ANGER AND INJUSTICE
WHAT ROLE DO EMOTIONS PLAY AS CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO INJUSTICE?
Key Facts
Angry individuals are more likely to support risky political policies. [1]
Emotional distress often leads to aggressive behavior. [2]
Negative emotions (sadness, anger, guilt, jealousy) are linked to a loss of impulse control as people often succumb to immediate temptations if there is a hope it will make them feel better. [3]
Key Scriptures
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
2 Peter 1:5-9 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Proverbs 29:11 “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm.”
Application
Increasingly, Christians are finding themselves responding to injustices being perpetrated both domestically and around the globe. These responses to injustice have relied on the use of emotion and logic to various extents. Some have even suggested people should employ their anger or indignation in reacting to a situation. This might lead Christians to ask what role emotions play in our response to injustice.
What Does the Bible Say?
Emotions are a natural and healthy response to seeing horrid injustices in the world. Anger and sadness are both emotions demonstrated by Jesus in the Bible. Jesus wept when Lazarus died (John 11:35). In this way, Jesus practically grieved with those who grieve (Rom. 12:15). This is an important response to injustice when people have been wronged. When they are hurting, Christians should allow themselves to bear the burdens of others (Gal. 6:2).
Jesus also demonstrated righteous anger in the face of corruption and hard hearts. Does this mean Jesus acted out of emotion? Jesus felt righteous anger toward sinful things (Mark 3:5), but His response to the injustice is always correct and wise. He did not get angry and sin, rather His anger in the face of injustice revealed the severity of the sin. His response was not reactive, but appropriate given the disrespect others were showing toward God. At this time, He spoke the Word of God and made it the center of His response (Matt. 21:13). Jesus’s anger was characteristic of righteous indignation toward sin. Christians can and should feel anger toward sin in the forms of injustice and corruption. However, this should not affect the sound mind by which they judge their own response to the problem, just as Jesus’s response was not sinful or rash.
Guided by the Spirit
While emotions are good, Christians should be guided by nothing other than the Holy Spirit as they respond to injustice. Tempering emotions does not mean we suppress, ignore, or rationalize emotions. It simply means that we do not allow emotions to control the actions we take moving forward. This is shown in a Christian experiencing extreme grief such as loss of a child. Their emotions are legitimate and they should be felt deeply. However, if they allow themselves to be guided by their emotions, it could lead to desperation, violence, or suicide. Some injustices will be felt very deeply by believers, but this pain should never lead to responses of desperation. Rather, respond with a sound mind recognizing one’s own emotions.
Sound Mind and Judgement
The Christian can reflect both sound judgment and proper compassion to injustices perpetrated in the world. 2 Timothy 1:7 teaches that Christians are to have both a spirit of love and of sound judgement. Our compassion and empathy can and should lead Christians to decide to respond to an injustice. However, how Christians respond should be based on truth in order to respond righteously. Judging situations and responses correctly can take time and effort, but without correct judgment, we will never achieve justice (John 7:21-24).
Christians also should be careful of being manipulated emotionally by those who hope to elicit certain responses (Matt. 10:16). If we allow ourselves to remain in anger, Ephesians 4:26-27 says that we will give the devil a foothold. When we are angry, our response to issues is compromised by our overriding emotions. When the response is compromised, the devil attempts to convince us of the wrong response. This is why our response to injustice should not be a result of guilt, sadness, or anger, but of a love for justice and respect for the image of God in others.
Conclusion
Worldly responses to injustice often rely on emotion to drive people to change. However, emotional reactions do not reflect a sound mind and sound judgement that believers are called to exhibit. A Christian’s response to injustice should be directed by the Holy Spirit, not our own emotions. Christians should allow themselves to feel emotions but remember that the correct actions in opposition to injustice are not brought about by emotional reactions, but by sound judgment and the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
[1] https://emotionresearcher.com/the-use-and-consequences-of-emotions-in-politics/
[2] Do Emotions Help or Hurt Decisionmaking?: A Hedgefoxian Perspective by Kathleen D. Vohs, Roy F. Baumeister, George Loewenstein, pg. 205.
[3] Do Emotions Help or Hurt Decisionmaking?: A Hedgefoxian Perspective by Kathleen D. Vohs, Roy F. Baumeister, George Loewenstein, pg. 213.