Christians in the Age of Outrage
How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst
-
-
4.1 • 7 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Stetzer (Planting Missional Churches), executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, offers an expansive and articulate take on how present-day American Christians can effectively live as representatives of the gospel message. He begins with an outline of factors that have created what he calls a climate of outrage; primarily, he believes an extreme polarization of American society has occurred due to the unprecedented advancement of technology. He then unpacks four commonly held (though false) beliefs that deepen anger and contribute to further division: Christians are the worst-behaved and most offensive group of Americans; one's personal outrage is righteous; a political candidate or social cause will be the ultimate answer to one's problems; and mission is optional. In addressing each, Stetzer proposes methods by which evangelicals can counteract the outrage in their lives, such as refocusing on scripture and giving oneself up to God's plan. His most helpful and elegant sections speak to the hard work of "worldview formation," the development of an identity as an ambassador of the "kingdom of God," and his concept of "winsome" love (curious, youthful loving). This will serve as an excellent foundation for pastors and ministry leaders looking to address the current cultural moment.
