their pride and identity in America and the freedoms we enjoy. When our perceived personal freedoms and rights are attacked, we often respond with vehement opposition, biblical justification, and conflation of being Christian with being American. This denies the truth of our ultimate allegiance, and confuses non-Christians who wonder who or what we value most. (Most recently, we have seen racism emerge from people who call themselves Christians)
Turns our inward feelings, passions, rights into gods we bow down before and worship. We are traveling a dangerous road when we look inwardly to find meaning. This self-actualizing arrogance when masked as patriotism within the evangelical community indulges sinful fleshly patterns and destroys our relationship with the God of truth and our neighbor. When we trade our life giving identity as a son or daughter of God for the leaking cistern of self-identity and national pride, we are left parched int he wilderness of our own making.
Outrage is the newest manifestation of people’s sinfulness, result of their rebellion against and isolation from God. Forgetfulness and apathy always lead to idolatry. There is hope, as Christians, we understand the solution to this world’s problem is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He came to be the true savior, he is the way out of idolatry, and the truth that speaks to our idolatry, the wellspring of life that nourishes and satisfies our lonely and forgetful hearts. Part of the good news is that our work, energy, striving are over. If our political self-identification or church systems require us to work and exert energy to maintain them, we are following the wrong god.
Scripture consistently warns us about the quality of voices we allow into our lives. What we see and hear is the gateway to what we love and worship.
The only way to navigate challenges is under God’s guidance. Second, reading the bible is identity forming. Sadly, many Christians fail to grasp this truth about discipleship. We think about bible reading like a battery that needs charged, so we can faced the world. When our pastors encourage us to read the Word more for ourselves, we think of it more like gaining knowledge than a means to form our identity.
3 ways of understanding our sent-ness as ambassadors: 1, with an allegiance to the king, 2, sent with the message of reconciliation, 3, sent to a foreign land with a mission to complete.
To share the gospel to a hurting, broken, lost world means that I will share it with those who are like me, and most importantly, those who are not like me.
Social media activism (SNL comedy sketch), shared an article on Facebook. People confuse participating in an event to contributing to a solution. Our posts, tweets, or comments are changing things…We are content with perception without sacrifice.
As a Christian, if you are convinced it is time to speak truth to power, you have the obligation to sign your name (don’t be anonymous). Church history is replete with those who have suffered for speaking out against injustice and evil. There is no mechanism in scripture for those who want the fruit of discipline, without the hard work of relationally engaging one another.
Even if we think we’re having a private conversation, others are watching our online actions and holding them up to our claims to be Christ followers. This is connected to our witness!
Choose investment over consumption. One helpful way to frame our social media engagement, is if we’re investing or consuming. What is actually useful to our spiritual development? Are you connecting with friends, family? Are you tracking leaders who are teaching you about God, and how to connect the Gospel with your worldview? Are you following people outside your tradition who challenge you to consider your blindspots?
February 10, 2022
Excellent book. Full review on my blog so that quotes can be distinguished from regular text: https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com...
March 19, 2025
Audiobook. Pretty elementary for any devoted believer but perhaps necessary for the typical church-goer in the US.
February 2, 2021
I mostly agreed with his points and appreciated his statement that we need to disciple Christians in how to best engage on social media platforms in a meaningful way. Also thought it was a good reminder that we are increasingly living in a post-Christian culture; that does, and should, affect how we Christians talk about our faith.
January 10, 2019
If there’s a book that every Christian should read, it would be “Christians in the Age of Outrage” by Ed Stetzer. We live in a world where outrage seems to be all the rage, especially when it comes to politics and social media.
Stetzer explains how we got to this point and how we as Christians are to stand out and live as a light in a dark world. He uses sound theology and scripture to back up his claims. He challenges his readers with practical applications and truly makes you think. He also shares a ton of statistical research.
I may have to check out more of his books in the future because this one was awesome.
Highly recommended!
Disclaimer: I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Stetzer explains how we got to this point and how we as Christians are to stand out and live as a light in a dark world. He uses sound theology and scripture to back up his claims. He challenges his readers with practical applications and truly makes you think. He also shares a ton of statistical research.
I may have to check out more of his books in the future because this one was awesome.
Highly recommended!
Disclaimer: I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
December 28, 2018
A good read, even if you disagree with Ed's theology
I'm what some would classify as an ex-evangelical. I left my Baptist church in 2012 and now classify myself as a Lutheran. While I don't agree with Ed's views on certain theological issues, I still find him an insightful voice to follow. This book illustrates why.
Ed reminds us of some basic manners we all seem to have forgotten. Listen to others politely. When disagreeing, do so respectfully. Not everyone will share your worldview, and those who don't aren't your enemy. Not behaving in this way damages our testimony and closes people's minds to our words.
I'm what some would classify as an ex-evangelical. I left my Baptist church in 2012 and now classify myself as a Lutheran. While I don't agree with Ed's views on certain theological issues, I still find him an insightful voice to follow. This book illustrates why.
Ed reminds us of some basic manners we all seem to have forgotten. Listen to others politely. When disagreeing, do so respectfully. Not everyone will share your worldview, and those who don't aren't your enemy. Not behaving in this way damages our testimony and closes people's minds to our words.
October 22, 2018
Long read, a bit of a commitment to get through it. Although worthy of your time! Stetzer is a theologian with sociology and politics thrown in... seriously, this book gets at the questions many of us have these days about our changing culture and the fractures we are seeing and feeling in evangelicalism. My chief disappointment was the author's political bias creeps in. Still looking for an author that is the right blend of theology-sociology-political science. Stetzer's work is notable but not quite my cup of tea.
January 3, 2019
In this day and age, Christians can take on a lot of criticism from skeptics, some deserved. Stetzer lays out his case for Christians engaging with current culture, social media, the non-churched and respond as Jesus would, with radical grace, winsome love, generous compassion and prayerful hearts that break the brokenness of the world.
Lots of stats boost his case. Definitely worth your time if you really don't want to retreat if you feel like your being attacked in this hostile environment toward Christians
Lots of stats boost his case. Definitely worth your time if you really don't want to retreat if you feel like your being attacked in this hostile environment toward Christians
October 26, 2018
Highly recommended. This was a great read on how Christians can navigate through today’s culture of instant outrage. Stetzer is fair in his critique of both right and left sides of the political spectrum. He offers lots of relevant examples and statistics to go along with his points. I especially liked his thoughts on disgust and, how Christians should approach social media. The book also covers topics like winsome love and how to neighbor. It was great.
December 7, 2018
Just finished reading Ed Stetzer’s “Christians in the Age of Outrage.” A very timely book with practical and much needed observations and suggestions. Ed’s challenge is to live “the Good News that changes us from outraged spectators to Grace-filled participants in God’s redemptive plan for the world,” something I need to be reminded of.
November 17, 2020
This book was filled with fantastic thoughts and ways to live our faith in this age where everyone seems to be on the edge of anger. Very encouraging yet convicting at the same time!!
January 19, 2023
Christians in the Age of Outrage is the second book that I have read by Ed Stetzer. I loved the first one (Spiritual Warfare and Missions), and I loved this one, which tells me I need to read more of his works. I think what "got" me with both books is the relevancy factor. Both books are needed and relevant.
First, I wish I owned this book because I had so many post-it notes marking my notes (if I owned it I could highlight all those passages). Second, this book was written in 2018 but it is just as relevant, or probably even more relevant today than it was then!
