Simon Cox Blog: Why I Wrote ‘Christians in an Age of Outrage’

Tuesday, 2 October 2018

Why I Wrote ‘Christians in an Age of Outrage’

I want to help Christians engage an outraged world with discernment and wisdom, seeing the world as the mission field to which God has called us.

Nearly a year ago this week I started writing a book.

In Fall 2017, it seemed like the world was on fire. Everywhere I looked, I saw anger—anger towards Christians, anger by Christians, anger by Christians towards Christians. People whom I respected as voices of patience and forbearance were being ignored or sucked into the hostility.

Everyone was intimately aware of how others were being angry towards them or their community, but shockingly ignorant of how they were displaying the same level of vitriol towards others.

What I realized as I was researching and writing was that this was a discipleship problem.

We are entering a new age—one defined by polarization and tribalism amplified by new technology and online platforms. As disorienting as this is for Christian leaders, this pales in comparison to those in the pew struggling to make sense of how to live, follow Christ, and witness.

Too often, sermons and small groups curriculum are leading Christians to engage a world that no longer exists. As a result, Christians can frequently be the greatest sources of outrage rather than its counter.

As I wrote, this became the central theme of the book. In the introduction to my new book, Christians in the Age of Outrage, I write,

This is a book about outrage. It’s an acknowledgment that our world, or at least our part of it, seems awash in anger, division, and hostility. Outrage is all around, so we have to decide how to walk through this. We are living in a day— and this is indeed our moment— when we need to live like Christ, as gospel Christians in the midst of shouting, anger, and hatred. And it’s going to get worse. To be sure, there is a lot in this world that is outrage inducing.Terrorism, sex ...