Conspiring Against Anger . . . Lyle Muses

Who could ever get angry with such a little guy?! And, no, though it looks like Nathan, it is indeed Lyle. Don’t you know Lyle would be unplugging my Internet connection if he knew I was posting these photos. (Nathan, I know you are watching and yes, there is a photo of you on the way.)

There is little doubt Lyle would be joining our Thursday morning Theology Cafe here at Snow Hill. I thought about that after reading his first post on the subject of “Anger.” We actually hit that topic while chasing a rabbit last week. Seems as though we always want to point to Jesus’ “righteous indignation” clearing the Temple as a means to justify some form of anger that is “O.K.” Seems easier to do than wrestle with Jesus’ words on the subject. And, what’s more, it seems we often miss the point of Jesus clearing the Temple and so lay claim to any “righteous” cause for which we want to become angered over as in bounds for our own behaviors.

Here are two posts on anger. In the first post, Lyle quotes Dallas Willard, “There is nothing that can be done with anger that cannot be done better without it.”

In the second post, Lyle wonders if it would be better if we were “theotistical” rather than “egotistical.” Who knew Lyle created such a neologism?

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2004

Anger

Reading “The Divine Conspiracy” chapter 5, Dallas Willard had 2 great quotes, “There is nothing than can be done with anger that cannot be done better without it.” This is so true. We let our anger affect everything we do some days.

Also, “To cut the root of anger, is to wither the tree of human evil”. Think about how many societal problems are caused by anger. In America there are 25,000 murders annually.

Think about how our lives would be different if we didn’t get angry.

The Bible says “be angry, but do not sin”. So we will all get angry, it is just how long we let it stew or how quickly we can diffuse it in a non violent way.

Are there different types of anger?

POSTED BY LYLE AT 8:02 AM

And,

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2004

More On Anger

On another blog the question of “what is the opposite of sin” was raised. I could’nt help but think of “Be angry but sin not”. That would really show what the opposite of sin would be, when you are angry but would’nt sin. How hard is that?

I am reading a book by Gary Chapman, “The Other Side of Love”, which is about anger, how to control it and why we have it. God gets angry, Jesus got angry and they did not sin. From the beginning we had the capacity for anger, but we perverted it’s purpose after the fall.

Anger was intended to spur us to action to right a wrong. This would work if we were truly theotistical instead of egotistical, again the work of man’ sinful depravity.

So as Followers of Christ we should do like Him, get angry for the right reasons, but don’t sin.

POSTED BY LYLE AT 6:58 PM

 

About the Author
Husband to Patty. Daddy to Kimberly and Tommie. Grandpa Doc to Cohen, Max, Fox, and Marlee. Pastor to Snow Hill Baptist Church. Graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Reading. Photography. Golf. Colorado. Jeeping. Friend. The views and opinions expressed here are my own and should not be construed as representing the corporate views of the church I pastor.

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