Rage Disguised as "Conviction"

Picture this: a preacher yelling from the stage, his arms flailing and his face turning red, his shirt buttons threatening to pop, spewing what can only be described as hatred and prejudice. He then pauses to gauge the reaction. Lukewarm response; a few amens. So he doubles down and urges the crowd to agree with him. Some cheer. Some walk out. Some retreat to the bathroom and have a panic attack.

What you do not see are the members of the audience who are appalled, shocked, and stunned in disbelief. The preacher goes on to talk about the love of God, still red-faced from his outburst. The dissonance would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Talking about the love of Jesus after screaming hateful speech is at best confusing; at worst, traumatizing. People’s nervous systems cannot handle that.

What is even more harmful than the actual words from the pulpit are the cheers from the crowd. The attendees who do not subscribe to this madness are left to feel betrayed by their peers, shocked by the brainwashing and the effects of bullying by a respected preacher.

So they leave. They decide this is not for them. This is not the Christianity they signed up for. This has nothing to do with Jesus. They may lose their faith over this. The church has let them down.

Rage has no place from the pulpit. Sadly, the way we do church, with one person given the lectern while everyone else is sitting passively in pews, is part of the problem. No one would do such a thing in a house church setting. No one is given that kind of “authority” and control. In our home fellowship, when someone speaks out of turn, they get called out on it immediately. It is also harder to spew hatred when we are sitting in a circle, looking into one another’s eyes, being vulnerable and part of an interactive discussion.

We do not need “inspiring” speeches. We do not need expensive conferences. Give the money to those who are struggling financially. Read the room! It is not working. Stop “othering” people. The only people Jesus “othered” were the Pharisees.

I believe rage-filled preachers need to be fired. Even if they apologize, which is rare. An apology is not enough. There needs to be accountability. Ministers get fired for disagreeing with the leaders, but rarely do they lose their jobs for fits of rage. Or sexual assault. Leaders are called to a higher standard. Our words carry weight. They can lift up, or they can crush.

When someone gets to the point of losing their cool on stage, it is not an accident. It is not a case of “mispeak”, “taking it too far”, or “they did not mean it that way”. They did, and it has been building up in their heart for some time.

This happens in many churches. It happened with Mars Hill in Seattle; it is happening in many churches all over the world; and it happened this past weekend at a campus conference in my old denomination. It was ugly. It was scary. It was hate speech. And it was traumatizing for the young people who witnessed it. Time to step down. The harm is done. Anyone can be forgiven. Anyone can be a Christian. But not everyone can be a spiritual leader.