You have heard that it was said, “You shall not murder.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or a sister, you will be liable to judgment.  –Matthew 5: 21-22–

A soft answer turns away wrath.  But grievous words stir up anger.  –Proverbs 15:1–

During one of our Wednesday night meals, a few years ago, I was talking with Priscilla Weaver. I mentioned that songs of all kinds used to be something that we had in common in our society. For example, just about everybody knew and could hum the song “Yesterday” by the Beatles, or “Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra. We had certain popular songs in common. In a way we were united by our popular music. I said to Priscilla, “Sadly, it is no longer true that popular music unites large groups of people. Priscilla’s response was good food for thought.

She said, “The only thing that unites us, today, is outrage.” “Outrage” is what unites us. The things that have us hopping mad unite us. The rage we feel brings us together. We are united in our fundamental “anger” at the world.

Turn on talk radio and you will hear “outrage”. Turn on most of the cable news channels and you will hear “outrage”. Click into your Facebook account and you will see “outrage”. We have become a very angry society.

The wisdom parts of the Old Testament and Jesus have things to say about “anger”. Anger can hurt us. Anger can do untold damage to us and to our children. When I went to vote in the past Presidential election, anger was in the air. I think it is safe to say that the average voter had a feeling of sheer outrage as he or she went to the voting booth.
When I was a child, my mother frequently quoted from Proverbs, chapter 15: “A soft answer turns away wrath.” My mom must have quoted that verse to me a thousand times in my childhood. There is some great wisdom in that little verse. Perhaps our nation needs to learn how to give a “soft answer” in the midst of turmoil and trouble. We can imagine how that little verse plays out in reality if we think of the work of people like Martin Luther King Junior and Gandhi in the nation of India. “A soft answer turns away wrath.” And sometimes it can move entire nations toward a more just society.

Of course, we Christians think of Jesus. Jesus had a lot to say about how a more gentle treatment of our opponents can create peace and serve the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, when someone strikes you on one cheek, turn the other cheek toward that person. Do not retaliate! Do not fight fire with fire! (Matthew 5:39)
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapter 5) Jesus equates “anger” with “murder”. And I don’t believe he only meant to say that murder comes from anger that has built up. No. I think Jesus is telling us that intense anger directed against others, physically or verbally, is a form of murder all by itself. Anger is a type of murder.

Jesus always invites us to dive deep below the surface of our lives and of ourselves. In equating anger with murder Jesus is telling us to look deep within our own hearts. Murder, like love begins in the heart. Our words of anger can destroy people around us.

A Christian writer–named Dallas Willard–wrote that anger is a form of self-righteousness. That is an intriguing thought. Anger is a form of self-righteousness. We are usually feeling superior to others when we are expressing anger at them. If you don’t believe that, consider how people seem to feel when they are shouting angrily at other drivers on the road. Think about the anger expressed in the press, on Facebook, and on Twitter. It usually looks like the angry folks are saying: “I’m smarter than you! I’m more correct than you! I have more insight than you!” In short, “I’m better than you who disagree with me!” Anger is a form of self-righteousness. Dallas Willard puts it this way: “Anger always has about it an element of self-righteousness and vanity. It relates to the wounded ego.” Willard says we “cultivate anger and embrace” it because we feel the need to protect our own ego.

We not only cultivate anger like a garden; we store it up like a car battery. We keep the battery of anger charged up and ready to run our engines.
What’s the answer? How can our tendency toward anger be assuaged? How can we keep from falling victim to the infection of anger? There are no easy answers. I have two beginning suggestions.

First, admit it. Admit your anger and name it. It’s an honest move. You can name it and then think about where it’s coming from and how you are using it. “Is it tied up with my ego somehow? Am I being silly in this spurt of anger? How and in what ways is my anger a form of self righteousness? How is it an expression of the idea that “I am better than they are.” or “I am smarter than they.”? How does my anger express the idea that “I know better than they know.”?

Second, after you have admitted it and named it, pray about it. Slow down; take a deep breath and pray. Pray for wisdom. Pray for humility. Pray for guidance in addressing those with whom you disagree. Part of prayer is contemplation. Sit for a moment and look to Jesus. Imagine Jesus sitting with you and walking with you. How would Jesus be responding to the people who make you angry? It’s probably good to remember that Jesus would love them just as he loves you. That doesn’t mean you never disagree. It doesn’t mean you withhold truth as you see truth. But, it does mean you ponder and think before you speak.

When you are angry, please think about these things. Think and pray.

In the peace of Christ,
Pastor Larry

February 2017

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment…”   –Romans 12:3–

Lake Wobegon is the fictional little town made famous by the writer Garrison Keillor. Keillor describes Lake Wobegon as the village “where all the men are strong, all the women are good looking, and all the children are above average.”