Stetzer's book was written in consultation with a national survey with Lifeway Research. In this book, he includes the questions and the data that was gathered. I appreciated the conversational style that the author employed and the personal stories scattered throughout the book. I found this a thought-provoking (and at times convincing) read. I value the amount of research that the author put into this book and his helpful recommendations on how to engage in the world of outrage. This is one that I already want to read again.
Reviewed by Cindy D. (UCL Volunteer)
First, I wish I owned this book because I had so many post-it notes marking my notes (if I owned it I could highlight all those passages). Second, this book was written in 2018 but it is just as relevant, or probably even more relevant today than it was then!
Stetzer's book was written in consultation with a national survey with Lifeway Research. In this book, he includes the questions and the data that was gathered. I appreciated the conversational style that the author employed and the personal stories scattered throughout the book. I found this a thought-provoking (and at times convincing) read. I value the amount of research that the author put into this book and his helpful recommendations on how to engage in the world of outrage. This is one that I already want to read again.
Reviewed by Cindy D. (UCL Volunteer)
February 7, 2022
What a powerful and challenging book! I am not one for much activity on social media, so at first I wasn't sure how applicable I would find this book... but wow! I consider this a must read for any believer hoping to live missionally in today's "age of outrage."
The content is excellent, but I also appreciated the flow. Stetzer spends the first part of the book defining our culture in modern terms, and does an excellent job explaining the tension we feel today as the America moves into "post-Christian" culture. He also explains very clearly the impact that new technologies have on this movement, and describes the lack of discipleship happening in technology that makes this issue ever worse.
The end of the book focuses on highly applicable steps to engage the world in a loving and humble way, regardless of race or political stance.
This is a very important read that I highly recommend for believers or those curious about how Christianity should look in the modern world.
The content is excellent, but I also appreciated the flow. Stetzer spends the first part of the book defining our culture in modern terms, and does an excellent job explaining the tension we feel today as the America moves into "post-Christian" culture. He also explains very clearly the impact that new technologies have on this movement, and describes the lack of discipleship happening in technology that makes this issue ever worse.
The end of the book focuses on highly applicable steps to engage the world in a loving and humble way, regardless of race or political stance.
This is a very important read that I highly recommend for believers or those curious about how Christianity should look in the modern world.
April 11, 2019
This was a really good book but I have such a hard time listening to nonfiction on audiobook. I want to take notes and reflect and I can't do that with audiobooks as easily.
So I'll definitely be buying this and rereading. This book had some amazing reference material cited as well as great viewpoints about how Christians should act in a world that seems to be constantly on the attack (social media especially).
I would definitely advise this book for any Christian because it calls us to act more like Jesus and talks about how non Christians see us, and how we choose to react in all situations can be a way to show Christ's love.
Compelling and convicting stuff.
So I'll definitely be buying this and rereading. This book had some amazing reference material cited as well as great viewpoints about how Christians should act in a world that seems to be constantly on the attack (social media especially).
I would definitely advise this book for any Christian because it calls us to act more like Jesus and talks about how non Christians see us, and how we choose to react in all situations can be a way to show Christ's love.
Compelling and convicting stuff.
February 26, 2022
This book is excellent. It feels like this book was written in response to the past two years, but no! It was published way back in 2018! It is completely relevant to the times in which we live.
A few quotes and notes:
“As we’ve seen, when Scripture depicts righteous anger, it sets the bar high. Outrage exhibits few if any of the short- or long-term characteristics Scripture associates with righteous anger. Righteous anger is aimed at the glory of God, but outrage is an angry reaction to personal injury or insult.” (page 80)
“When we encounter rejection or anger, we tend to use the ‘offensiveness of the gospel’ as a shield for our unloving and callous response. But the offensiveness of the gospel does not give license for Christians to be offensive. When we respond to pushback from others with hostility, it is NOT the offensiveness of the gospel that damages our witness and reinforces negative stereotypes of Christians—it’s us! We laden the gospel message with our own baggage—cultural biases, racial animosities, personal insecurities, and spiritual immaturity. In essence, we wrap the gospel in our offensive packaging and then decry our neighbors when they are less than enthusiastic about Jesus and His church.” (page 197)
“In the age of outrage, we are perpetually encouraged to view others purely in categories of friend or foe. Are they on my side for are they against me? Do they like my politics and politicians? Endorse my worldview? Embrace my ideology? Outrage is a product of the flesh. It is selfish, divisive, wrathful, and chaotic. In some cases, outrage pretends to be righteous anger, but underneath the veneer, it is simply driven by our fleshly desires. In contrast, engaging the Spirit takes the focus off us (our tribe, our desires, our anger, our anxieties) and places it on God and his glory. When we experience forgiveness in Christ, God entirely transforms the way we see people and communities. Before salvation, we saw others through the lens of our flesh; now we see them as new creations.” (page 104-105)
“The truth is not a bludgeon by which we can crush our ideological or cultural enemies; rather, it is the light for our path.” (page 263)
Offer the message or redemption and reconciliation to all.
James 1:19-20: My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.
A few quotes and notes:
“As we’ve seen, when Scripture depicts righteous anger, it sets the bar high. Outrage exhibits few if any of the short- or long-term characteristics Scripture associates with righteous anger. Righteous anger is aimed at the glory of God, but outrage is an angry reaction to personal injury or insult.” (page 80)
“When we encounter rejection or anger, we tend to use the ‘offensiveness of the gospel’ as a shield for our unloving and callous response. But the offensiveness of the gospel does not give license for Christians to be offensive. When we respond to pushback from others with hostility, it is NOT the offensiveness of the gospel that damages our witness and reinforces negative stereotypes of Christians—it’s us! We laden the gospel message with our own baggage—cultural biases, racial animosities, personal insecurities, and spiritual immaturity. In essence, we wrap the gospel in our offensive packaging and then decry our neighbors when they are less than enthusiastic about Jesus and His church.” (page 197)
“In the age of outrage, we are perpetually encouraged to view others purely in categories of friend or foe. Are they on my side for are they against me? Do they like my politics and politicians? Endorse my worldview? Embrace my ideology? Outrage is a product of the flesh. It is selfish, divisive, wrathful, and chaotic. In some cases, outrage pretends to be righteous anger, but underneath the veneer, it is simply driven by our fleshly desires. In contrast, engaging the Spirit takes the focus off us (our tribe, our desires, our anger, our anxieties) and places it on God and his glory. When we experience forgiveness in Christ, God entirely transforms the way we see people and communities. Before salvation, we saw others through the lens of our flesh; now we see them as new creations.” (page 104-105)
“The truth is not a bludgeon by which we can crush our ideological or cultural enemies; rather, it is the light for our path.” (page 263)
Offer the message or redemption and reconciliation to all.
James 1:19-20: My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.
ebook-own-toread
November 20, 2021#GoodreadsGiveaway
Won this as a Goodreads giveaway!
Won this as a Goodreads giveaway!
January 9, 2025
This book would be excellent for a small group study and discussion. As an individual read, it reads like a textbook. Would have enjoyed it more with discussion questions and a faith group.
