One fellow I've observed has been angry for days now. He's loud, confrontational and unaware with how all of this is coming off to the watching audience. His anger comes from several sources, but most recently he sees an injustice that's overlooked. What he doesn't see- and what most of us never see- is that his anger doesn't make anyone take the injustice more seriously. In fact, his particular expressions of anger make many of us take the whole matter much LESS seriously.

[...]

In graduate school, I learned that anger is a multiple-fronted poison. It turns into depression. It creates rage-a-holics with explosive, abusive patterns of behavior. It makes us into liars. It damages our health, releasing an array of damaging responses in the body. Anger is an explosion that has almost no useful energy, but which is certain to damage the person holding the bomb.

We're reluctant to deal with this problem. It's "excusable" and we expect that others will see it as a common failing. In fact, we need to have people in our lives who can confront us with the details and the effects of our anger. We need to be rid of the notion that our anger is not affecting other people. We need to admit that it is a perception of a threat, and a response to a threat that is often wrong on both counts. We need to look at our anger as others see and experience it- particularly children and observers. A video tape would be embarrassing, but it might do us all a lot of good.

[...]

I deplore a kind of phony, saccharine personality that passes for a "Christian" who would never think of being angry. But there is too much needless, hurtful, sinful anger among those of us who believe that "everything is in His hands." If there is any area where we all need to help one another to do a general repentance and walk a better way, I believe anger would be a good place to begin.

If it be your will
that I speak no more
and my voice be still
as it was before,
I will speak no more—
I shall abide until
I am spoken for,
if it be your will.

If it be your will,
if a voice be true,
from this broken hill
I will sing to you.
From this broken hill
all your praises they shall ring,
if it be your will
to let me sing.

If it be your will,
if there is a choice,
let the rivers fill,
let the hills rejoice,
let your mercy spill
on all these burning hearts in hell,
if it be your will
to make us well.

And draw us near
and bind us tight,
all your children here,
in their rags of light—
in our rags of light,
all dressed to kill,
and end this night,
if it be your will,
if it be your will.

Agreement with Growing Christian Publisher Marks S&S Entry into Christian Publishing Marketplace

NEW YORK, February 13 -- Simon & Schuster has acquired Howard Publishing, a leading Christian and inspirational publishing company based in West Monroe, Louisiana.

a Catholic based community made up of an integrated monastic expression of celibate brothers, celibate sisters, families and singles located at Little Portion Hermitage in Berryville, Arkansas, and a domestic expression of those world-wide in their own homes. This unique religious community is the only community of its type in the United States to be granted canonical status in the Catholic Church.

has been formally recognized as a Public Association of the Faithful and is one of 10 communities around the globe to encompass celibate brothers and sisters, as well as single people, married couples, and families. Though the latter are permitted greater latitude, the essentials are the same. All take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience appropriate for their state of life.

6. Being Post-Reformed means you regard Arminians, Emerging Churchmen, and Roman Catholics as Christians...and treat them as such. You work vigorously to build unity, without compromising truth, to demonstrate the visible unity of the Body of Christ, wherever you can, to the watching world. The Post-Reformed man takes the Beatitudes seriously with great longing in his heart: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God."

7. Being Post-Reformed means having enough confidence in your Reformed theological convictions that you can interact substantively with Christians in other traditions without fear. The fear that often masquerades as dogmatism is replaced by a love for the truth and your brethren.