A college professor named David Myers coined a term based on Lake Wobegon’s fictional reputation. Myers coined “The Lake Wobegon Effect”. The Lake Wobegon Effect refers to a person’s natural tendency to overestimate his/her capabilities. Professor Myers applied this term to any community or group who see themselves as “exceptional”. I imagine the term “American Exceptionalism” fits this description.

The Lake Wobegon Effect has also been called “Illusory Superiority” and “The Overconfidence Effect”. The definition given in those cases, is as follows: “A cognitive bias whereby individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities.”

Psychologists have labeled this as one of many “positive illusions”. Positive, because we need some sense of high self esteem in order to survive and thrive in the world.

Christians have long cherished the virtue of humility. Humility involves a refusal to overestimate ourselves, our talents, and our perspectives. The Apostle Paul was quoted at the beginning of this article. Paul tells the Roman Christians not to live lives based on false pride. Paul’s words can be misinterpreted.

Paul’s words, in Romans 12:3, have often been misread. Paul is not saying that we are without value. Paul is not denying that we are special, precious people. But Paul is saying that we have a tendency toward “The Lake Wobegon Effect”. We do tend to overestimate who we are in relation to other people.

My Ethics professor, in seminary, was James Burtness. Dr. Burtness was given to confronting people when he believed they needed to be confronted. He once told an overly self confident friend of mine: “Martin, somewhere along the way you have developed an opinion of yourself that is unwarranted.” Sometimes our self-concept needs to be challenged.

Scholars say that Paul’s words occur at a transition point in the Letter To The Romans”. Paul is beginning a section of the letter that is devoted to the formation of healthy community. This part of the letter takes seriously “our partnership in Christ”. We are not called to be lone rangers. We are called to function as one body, united by God’s grace.

We can take genuine pride in ourselves. We are, after all, created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). But our self-image can be destructive if it causes us to be less than charitable or makes it impossible for us to listen to the other person.

C.S. Lewis wrote:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself—but thinking of yourself less.”

The fine distinction Lewis makes is worthy of our attention. We don’t think less of ourselves; but we refuse to put ourselves at the center of all things.

I was told of these words of wisdom from a high school Biology teacher:

“Every organ in the body does its job—not for itself—but for the rest of the body.”

No wonder the Apostle Paul saw a relationship between our biological bodies and the Body of Christ, the community of the baptized. We are precious in the sight of God and we are called to function well for the sake of the rest of the Christian community.

The next time you are in a conversation–even having a disagreement–with a fellow Christian consider “The Lake Wobegon Effect” and ways it can be avoided—for the sake of the Body of Christ.

Pastor Larry

When I was a child there was a popular Baseball novel. It was titled “The Kid Who Batted A Thousand”. In thestory there was a baseball player who never struck out. He had a hit every time he came up to bat. He became known as “The Kid Who Batted A Thousand. He had a 1.000 batting average.

If you know anything about Baseball, then you know a .300 batting average is a very good average. A 1.000 batting average would be perfection, flawless. That was the problem in the story. By the end of the novel, the fans express hatred for “the kid who batted a thousand. The fans grow to hate this perfect player because people are bored by what we call “perfection”.

Imagine! If you experienced continual perfection life would be boring. I think about that when people apply categories of “perfection” to subjects like God, Heaven, and Ethics.

Perfection might not look like we think it looks. If it looked like we imagine it, then it would be boring.

Perfection, as we picture it, would make God, Heaven, and human Ethics simply boring. We would get sick of living in continual perfection 24/7 for eternity. Maybe, in this life, we need imperfection. Maybe we need flaws and mistakes.

The Amish make quilts. A little known fact about Amish quilts is that there is always an intentional flaw somewhere in each authentic Amish quilt. I wonder if the Amish are telling us that perfection, as we define it, is boring.

This leaves us with some thoughts to ponder:

Maybe “perfection”, as God defines it, is vastly different from our own definitions of perfection. Perhaps genuine perfection is different than we think it is. It is probable that we have never really experienced perfection. Therefore, we really have no idea what it would be like or look like.

It is interesting that we can make so many assumptions about something that we have never seen or experienced. We think we know things about perfection, absolutes, and eternity when we have no capacity for understanding these things with our limited, finite perceptions.

Is it possible that our imperfect grasp of perfection could open us to being truly surprised? Might we be completely surprised in this life and the next?

Why do we feel pressure to pretend we know what we will never know in this life? What would your life be like if you had permission to stop pretending?

The world, and the Church, would be better places if we realized God’s grace is also given to those who stop pretending so much.

Have a glorious summer, with all of its splendid imperfection!

Pastor Larry