For many years I have noticed that anger frightens Christians with a special place reserved for women’s anger. From ‘angry black women’ to ‘emotional and irrational women’ there is a consistent negative tag attached to it.

7 years ago I chose to research anger for my Master’s thesis; but alas it was turned down; my supervisor said it was ‘inappropriate’. I changed the topic and my proposal was readily accepted. A theologian from The Circle https://circle.org.za/ cautioned me that researching a topic that didn’t resonate with me was unsustainable; she was right.

Speaking to a friend she pointed out the biblical prophets were angry, Jesus got angry and so did Paul.

On an old piece of paper, I still have St Augustine’s quote stuck to my office cupboard door:

“Hope has two beautiful daughters.

Their names are Anger and Courage.

Anger at the way things are and

Courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.”

 

On Friday night I attended a CAC (Center for Action and Contemplation) webinar hosted by Brian McLaren and Richard Rohr. The topic? – What Do I Do with My Anger?

Here are some of my notes: (to be clear: the anger discussed specifically excluded destructive and malicious anger.)

 

Valarie Kaur (activist and author) purposefully uses the word  ‘rage’ (not anger) in her books; she explained that rage is a fierce form of anger and an embodiment of outrage; it is only when we process rage in safe containers that we can return to love and compassion.

 

Richard Rohr encouraged us to hold the paradox of Divine Anger and My Anger and let them inform one another; he highlighted that anger is a sense that something is wrong, in our lives, in our culture, in the world, and that in anger there is a deep sense of sadness. Rohr points to a pattern we can find when reading the prophets of the Bible: rage moves to sadness, and then to forgiveness i.e. love and compassion.

 

Brian McLaren pointed out that anger helps us speak truth to power and create solutions on how to bring restoration and a better tomorrow.

 

Carmen A Butcher (lecturer at Berkeley University) offered practical ways to cope with anger such as taking a break from social media which scatters, triggers and agitates us 24/7, go a for a walk, appreciate nature; check-in with yourself and practice mindfulness; always remember to love yourself and God, and then go out and love the enemy. Butcher reminded us that anger must be constructive and … it is always painful.

 

Richard Rohr’s book The Tears of Things is out. Here’s the trailer https://thetearsofthings.com/#trailer