March 3, 2023
Review
We currently live in an age where Christianity is losing its cultural dominance at an alarming rate. Our response to this has been outrage, which is not a fruit of the Spirit. Our outrage manifests itself in how we treat those who have "stolen" the culture from us, both online and in person. What might be a better and, furthermore, genuine Christian response? Stetzer begins the conversation by discussing church attendance statistics and tribalism in chapter 1 and how these contribute to the outrage culture. Chapter 2 covers the issue of how our behaviour on social media contributes as well and, furthermore, damages the witness of Christ and His mission in the Church. Here, it is informative as well as convicting of how the reader themselves may have contributed to the sin of outrage online. Unfortunately, Stetzer doesn't say anything about the Gospel for the forgiveness of sins for these people (i.e., all of us). Chapters 1 and 2 make up part one of the book.
Part 2: Outrageous Lies and Enduring Truths
In part 2, Stetzer helps the reader remove the log from their own eye before discussing how we properly engage the outrage as Christians in part 3 by addressing four lies we may tell ourselves to justify our sinful behaviour. I'm glad he talks about this first since, as just alluded to, this is a biblical response. The lies are as follows:
1 Christians are hypocrites. But he contradicts himself in part 3 when he talks about Christians actually being hypocrites, so it's not clear why this is supposedly a lie.
2 Outrage as "righteous" anger. I disagree with his premise that Christians can truly have righteous anger. No matter how pious we are, our anger will always be tainted with sin, whereas God is holy and therefore only He can have righteous anger. I strongly encourage you to read Rev. Dr. Jeff Gibbs on The Myth of "Righteous Anger."
3 False saviours (idolatry).
4 Rejection of the missio Dei (though his theology on John 20:19-23 is myopic, likely because it has to do with the Office of the Keys and Stetzer is a Sacramentalist).
Part 3: The Outrageous Alternatives to Outrage
Here, Stetzer provides solutions for Christians to better witness in this age of outrage.
1 Have a Gospel-shaped worldview rather than having your worldview be uncritically shaped by media. Yet what he calls "gospel" is really just the 3rd use of the Law, or "spiritual disciplines" as he calls them, so he confuses Law & Gospel (more on this in my final thoughts below). I don't have a problem with the content here, but it cannot be properly called "Gospel-shaped" if it's about what we do, which is Law, whereas the Gospel is about what Christ has done and is doing for you.
2 Be "kingdom ambassadors in a foreign land" of outrage, i.e., how the local church engages the culture with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). His error here, however, is that he takes a text about apostolic ministry and, furthermore, the Office of Holy Ministry, and erroneously makes it about every Christian (the "we" in the aforementioned Scripture is Paul and the apostles, not the royal "we" of every Christian, though I recognise there is exegetical disagreement here, which is beyond the scope of this review).
3 Be winsome with love for others. I actually like this one a lot. Drawing on the basic human need of being loved, Christians should be winsome as they respond to hostility against Christianity rather than being offensive. It is "a quality that draws people in rather than repulses them" (p. 201). Being winsome is to be empathetic, humble, respectful ("image bearing"), and sacrificial (i.e., boldness to confess, but not being a jerk about it). If I can add my own cheesy twist, to be winsome is to win some rather than lose some. #sorrynotsorry
4 Our online activity should be "aligned with Gospel mission" rather than engaging in mob mentality. Here, Stetzer adequately discusses poor online behaviour before divulging good principles for Christians to practice as they interact with others online. The poor behaviours to avoid are hollow advocacy, anonymous trolling, and overplaying Matthew 18 (i.e., using Matthew 18 to silence constructive criticism). For example, it would be like someone reading my critiques of this book in this review and posting a comment, "Did you follow Matthew 18 before making your criticisms public?" It's a book written for the public. Matthew 18 is a misapplication of Scripture here since Jesus was talking about how the local church community deals with private sin. Conversely, good principles for Christians to practice are: remember everyone is watching (pastors, seminarians, and vicars, take heed!), choose investment over consumption (are you investing in genuine relationships or merely consuming mindless entertainment?), see people instead of avatars (we often forget we are dealing with real people and so we treat them as less than human), make grace your default mode of operation (i.e., be kind and understanding), resist the urge to fight every battle (you don't have to speak on every issue), and value authority over freedom (respect those in authority over you more than your freedom to speak). He spends the remainder of the chapter discussing five principles for those in leadership positions in the Church as well as five "characteristics Christians should look for in leaders and influencers they follow on social media" (p. 231). All these principles are quite good and should encourage discussion with the fellowship of believers.
5 Finally, the last bit is neighbourly engagement, moving the reader from online engagement to necessary face-to-face engagement. Being neighbourly is not done in isolation but is the communal activity of your local church. One caveat here, however. In rightly encouraging the reader to get involved at a local church in order to properly be neighbourly, he says, "We have eternity to get it right. Although there have always been problems in churches, the solution is always more of Jesus, and we can't screw that up" (p. 260). I disagree with this (except for "the solution is always more of Jesus"). We can't get church right. That's why there have been problems in the Church and there always will be on this side of the eschaton because it's full of people who are simultaneously saints and sinners! Christ is the cornerstone, not us (Ephesians 2:20). Christ gets it right; that's why it's His body (1 Corinthians 12). While it is true that there have always been problems in churches, and there always will be, I don't like his challenge that "we can't screw that up" because we will screw it up, no matter how hard we try. That's why we constantly look to Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). This puts the missio Dei completely on us rather than on Christ, who has already accomplished it for us in His death and resurrection. It's the missio Dei (mission of God), not the missio hominis (mission of man). That we always screw it up is why we always gather to Christ in the local church to receive His forgiveness through His means of grace in the Word and Sacraments. In essence, his discussion on neighbourly engagement is about vocation. The end of the chapter, and therefore the book, could be strengthened with the Lutheran theology of vocation. That being said, his three final bits of practical advice in the book in how we engage our neighbours seems a bit overreaching. While I have nothing against a Christian being a good neighbour to their literal next door neighbour, it seems a bit much to map out your entire neighbourhood or subdivision to essentially be the pastor of that neighbourhood. It's probably best to do that on a much smaller scale with your immediate neighbours. Or maybe that's just me being the introvert who's terrified by such a prospect. I do like the idea of having a "prayer card" of a small list of people in your Bible with whom you interact daily to remind you to pray for them, engage them, and invite them (I assume the latter is invite them to church; he doesn't say what that part means).
Final Thoughts
While the book is quite helpful and informative, it could be deepened with a Word & Sacrament theology as well as proper Law & Gospel distinctions, which are sorely lacking. He also mentioned the "indwelling of the Holy Spirit" a lot without explaining what he means by that. Perhaps he expects his target audience (evangelicals) to know what he means. As a former evangelical, I suspect he means God taking up permanent residence in the believer's body and empowering them for service. He could just say sanctification, but he hardly uses this more biblical word. The problem with this language is that it focuses too much on the person's ability to "surrender" to Jesus. It says nothing of what the Holy Spirit does, and while it rightly acknowledges faith that receives the Holy Spirit, it downplays Baptism. In fact, it's not even mentioned once in the whole book (or any Sacrament, which shouldn't be surprising of a Sacramentalist).
