The Costs of Anger
A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
Abington Presbyterian Church
September 3, 2006

James 1: 17 - 27
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.*

An "anger venting club" was recently started in the Shenyang, China. The idea behind the club is to provide people with a legitimate place where they can vent their anger. At the club they can hit models of people, smash pots and pans, and scream and shout. One customer, Mr Zhao, a 30 year old, visited the club twice. He said white collar workers at his age had to bear enormous pressure, and occasionally visiting the anger venting club would bring him a cheerful mood. Today we often grouse about all the imports from China. Can we expect something like this? There is certainly a market for it. We live in an angry society. There is a rage that burns under the surface of many lives and that rage is not without its consequences.

The book of James contains this admonition: "let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness." Anger, from a biblical perspective, is a destructive force. Sure, we read about the anger of God, or that Jesus was angry with the money changers, but throughout the bible, there is a universal warning to human beings about becoming angry. Even the proscription from Ephesians 4: "Be angry but do not sin" implies that anger has a way of controlling one's life and it is destructive.

This morning I would like to examine two things: First, the costs of anger. Then I will look at James' advice because I believe that it is the foundation for a healthy Christian life in an age of rage.

I

Most of us are aware of some of the costs of anger. In Houston, Texas, there is a man serving a ten year sentence for manslaughter. He got mad at a driver who cut him off and so he chased that car, causing it to go into the ditch, killing the driver. How many times do we learn about the destructive behavior that results from people's anger, including murder and vandalism? But often we do not consider the costs of anger to the one who is angry. The costs are extremely high. The physical costs of anger include a shortened life. Anger will raise blood pressure, often to dangerously high levels. It is also the source of headaches, ulcers, bowel problems, respiratory ills, skin flare-ups, lowered immunity to colds and other viruses, a constant feeling of tiredness and exhaustion, and heart attacks.

Anger causes people to seek comfort in potentially unhealthy behaviors including bingeing on junk foods, drinking too much, alcohol, smoking, using drugs and of course, the couch potato syndrome.

There are also social implications for the angry person. Anger will disrupt and destroy relationships. People do not like being around an angry person and consequently people who are chronically angry become isolated. They may have acquaintances, but few, if any friends. Colleagues and others at work will isolate the angry individual. People do not want to be hurt or verbally assaulted by someone who becomes easily angered. Employees who cannot control their anger or who have a "low boiling point" create a workplace that is filled with confrontations and sour work relationships. One angry episode has a way of destroying a dozen constructive contributions.

Finally, there are the spiritual costs of anger. Studies have shown that anger reduces creativity. Anger, directed at a problem or individual, has a way of hyper focusing on the cause of the anger and seldom seeks a solution. It also produces "binary thinking", or black/white thinking. The angry person always believes that he or she is right....always. This type of thinking leads to depression, melancholia, and isolation. There is a spiritual cost to anger because we were created to live with others and anger destroys relationships. But perhaps, most importantly, anger is absolutely graceless. The gospel proclaims the grace of God. Anger is the antithesis of that proclamation, and that is why it is a problem.

II

What to do with anger? Two conventional ideas that we often hear are garbage. The first is "stuff it". It doesn't work. It has a way of leaking out and often the anger becomes directed at innocent parties. It doesn't work. The other is "Vent your anger." We hear people say, "you should vent your anger." You might remember the scene from "Analyze This" where the therapist, Billy Crystal suggests that the mobster played by Robert DeNiro hit a pillow to vent his anger. DeNiro pulls out a gun and blasts the pillow and he feels better. The studies on venting, however, are fascinating and reveal just the opposite. What they reveal is this... venting anger usually produces more anger. The person who vents his or her anger by physically beating on a pillow is more likely to beat on another person. The person who verbally vents his or her anger, usually experiences a rise in anger rather than a dissipation. Those who "vent" their anger are also more likely to act aggressively.

III

There has to be a better way and that is what James suggests. There are three components to his advice. 1. Be quick to listen. 2. Be slow to speak. 3. Be slow to anger.

Be quick to listen. One needs to listen for two things. First, listen to what is making you angry. Listen! Don't merely hear, listen. Listening is active and it means putting yourselves in another’s situation and appreciating and understanding it. It means pondering and understanding not only what they are saying, but the context from which they are speaking or behaving. “Be quick to listen.” It is good practical advice. We hear a lot of things, but we listen to very little. We also need to listen to ourselves. We need to listen to our own inner talk and what messages we are giving ourselves that make us feel and respond the way we do. Anger comes from within, even though we usually blame it on someone or something external. We need to listen to our bodies when the tense up and when our neck face flush. What is it saying? Be quick to listen!

Second. Be slow to speak. Anger is a reptilian response. Like a snake, it lashes out to protect itself. Be slow to speak tempers that reptilian response that verbally bites the head off of someone. Be slow to speak... is also related to the first because few of us can speak and genuinely listen. Curb your tongue.

Last, be slow to anger. That is easy for you to say! Something more is needed. Martin Luther referred to the book of James as "So Much Straw". He felt that there was too much emphasis on works and little on grace. I believe that behind James' words is the assumption of grace. One cannot be slow to anger without understanding and embodying the Grace of Jesus Christ. I believe that we live in an ungracious society. We don't forgive. We don't try to understand. We gunnysack all our little grudges. We get angry and mad and we do stupid destructive things... we do it as individuals, as groups, as churches, as communities and as nations. There is a better way, and that is the grace of Christ. Grace is the unconditional acceptance of the other as a person who is loved by God. Grace is the acceptance of life's situations, recognizing that they are a given. But that our response is not. Grace is the ability to forgive and to move on constructively. As I mentioned before, anger is the antithesis of Grace and thus it is the antithesis of Christ's gospel.

There is one important discovery that I have made in my own life regarding anger and that is prayer. Christ and Paul exhort us to pray for those who anger and hurt us.... Prayer is the best way I know to let go of anger in a positive and healthy way. When I am angry and that anger is directed at a person or group.. I pray. My prayer is not: "God please make them more like me so that they don't anger me" no.. My prayer is for them as persons who are loved by God; persons whom I have failed by not loving; persons, who, if I take the gospel seriously, are brothers and sisters to me. I have discovered that to pray for someone requires me to listen to them, to myself, and to God...

I suspect that someone could make a fortune in our society by starting "anger venting clubs." That is a sad commentary on us... But there is a better way... and James invites us to avoid the expensive costs of anger... and live the life of gracious freedom. This is the good news. Amen.
 

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org