Outrage can be a useful prophetic gift when used rightly and timely. Elijah, for instance, reserved his outrage for the Ahabs and Jezebels of his world while bringing consolation to a widow and child. But if everyone and every issue is an “Ahab,” you have failed the qualification of biblical discernment and prioritization. The problem with unremitting outrage is that while bringing out the crazies to your defense–after all, crazies love’m some outrage–it limits the Gospel to self-righteous angry outbursts.
“I’ll have outburst over the weather for a $1,000, Alex!”
The reason Westboro Baptist and lesser known fundamentalist groups lose their soul in the process of their proclamation is that they want speedy results without the careful, deliberate method of engaging, persuading, praying, hosting, and loving others. Most modern outrage is a form of addiction accentuated by social media which needs to be carefully analyzed in our day. We used to chastise evangelical groups who make their mission to appeal to the masses through sexy ads and strategies fit for business but now we are amusing ourselves to death one outrage at a time treating our sins as more dignified than “theirs”.