For example, in his discussion on the importance of viewing others in the image of God as the basis for which we respect them as fellow image bearers in chapter 9, he missed a giant opportunity to talk about how Baptism restores God's image to us through Christ, who is the perfect image of God (Colossians 1:15). It's great to recognise the image of God in our fellow humans in how we treat them, but remember that we are post-Fall creatures; the image of God is broken in us. How does God restore this image in us and, furthermore, how does that fuel how we love our neighbour? The answer is Baptism. A discussion on the imago Dei is incomplete when it leaves out Baptism, whether done intentionally or in ignorance. I by no means expected a Sacramentarian to use sacramental language, but it cannot be ignored that there were just so many missed opportunities of bringing in what God does through the Gospel and His means of grace. It is true that God uses us as His means (i.e., stewards) by which we make disciples (just as Christ called His disciples to baptise and teach in Matthew 28:18-20), but we are not the means of grace; these properly belong to God's Word and Sacraments.
The biggest problem in the book is that there's more of Jesus as model than Jesus as Saviour. A stark example of this is on page 268 where Stetzer says that "denying ourselves something we have a right to for the betterment of another... is what Jesus modeled for us in his incarnation and death." His cross is a model rather than the altar of His atonement. How far can we push this model paradigm? If you really want to model Jesus, you should be crucified! He does talk about Jesus as our Saviour, specifically saving us from God's outrage (His wrath), but that's not until the end of the book and by then it's too late to be redeemable in this respect. Better to bathe the entire book in soteriology than to save it until the end, especially because it highlights so many of our failures, that is, our sins. Jesus as Saviour is mentioned here and there, but only as an afterthought.
The problem with Jesus as model is that we can never live up to Him. His example becomes another Law rather than His incarnation being the Gospel, i.e., what He did for us in His life, death, and resurrection, and continues to do in His ascension; which is ironic when Stetzer extols a "Gospel-shaped worldview" and "online activity aligned with Gospel mission." We cannot live up to the expectations of the Law. Jesus fulfilled it on our behalf (Matthew 5:17). So, how can we expect to live up to the one who fulfilled the Law? Does Jesus show us what love looks like, specifically God's love? Absolutely. Is that a model for our behaviour? Well, yes and no. His love does leave us an example (1 Peter 2:21-23), but it's not one we can fully live up to, His example is not all He is, and that's not the telos of His love. Christ is God's display and fulfilment of His love for us. Is sanctification (or "the indwelling of the Holy Spirit") becoming more like Jesus? Yes. Is it our work? No; it is God's work.
Again, I like most of what Stetzer writes in the book. My main gripe though is that he calls it Gospel when, strictly speaking, it is the 3rd use of the Law. A stark example of this is also on page 268 when he says "Jesus calls us, as his missionaries of grace, to go further than even lex talionis [the law of revenge in Exodus 21:22-25] requires" in the Sermon on the Mount. This is problematic because missionaries of grace implies the Gospel, but the Sermon on the Mount is Law! Yes, Jesus does make the Law harsher in His sermon, but this is not grace; this is Law! All the uses of the Law are in vogue in Jesus' sermon, but insofar as Jesus is telling us how to live as His blessed people in the world (the preface of the Beatitudes), this is the 3rd use of the Law. In short, this is the Law as a guide. It means we don't have to do the Law, but because we've been freed from the Law and our sin by the Gospel, we get to do the Law for the sake of our neighbour who needs our good works. In other words, the Law tells us how to live holy lives as Christ's redeemed people. It does not merit salvation; it simply tells us how to live in the world, which is largely what this book is about in a world filled with outrage.
Since the book largely addresses how we conduct ourselves online as Christians, I recently posted a photo on Instagram (which directly posted it on Facebook as well) of my brief review on Gerhard Forde's Theology Is for Proclamation. If you're not familiar with Forde, mention of this Lutheran theologian often leads to heated debates among Lutherans. He denies the vicarious and substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross, both of which are foundational to Lutheran soteriology. So, the question becomes: should we bother reading anything else by him because of this error? Likewise, then, should you read Christians in the Age of Outrage and anything else by Stetzer despite his own errors? My Facebook post inspired others to comment on it, some in favour of Forde, others not. All recognised his shortcomings on the atonement, however. It was a cordial discussion, and I'm still friends with everyone. I'll leave you with my concluding thought on the post, albeit revised: No matter the theologian, we always need to read through a certain filter (for us it's a Lutheran filter—a cross-shaped one!). But when it requires too many filters, it's best not to read them.
With that in mind, I do encourage all Lutherans to read this book as it is through a Lutheran lens to see our own failings in how we have contributed to the culture of outrage rather than extending the hand of Christ's grace to outraged people in dire need of Him. As I read the book, the entire time I couldn't help but think how we Lutherans excel in contributing to the culture of outrage. This is problematic, so Lutherans can benefit largely from this book despite some of its shortcomings. I might have a lot of critiques (and you might think I'm outraging, but I'm just passionate), but I did learn a lot and it even helped me with an adult Bible study I'm teaching on 1 John, which is a great epistle to read and study in an age of outrage. I commend Stetzer for having the fortitude to call out outraged people—Christian and non-Christian alike—in their sinful anger. It helped me realise some of my own sins, encouraged me to be a better pastor, and to teach my people better. I pray it is of similar benefit to you should you choose to purchase your own copy.
We currently live in an age where Christianity is losing its cultural dominance at an alarming rate. Our response to this has been outrage, which is not a fruit of the Spirit. Our outrage manifests itself in how we treat those who have "stolen" the culture from us, both online and in person. What might be a better and, furthermore, genuine Christian response? Stetzer begins the conversation by discussing church attendance statistics and tribalism in chapter 1 and how these contribute to the outrage culture. Chapter 2 covers the issue of how our behaviour on social media contributes as well and, furthermore, damages the witness of Christ and His mission in the Church. Here, it is informative as well as convicting of how the reader themselves may have contributed to the sin of outrage online. Unfortunately, Stetzer doesn't say anything about the Gospel for the forgiveness of sins for these people (i.e., all of us). Chapters 1 and 2 make up part one of the book.
Part 2: Outrageous Lies and Enduring Truths
In part 2, Stetzer helps the reader remove the log from their own eye before discussing how we properly engage the outrage as Christians in part 3 by addressing four lies we may tell ourselves to justify our sinful behaviour. I'm glad he talks about this first since, as just alluded to, this is a biblical response. The lies are as follows:
1 Christians are hypocrites. But he contradicts himself in part 3 when he talks about Christians actually being hypocrites, so it's not clear why this is supposedly a lie.
2 Outrage as "righteous" anger. I disagree with his premise that Christians can truly have righteous anger. No matter how pious we are, our anger will always be tainted with sin, whereas God is holy and therefore only He can have righteous anger. I strongly encourage you to read Rev. Dr. Jeff Gibbs on The Myth of "Righteous Anger."
3 False saviours (idolatry).
4 Rejection of the missio Dei (though his theology on John 20:19-23 is myopic, likely because it has to do with the Office of the Keys and Stetzer is a Sacramentalist).
Part 3: The Outrageous Alternatives to Outrage
Here, Stetzer provides solutions for Christians to better witness in this age of outrage.
1 Have a Gospel-shaped worldview rather than having your worldview be uncritically shaped by media. Yet what he calls "gospel" is really just the 3rd use of the Law, or "spiritual disciplines" as he calls them, so he confuses Law & Gospel (more on this in my final thoughts below). I don't have a problem with the content here, but it cannot be properly called "Gospel-shaped" if it's about what we do, which is Law, whereas the Gospel is about what Christ has done and is doing for you.
