We Are in An Uproar
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ”
We live in a time of uproar. I embraced the word “uproar” when I started reading a book by the same name by Peter L. Steinke. Steinke believes we live in a time of uproar, and he made this claim when he published his book in 2019. Our global uproar increased dramatically a year later with the advent of COVID-19, and now it is at a fever pitch with tariffs, turning against immigrants and the LGBTQIA+ communities, and challenges to our judicial system and our very democracy. Steinke warns, “Under the siege of uproar, our thinking capacities decline. We even use reason to justify the irrational.”
We keep asking God and each other why we are suffering now. Most of our national pain feels self-inflicted. Steinke seems to be saying that the present uproar is causing heightened anxiety, which keeps us from reasoning. Without clarity of thought, we are left with irrational responses because we are too stressed to properly contemplate our thoughts and decision-making. We base our judgments on emotions rather than sound judgment. Emotion without rational thought leads to abuse, prejudice, and injustice, all in the name of taming our anxious minds. The worst atrocities were due to overly emotional reactions.
Steinke confirms, “Researchers have discovered that when we do not have a compass, a map, a destination, or even a star to guide us, we walk in circles.” Even people who claim faith in our Triune God are not immune to sinful responses while claiming righteous authority. Whether it is the Reich Church in Nazi Germany or Trump worshiping Pentecostals who claim our president is a gift from God and must be honored spiritually, misguided emotion often leads to idolatry and unethical despair.
We live in an age of uproar. Amid the anxiety of uncertainty and fear, God will guide us if we are brave and ethical enough to face our emotions and challenge ourselves with faithful rationality. If Jesus had listened only to emotion, he would have cursed us because we were horrible to him, and we deserved death. But Jesus focused not on his immediate emotions but on his calling, the destination God had in store for him, and all of God’s creation. Today, pray for God to tame your fear and allow you to master your emotions to respond faithfully, even in moments of unjust uproar. That is the way to lasting healing and wholeness within the world and our hearts.
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