When it is right to be angry (Part 2)

It is written in the word of God,

"The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry."

"Be angry, but do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Do not give the devil an opportunity."

In part 1 (click here) I discussed an extreme scenario of a man or woman drowning a new born baby.  My main point was that our anger should be like God's anger; God hates evil and punishes evil, thus we should do the same when it is in our power.

Now, to be angry like God is angry, we must not be quickly or easily angered.  More specifically, we must not quickly or easily EXPRESS our anger.  In other words, in the extreme example of a new born being drowned, one should not be "patient."  The child is dying now, and we should be angry right now at the murderer.  Yet most of our experiences are not with murder, but with irritations or aggravations of people speaking or acting inconsiderately.  As American Christians, we seem to fear angry confrontations.  But Jesus never backed away from confronting those who opposed him.  He also gave a way to deal with a person who sins against you:

1. Confront him or her alone, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PEACE.
2. If the person won't apologize, bring two or three who are witnesses to the wrong doing.
3. If the person still won't apologize and change his or her behavior, then they are to be "ignored," or ostracized from the body of believers.  

Jesus' words were in the context of problems among believers.  Yet many problems are among those or with those who don't believe in Christ.  We are often "at war" with people at some point during our day. Though "war" is a strong word, in the book of James this is the word used to describe fights among those who don't get what they want:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. James 4:1-2

Thomas Aquinas gave three criteria for "just wars":

• First, war must occur for a good and just purpose rather than for self-gain (for example, "in the nation's interest" is not just) or as an exercise of power.
• Second, just war must be waged by a properly instituted authority such as the state.
• Third, peace must be a central motive even in the midst of violence.  

  
Though Aquinas spoke of war in the context of nations, I speak of them in the context of individuals in conflict with each other.  After all, nations are made up of individuals.  

Right now, for example, "my passions are at war within me!"  I am at the library.  I "desire and do not have" peace and quiet!  Indeed, I am in the "quiet section" of the library!  Yes, you read right.  Though on earth, we usually assume that THE ENTIRE LIBRARY is quiet, here in Key West, there must be a designated "quiet section."  Now in the "quiet section," AT LEAST, cell phones are to be turned off.  Yet twice a man's cell phone rings and he gets up and talks loudly about his plans for today...plans that are not MY concern.

Now, a "just war" in this situation would be for the just purpose of quiet in the "quiet section" of the library.  It is an assumption that in a public library there should be quiet, at least for sane Americans.  In other words, it's not just my "personal preference," but a rule of the library (an unnecessary rule since it should be assumed, but we've addressed that already.)  Now the "properly instituted authority" in this situation is the librarian (who has said NOTHING), and the deputy sheriff on duty at the library, who would back the librarian IF THE LIBRARIAN ADDRESSED THE TRANSGRESSOR, and if the transgressor refused to stop transgressing!

Finally, peace and quiet are indeed the central motive in the midst of the confrontation that SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!  In other words, the goal is not the love of confronting, but to RESTORE the peace and quiet that was experienced BEFORE the man answered his cell phone.  

Of course, the librarian may have ignored the man in hopes that he man would silence his phone thereafter.  Maybe the man meant to turn his phone off, or thought he turned it off.  This is where slowness to anger comes in.  Though I felt anger, I didn't know for sure that the man was deliberate in being inconsiderate, or if he was actually being inconsiderate at all!  Again, he may have been considerate by trying to turn off his phone and failing to do so.  

Therefore, slowness to anger would be slowness to make a judgment of the man's motives.  The librarian could have approached the man to make him aware of the rule.  After all, he may not have been aware.  And as I said, if he was aware, he may have made a mistake with his phone.  This fits Jesus' instructions on confrontation.  The librarian could've approached the man in private.  If the man apologized and turned his phone off, peace would have been restored.

But if he continued to let his phone ring, to answer, and talk loudly, then the deputy and the librarian should've addressed him.  If he STILL refused to turn off the phone, the library patrons all bore witness, and the man should have been banished!!

It is right to be angry with evil, whether extreme evil that requires immediate anger, or not so extreme evil in which there should be slowness of angry expression.  The goal is the love of peace and not the love of confrontation.  The degree of anger and way to be angry depends on the act of justice necessary to stop injustice.    We should not sin in our anger, but stop sin with and through our anger.

Be angry, but do not sin.
Peace be with you.