2 Be "kingdom ambassadors in a foreign land" of outrage, i.e., how the local church engages the culture with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). His error here, however, is that he takes a text about apostolic ministry and, furthermore, the Office of Holy Ministry, and erroneously makes it about every Christian (the "we" in the aforementioned Scripture is Paul and the apostles, not the royal "we" of every Christian, though I recognise there is exegetical disagreement here, which is beyond the scope of this review).
3 Be winsome with love for others. I actually like this one a lot. Drawing on the basic human need of being loved, Christians should be winsome as they respond to hostility against Christianity rather than being offensive. It is "a quality that draws people in rather than repulses them" (p. 201). Being winsome is to be empathetic, humble, respectful ("image bearing"), and sacrificial (i.e., boldness to confess, but not being a jerk about it). If I can add my own cheesy twist, to be winsome is to win some rather than lose some. #sorrynotsorry
4 Our online activity should be "aligned with Gospel mission" rather than engaging in mob mentality. Here, Stetzer adequately discusses poor online behaviour before divulging good principles for Christians to practice as they interact with others online. The poor behaviours to avoid are hollow advocacy, anonymous trolling, and overplaying Matthew 18 (i.e., using Matthew 18 to silence constructive criticism). For example, it would be like someone reading my critiques of this book in this review and posting a comment, "Did you follow Matthew 18 before making your criticisms public?" It's a book written for the public. Matthew 18 is a misapplication of Scripture here since Jesus was talking about how the local church community deals with private sin. Conversely, good principles for Christians to practice are: remember everyone is watching (pastors, seminarians, and vicars, take heed!), choose investment over consumption (are you investing in genuine relationships or merely consuming mindless entertainment?), see people instead of avatars (we often forget we are dealing with real people and so we treat them as less than human), make grace your default mode of operation (i.e., be kind and understanding), resist the urge to fight every battle (you don't have to speak on every issue), and value authority over freedom (respect those in authority over you more than your freedom to speak). He spends the remainder of the chapter discussing five principles for those in leadership positions in the Church as well as five "characteristics Christians should look for in leaders and influencers they follow on social media" (p. 231). All these principles are quite good and should encourage discussion with the fellowship of believers.
5 Finally, the last bit is neighbourly engagement, moving the reader from online engagement to necessary face-to-face engagement. Being neighbourly is not done in isolation but is the communal activity of your local church. One caveat here, however. In rightly encouraging the reader to get involved at a local church in order to properly be neighbourly, he says, "We have eternity to get it right. Although there have always been problems in churches, the solution is always more of Jesus, and we can't screw that up" (p. 260). I disagree with this (except for "the solution is always more of Jesus"). We can't get church right. That's why there have been problems in the Church and there always will be on this side of the eschaton because it's full of people who are simultaneously saints and sinners! Christ is the cornerstone, not us (Ephesians 2:20). Christ gets it right; that's why it's His body (1 Corinthians 12). While it is true that there have always been problems in churches, and there always will be, I don't like his challenge that "we can't screw that up" because we will screw it up, no matter how hard we try. That's why we constantly look to Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). This puts the missio Dei completely on us rather than on Christ, who has already accomplished it for us in His death and resurrection. It's the missio Dei (mission of God), not the missio hominis (mission of man). That we always screw it up is why we always gather to Christ in the local church to receive His forgiveness through His means of grace in the Word and Sacraments. In essence, his discussion on neighbourly engagement is about vocation. The end of the chapter, and therefore the book, could be strengthened with the Lutheran theology of vocation. That being said, his three final bits of practical advice in the book in how we engage our neighbours seems a bit overreaching. While I have nothing against a Christian being a good neighbour to their literal next door neighbour, it seems a bit much to map out your entire neighbourhood or subdivision to essentially be the pastor of that neighbourhood. It's probably best to do that on a much smaller scale with your immediate neighbours. Or maybe that's just me being the introvert who's terrified by such a prospect. I do like the idea of having a "prayer card" of a small list of people in your Bible with whom you interact daily to remind you to pray for them, engage them, and invite them (I assume the latter is invite them to church; he doesn't say what that part means).
Final Thoughts
While the book is quite helpful and informative, it could be deepened with a Word & Sacrament theology as well as proper Law & Gospel distinctions, which are sorely lacking. He also mentioned the "indwelling of the Holy Spirit" a lot without explaining what he means by that. Perhaps he expects his target audience (evangelicals) to know what he means. As a former evangelical, I suspect he means God taking up permanent residence in the believer's body and empowering them for service. He could just say sanctification, but he hardly uses this more biblical word. The problem with this language is that it focuses too much on the person's ability to "surrender" to Jesus. It says nothing of what the Holy Spirit does, and while it rightly acknowledges faith that receives the Holy Spirit, it downplays Baptism. In fact, it's not even mentioned once in the whole book (or any Sacrament, which shouldn't be surprising of a Sacramentalist).
For example, in his discussion on the importance of viewing others in the image of God as the basis for which we respect them as fellow image bearers in chapter 9, he missed a giant opportunity to talk about how Baptism restores God's image to us through Christ, who is the perfect image of God (Colossians 1:15). It's great to recognise the image of God in our fellow humans in how we treat them, but remember that we are post-Fall creatures; the image of God is broken in us. How does God restore this image in us and, furthermore, how does that fuel how we love our neighbour? The answer is Baptism. A discussion on the imago Dei is incomplete when it leaves out Baptism, whether done intentionally or in ignorance. I by no means expected a Sacramentarian to use sacramental language, but it cannot be ignored that there were just so many missed opportunities of bringing in what God does through the Gospel and His means of grace. It is true that God uses us as His means (i.e., stewards) by which we make disciples (just as Christ called His disciples to baptise and teach in Matthew 28:18-20), but we are not the means of grace; these properly belong to God's Word and Sacraments.
The biggest problem in the book is that there's more of Jesus as model than Jesus as Saviour. A stark example of this is on page 268 where Stetzer says that "denying ourselves something we have a right to for the betterment of another... is what Jesus modeled for us in his incarnation and death." His cross is a model rather than the altar of His atonement. How far can we push this model paradigm? If you really want to model Jesus, you should be crucified! He does talk about Jesus as our Saviour, specifically saving us from God's outrage (His wrath), but that's not until the end of the book and by then it's too late to be redeemable in this respect. Better to bathe the entire book in soteriology than to save it until the end, especially because it highlights so many of our failures, that is, our sins. Jesus as Saviour is mentioned here and there, but only as an afterthought.
The problem with Jesus as model is that we can never live up to Him. His example becomes another Law rather than His incarnation being the Gospel, i.e., what He did for us in His life, death, and resurrection, and continues to do in His ascension; which is ironic when Stetzer extols a "Gospel-shaped worldview" and "online activity aligned with Gospel mission." We cannot live up to the expectations of the Law. Jesus fulfilled it on our behalf (Matthew 5:17). So, how can we expect to live up to the one who fulfilled the Law? Does Jesus show us what love looks like, specifically God's love? Absolutely. Is that a model for our behaviour? Well, yes and no. His love does leave us an example (1 Peter 2:21-23), but it's not one we can fully live up to, His example is not all He is, and that's not the telos of His love. Christ is God's display and fulfilment of His love for us. Is sanctification (or "the indwelling of the Holy Spirit") becoming more like Jesus? Yes. Is it our work? No; it is God's work.
