Ian from Ann Arbor, Michigan, writes in with an excellent question, especially given the

summer that we have experienced in the States.

He asks, Pastor John, when approaching controversial issues such as abortion or homosexuality with

my friends, I've always been very careful.

Even if something like abortion makes me very angry, I try my best not to show any of it,

because I'm worried that my anger will be misinterpreted.

However, Jesus makes a cord of whips and violently drives out the money changers during

the Passover.

This definitely sounds like something that can be misleading.

People could see Jesus as unreasonable, or as someone who uses violence to get his

own way.

Jesus' behavior confuses me.

Should we get angry at these sins that we see in culture in the presence of others?

Pastor John, what would you say?

Let me turn the tables on Ian and suggest that feeling and expressing appropriate anger

about, say, abortion or whatever injustice may communicate more truth about God, about

the Christian faith, about scripture, about Christ than the absence of anger communicates.

Ian says, I'm worried that my anger will be misinterpreted.

And I'm turning the tables and asking, are you equally worried that the absence of anger

might be misinterpreted?

Or the positive way to ask it is, is it possible that good anger and good expressions

of anger could communicate more truth than the absence of anger?

...