A GENTLE ANSWER: OUR ‘SECRET WEAPON’ IN AN AGE OF US AGAINST THEM
SCOTT SAULS (THOMAS NELSON, 2020)
In a time when outrage is seen as a virtue, Scott Sauls points us to Christ, to radical enemy-love, and to grace. We can easily forget that gentleness is worth fighting for. In our culture, we behave as if rage is a commodity, a right, and the only way to respond to injustice. While anger has its rightful place, Sauls highlights the power of gentleness, especially as seen in the Christian tradition.
Sauls calls the church out—gently—for our hypocrisy: “Instead of getting rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger as Scripture urges us to do (Eph. 4:31), we form entire communities around our irritations and hatreds,” he writes. The past few years have been hard on local churches. Some have split due to disagreements about Covid. Some have shrunk in attendance because people stopped coming during the pandemic and never came back. With conflicts about health mandates, conversations at church became more political than usual. The “us against them” mentality thrived in the world and in churches. Sauls understands the outrage that threatens to spill over; he gives readers a good picture of the culture we live in, this time of cancellation, protests, and outcries against injustice. He speaks to us about kindness, providing both biblical and contemporary stories of forgiveness and gentleness in a world that commodifies hate.
Sauls reminds us that we can love and forgive others at their worst because Jesus loved and forgave us at our worst. We have seen the perfect example of gentleness, love, and humility in Christ, and because of Him, we can respond gently to others. Sauls gives examples of how Jesus befriends us even in our sin, how He reforms our pharisaic tendencies and disarms us of our cynicism.
If you read only a few Christian books a year, may I suggest prioritizing this one? It’s a timely word of compassion that leads us to Jesus. I found myself wanting to underline and highlight nearly every page. I cried over the words, was convicted of the pride in my own heart, and experienced healing through reading it. It softened my heart yet again to Jesus and to the Church.
Words by Ruth Marie Paterson