Again, I like most of what Stetzer writes in the book. My main gripe though is that he calls it Gospel when, strictly speaking, it is the 3rd use of the Law. A stark example of this is also on page 268 when he says "Jesus calls us, as his missionaries of grace, to go further than even lex talionis [the law of revenge in Exodus 21:22-25] requires" in the Sermon on the Mount. This is problematic because missionaries of grace implies the Gospel, but the Sermon on the Mount is Law! Yes, Jesus does make the Law harsher in His sermon, but this is not grace; this is Law! All the uses of the Law are in vogue in Jesus' sermon, but insofar as Jesus is telling us how to live as His blessed people in the world (the preface of the Beatitudes), this is the 3rd use of the Law. In short, this is the Law as a guide. It means we don't have to do the Law, but because we've been freed from the Law and our sin by the Gospel, we get to do the Law for the sake of our neighbour who needs our good works. In other words, the Law tells us how to live holy lives as Christ's redeemed people. It does not merit salvation; it simply tells us how to live in the world, which is largely what this book is about in a world filled with outrage.
Since the book largely addresses how we conduct ourselves online as Christians, I recently posted a photo on Instagram (which directly posted it on Facebook as well) of my brief review on Gerhard Forde's Theology Is for Proclamation. If you're not familiar with Forde, mention of this Lutheran theologian often leads to heated debates among Lutherans. He denies the vicarious and substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross, both of which are foundational to Lutheran soteriology. So, the question becomes: should we bother reading anything else by him because of this error? Likewise, then, should you read Christians in the Age of Outrage and anything else by Stetzer despite his own errors? My Facebook post inspired others to comment on it, some in favour of Forde, others not. All recognised his shortcomings on the atonement, however. It was a cordial discussion, and I'm still friends with everyone. I'll leave you with my concluding thought on the post, albeit revised: No matter the theologian, we always need to read through a certain filter (for us it's a Lutheran filter—a cross-shaped one!). But when it requires too many filters, it's best not to read them.
With that in mind, I do encourage all Lutherans to read this book as it is through a Lutheran lens to see our own failings in how we have contributed to the culture of outrage rather than extending the hand of Christ's grace to outraged people in dire need of Him. As I read the book, the entire time I couldn't help but think how we Lutherans excel in contributing to the culture of outrage. This is problematic, so Lutherans can benefit largely from this book despite some of its shortcomings. I might have a lot of critiques (and you might think I'm outraging, but I'm just passionate), but I did learn a lot and it even helped me with an adult Bible study I'm teaching on 1 John, which is a great epistle to read and study in an age of outrage. I commend Stetzer for having the fortitude to call out outraged people—Christian and non-Christian alike—in their sinful anger. It helped me realise some of my own sins, encouraged me to be a better pastor, and to teach my people better. I pray it is of similar benefit to you should you choose to purchase your own copy.
March 24, 2021
This is a must read!
January 29, 2020
I have tried to stay out of the outrage that is happening in our world today. Occasionally, I will post something on social media - very carefully. I don't want to throw gasoline on the fire. However, that does not mean that I don't think about what others are saying, doing, accusing, etc. And I do get outraged. Sitting in my chair.
I loved that Ed talked about those feelings. The culture. We are OK to be in disagreement with what people are saying. However, he provides a handbook on how we should and should not react. This book is very helpful in many ways, including reacting to social media.
I highly recommend reading this book. Don't think you'll get off lightly. He confronts the lies we tell ourselves to justify our behavior. Then, he gives practical ways to continue our true mission of loving the world as God loves to bring them into the Truth.
I loved that Ed talked about those feelings. The culture. We are OK to be in disagreement with what people are saying. However, he provides a handbook on how we should and should not react. This book is very helpful in many ways, including reacting to social media.
I highly recommend reading this book. Don't think you'll get off lightly. He confronts the lies we tell ourselves to justify our behavior. Then, he gives practical ways to continue our true mission of loving the world as God loves to bring them into the Truth.
June 4, 2021
I was not sure I was going to like this book. Given our current times, I was first attracted by the title. I was not familiar with the author but WAS familiar with the Billy Graham Foundation and did respect Billy Graham but not such a fan of his son Franklin. I feared a great deal of fundamental Christianity, but was pleasantly surprised at how, in fairness, Stetzer pointed out at the fact that evangelicals often were the source of the outrage and the politization of religion. ANYWAY, I found that his approach to the outrage currently existing in our country as refreshing and reasonable. WE Christians have a mission in this "foreign" land, that is, we are to express the love, compassion, empathy, and sense of "neighborliness" we are to express to our fellow citizens as exemplified by our example, Jesus the Christ. focusing on him and his actions in his world is the perfect exemplar to what we IN OUR WORLD should be doing. a good and thoughtful-provoking read.
May 10, 2020
For the first half or so i really was not feeling this book and was going to rate it 2 stars. Parts of it I disagreed with, some parts made me angry,some suggestions seemed silly, but mostly I felt like a lot of the suggestions in the first half were just super generic, to be less easily outraged read your bible more, pray more because its hard to be outraged at someone you're praying for (really?), fast, read christian books especially christian history, be discipled by a live person, serve in your community. All fine suggestions but just seemed like they would fit in a christian book about almost anything and were not that helpful in not becoming livid the next time someone posted something inflammatory on social media.
It got more helpful and went into when to engage with people you disagree with in dialogue, when to just listen and when to just leave it alone both in person and in social media contexts. I also liked the way he talked about what it means to really love your neighbor and to be a neighbor... and the difference between that and the attitude of love your neighbor but hate the sin. Most of the examples in the book were really interesting. All in all its worth a read or a listen.
It got more helpful and went into when to engage with people you disagree with in dialogue, when to just listen and when to just leave it alone both in person and in social media contexts. I also liked the way he talked about what it means to really love your neighbor and to be a neighbor... and the difference between that and the attitude of love your neighbor but hate the sin. Most of the examples in the book were really interesting. All in all its worth a read or a listen.
April 17, 2019
The first few chapters are frustrating, as it looks like it's going to be another book on why you're not a Christian. Stetzer quotes damning statistics about Christians in America, but attempts to dismiss them by saying that many people who self identify as Christians do so out of cultural convenience. They are not, according to him, Christians, because they do not believe or act the way that he believes Christians should act.
He does acknowledge the No True Scotsman fallacy near the end of chapter 3, ironically, claiming that we can't dismiss other Christians as non-Christian because they don't believe or act the way we believe a Christian should. What follows is a FANTASTIC book about the pragmatics of engaging with believers and non-believers, on and offline, religiously, politically and socially. If only he had dropped the dismissive first 3 chapters, it would've been a great book!
He does acknowledge the No True Scotsman fallacy near the end of chapter 3, ironically, claiming that we can't dismiss other Christians as non-Christian because they don't believe or act the way we believe a Christian should. What follows is a FANTASTIC book about the pragmatics of engaging with believers and non-believers, on and offline, religiously, politically and socially. If only he had dropped the dismissive first 3 chapters, it would've been a great book!
March 13, 2019
I have thought of a lot of the things in this book before but it was a good reminder on why it is important to not become outraged - spreading the Gospel for a Christian has to be the most important thing. So, I was going to give this 4 stars until I got to the point where the author threw in a comment about the election in the US and Russian involvement. To me that comment negated a lot of what the author had just preached. IMO something that just adds fuel to the fire of outrage is the when people throw political flags into arenas they don't belong. The author didn't need the comment in there, there was no purpose for it. He did a good job preaching and then did something he preached against. So, that was why it became a 3 star book for me.
Lots of good information in here still though and worth the read.
Lots of good information in here still though and worth the read.
August 26, 2020
I wanted to love this book.
I think he has some good points.
There were a few things he said that I felt were contradictory. Stand up; only stand up like this. Be vocal: only be vocal about issues that I think we should be standing up about.
Only Christ is the answer, but let’s talk about some smaller issues that I think we should spend a chapter on.
Also, it’s long— too long.
I think he has some good points.
There were a few things he said that I felt were contradictory. Stand up; only stand up like this. Be vocal: only be vocal about issues that I think we should be standing up about.
Only Christ is the answer, but let’s talk about some smaller issues that I think we should spend a chapter on.
Also, it’s long— too long.
November 14, 2018
For the record, I obtained this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
When I studied James and took a long hard look at the passages on controlling the tongue, I couldn’t help realizing that the way Christians interact with each other in person and on-line often falls short of the high standard presented by James. It was very convicting, especially in the context of social media. While I have had some very productive and mutually agreeable interactions and discussions, I have also had some moments when I let my anger get the best of me, usually in the context of politics. So, I have since kept my eye out for books that might offer suggestions on managing the tongue (and the typing fingers) and was thrilled to get a copy of this book. While I have some criticisms of its content and don’t necessarily agree with everything the author suggests, I have found the book to be insightful and profitable for Christian growth.
As should be obvious from the title, the target audience is Christians, especially those in the United States. The author has rightly noted that we Christians have become frustrated with our waning influence over our culture and political system, a frustration that often manifests itself in outrage, ranting over issues increasingly beyond our control that affect our lives. I remember being amused at the people who assembled on the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s election to the presidency to scream at the sky. In recent years I have seen plenty of screaming on my social media feed over from Christian conservatives like myself, Christians who should be able to constructively air their disagreements without doing so in an unchristian manner. So, I think the author has a legitimate criticism.
The author also notes that Christians often look to political power to protect them, and I am inclined to agree with him. For example, consider the 2016 presidential campaign, which pitted Donald Trump, a very ungodly man known for unchristian conduct who reached out to Christians, against Hillary Clinton, an ungodly woman whose platform would likely continue President Obama’s policies that empowered those who were trying to force Christians to choose between their livelihoods and practicing their professions consistent with their Christian beliefs. Given that a conservative Supreme Court justice had just died, and Donald Trump had promised to replace him with a conservative, many Christians held their noses and supported him, contributing to his victory, and he has pursued policies favorable to Christians. Although I didn’t want Clinton to become president, I chose not to vote for Trump on account of his character, but am completely sympathetic to those who chose to do so. They didn’t want a Clinton presidency, and the only way to avoid it was to vote for Trump. The principle of sowing and reaping has never changed. That said, there is a difference between supporting a certain political candidate or party because you think it will do the most good and putting your hope in them to save you. When Donald Trump was elected president, I saw it as nothing more than a temporary reprieve from political changes that are increasingly adverse to Christians, an opportunity to build up my faith and that of others for the hard testing that is sure to follow. So, I agree with the author. Don’t put your faith in politicians or political power. Such is more likely than not a broken reed that will wound the hand that leans on it.
Although I found much to agree with and benefit from in this book (and there is a lot more content than I have discussed above), I did find something to criticize. All his criticism seems pointed at the Christian right. As noted above, the conduct of the Christian right too often less than praiseworthy and unworthy of its Lord and Savior. However, my social media feed includes members of the Christian left, as well, and I haven’t been impressed with their conduct either. Furthermore, I have seen on-line opinion pieces characterizing as idolatry such things as supporting Trump or standing when the national anthem is being played. Not too long ago, a Christian coworker was talking about Trump supporters with such a condescending tone that I actually envisioned him as a Pharisee in the temple thanking God that he wasn’t like one of these Trump supporters (see Lk. 18:9-14). Whenever I see such things, I can’t help but notice that whatever stands their political opponents are taking seem to be idolatrous, and whatever stands they are taking are always the epitome of righteousness. How convenient! Although this may simply reflect my cynicism, I envision Christian leftists reading this book and its strong criticism of the Christian right only to conclude that they are the guests of honor at the I’m-ok-you’re-not-ok corral. They need to recalibrate their values to Christ just as much as the Christian right does.
Aside from the above criticism, I enjoyed the book and hope to be a better Christian influence on account of its suggestions.
When I studied James and took a long hard look at the passages on controlling the tongue, I couldn’t help realizing that the way Christians interact with each other in person and on-line often falls short of the high standard presented by James. It was very convicting, especially in the context of social media. While I have had some very productive and mutually agreeable interactions and discussions, I have also had some moments when I let my anger get the best of me, usually in the context of politics. So, I have since kept my eye out for books that might offer suggestions on managing the tongue (and the typing fingers) and was thrilled to get a copy of this book. While I have some criticisms of its content and don’t necessarily agree with everything the author suggests, I have found the book to be insightful and profitable for Christian growth.
As should be obvious from the title, the target audience is Christians, especially those in the United States. The author has rightly noted that we Christians have become frustrated with our waning influence over our culture and political system, a frustration that often manifests itself in outrage, ranting over issues increasingly beyond our control that affect our lives. I remember being amused at the people who assembled on the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s election to the presidency to scream at the sky. In recent years I have seen plenty of screaming on my social media feed over from Christian conservatives like myself, Christians who should be able to constructively air their disagreements without doing so in an unchristian manner. So, I think the author has a legitimate criticism.
The author also notes that Christians often look to political power to protect them, and I am inclined to agree with him. For example, consider the 2016 presidential campaign, which pitted Donald Trump, a very ungodly man known for unchristian conduct who reached out to Christians, against Hillary Clinton, an ungodly woman whose platform would likely continue President Obama’s policies that empowered those who were trying to force Christians to choose between their livelihoods and practicing their professions consistent with their Christian beliefs. Given that a conservative Supreme Court justice had just died, and Donald Trump had promised to replace him with a conservative, many Christians held their noses and supported him, contributing to his victory, and he has pursued policies favorable to Christians. Although I didn’t want Clinton to become president, I chose not to vote for Trump on account of his character, but am completely sympathetic to those who chose to do so. They didn’t want a Clinton presidency, and the only way to avoid it was to vote for Trump. The principle of sowing and reaping has never changed. That said, there is a difference between supporting a certain political candidate or party because you think it will do the most good and putting your hope in them to save you. When Donald Trump was elected president, I saw it as nothing more than a temporary reprieve from political changes that are increasingly adverse to Christians, an opportunity to build up my faith and that of others for the hard testing that is sure to follow. So, I agree with the author. Don’t put your faith in politicians or political power. Such is more likely than not a broken reed that will wound the hand that leans on it.
Although I found much to agree with and benefit from in this book (and there is a lot more content than I have discussed above), I did find something to criticize. All his criticism seems pointed at the Christian right. As noted above, the conduct of the Christian right too often less than praiseworthy and unworthy of its Lord and Savior. However, my social media feed includes members of the Christian left, as well, and I haven’t been impressed with their conduct either. Furthermore, I have seen on-line opinion pieces characterizing as idolatry such things as supporting Trump or standing when the national anthem is being played. Not too long ago, a Christian coworker was talking about Trump supporters with such a condescending tone that I actually envisioned him as a Pharisee in the temple thanking God that he wasn’t like one of these Trump supporters (see Lk. 18:9-14). Whenever I see such things, I can’t help but notice that whatever stands their political opponents are taking seem to be idolatrous, and whatever stands they are taking are always the epitome of righteousness. How convenient! Although this may simply reflect my cynicism, I envision Christian leftists reading this book and its strong criticism of the Christian right only to conclude that they are the guests of honor at the I’m-ok-you’re-not-ok corral. They need to recalibrate their values to Christ just as much as the Christian right does.
Aside from the above criticism, I enjoyed the book and hope to be a better Christian influence on account of its suggestions.
December 9, 2018
Ed Stetzer is someone I pray for and admire. A minister who provides an important voice of reason in his blogs, I've been pleased to see him strike for balance and integrity among conservative Christians. This book's plea for rational, compassionate discussions on subjects upon which we disagree was lovely in many ways but I found it lacking in several key factors.
For example, in the chapter Christians Are the Worst! Ed speaks of divorce rate in the bible belt and offers a truly dizzying array of reasons why this is the case. There is a higher rate of marriage and therefore a higher rate of divorce. (That's not how statistics are calculated, but I'll let that slide.) Next up is that people in the bible belt marry younger and have more financial difficulties, which is a zero excuse factor for divorce when applied to Christians. Jesus didn't say, "Follow me - when it works but don't sweat it if it's a problem for you." So, nope, sorry if Christians divorce because they marry younger or have financial trouble, they are still divorcing and it is still a problem. Then comes the subject of "Nones in disguise". His argument seems to be they aren't really us, therefore we can't really be held accountable for them. Here is his tight rope walk on the issue:
Christians cannot blame nominal believers as a way to avoid dealing with the very real and destructive contributions we have made to the age of outrage. On the other hand, we must reject the cultural narrative that says Christians are responsible for every self-identifying Christian with nothing but a nominal faith.
Two big issues here: Does the bible really teach that there are nominal believers? I would be interested to see the scripture on this. Living the Christian life can be difficult, if there's an easy way out that actually works I'd love to read about it. (No more forgiving people who bug me! Bliss!)
The second issue is, we aren't being judged for some random couple from Alabama mouthing off. The idea that non-Christians are so unreasonable that they are pulling strays from obscure areas and demanding that we explain XYZ opinion held by that questionable soul is ludicrous. When you hear calls of hypocrisy from the masses it is almost always because prominent Christians will say something like "character matters" when looking at someone who doesn't hold their political opinion but will suddenly find grace when a truly deplorable person agrees with them on something political. Case in point is Donald Trump: Cheats on his wives, divorced three times, pays off porn stars and appears in Playboy videos. Lauded over Jimmy Carter, married for decades to one women, teaches Sunday school, never cheated on anything. Prominent Christian voices like Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr., the very men complaining of the character of other candidates, say Trump is a "blessing" to the church. So no, please let's not pretend those calls of hypocrisy are being made because some "nominal" believer stumbled. Let's be honest and say we have a real hypocrisy issue in our church. And clearly, a discipleship issue as well if we find ourselves dealing with a lot of "nominals"!
I think the book also didn't deal with the clear issue of church discipline. Perhaps there is a copy being distributed to pastors and church congress dealing with that but the fact is that for too long the church has taken a very lenient tone to the sinners among ourselves and saved our outrage for the those outside the church, in clear contradiction to the teaching of 1 Corinthians 5.It is all well and good to be nice to each other but it does us little benefit if that niceness includes ignoring the danger and reality of sin. Some Christians hold views that are dangerous, merely backing away and saying, "Be blessed" has had them taking over our fellowships. I recommend reading books like When Sheep Attack by Dennis R. Maynard or Antagonists in the Church by Kenneth C. Haugk which deal with the reality of churches/church members finding themselves on the wrong end of bad Christians. The idea of right and wrong is a core belief of our faith, why are we so reluctant to deal with it in our bodies?
The author's overall message is a positive and important one but the book contains some fatal flaws that kept it from being very helpful to this Christian.
For example, in the chapter Christians Are the Worst! Ed speaks of divorce rate in the bible belt and offers a truly dizzying array of reasons why this is the case. There is a higher rate of marriage and therefore a higher rate of divorce. (That's not how statistics are calculated, but I'll let that slide.) Next up is that people in the bible belt marry younger and have more financial difficulties, which is a zero excuse factor for divorce when applied to Christians. Jesus didn't say, "Follow me - when it works but don't sweat it if it's a problem for you." So, nope, sorry if Christians divorce because they marry younger or have financial trouble, they are still divorcing and it is still a problem. Then comes the subject of "Nones in disguise". His argument seems to be they aren't really us, therefore we can't really be held accountable for them. Here is his tight rope walk on the issue:
Christians cannot blame nominal believers as a way to avoid dealing with the very real and destructive contributions we have made to the age of outrage. On the other hand, we must reject the cultural narrative that says Christians are responsible for every self-identifying Christian with nothing but a nominal faith.
Two big issues here: Does the bible really teach that there are nominal believers? I would be interested to see the scripture on this. Living the Christian life can be difficult, if there's an easy way out that actually works I'd love to read about it. (No more forgiving people who bug me! Bliss!)
The second issue is, we aren't being judged for some random couple from Alabama mouthing off. The idea that non-Christians are so unreasonable that they are pulling strays from obscure areas and demanding that we explain XYZ opinion held by that questionable soul is ludicrous. When you hear calls of hypocrisy from the masses it is almost always because prominent Christians will say something like "character matters" when looking at someone who doesn't hold their political opinion but will suddenly find grace when a truly deplorable person agrees with them on something political. Case in point is Donald Trump: Cheats on his wives, divorced three times, pays off porn stars and appears in Playboy videos. Lauded over Jimmy Carter, married for decades to one women, teaches Sunday school, never cheated on anything. Prominent Christian voices like Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr., the very men complaining of the character of other candidates, say Trump is a "blessing" to the church. So no, please let's not pretend those calls of hypocrisy are being made because some "nominal" believer stumbled. Let's be honest and say we have a real hypocrisy issue in our church. And clearly, a discipleship issue as well if we find ourselves dealing with a lot of "nominals"!
I think the book also didn't deal with the clear issue of church discipline. Perhaps there is a copy being distributed to pastors and church congress dealing with that but the fact is that for too long the church has taken a very lenient tone to the sinners among ourselves and saved our outrage for the those outside the church, in clear contradiction to the teaching of 1 Corinthians 5.It is all well and good to be nice to each other but it does us little benefit if that niceness includes ignoring the danger and reality of sin. Some Christians hold views that are dangerous, merely backing away and saying, "Be blessed" has had them taking over our fellowships. I recommend reading books like When Sheep Attack by Dennis R. Maynard or Antagonists in the Church by Kenneth C. Haugk which deal with the reality of churches/church members finding themselves on the wrong end of bad Christians. The idea of right and wrong is a core belief of our faith, why are we so reluctant to deal with it in our bodies?
The author's overall message is a positive and important one but the book contains some fatal flaws that kept it from being very helpful to this Christian.
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