The killing of Renee Good should provoke Christians to righteous anger

It has been a turbulent, upsetting week in America following the killing of Renee Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis; a tragedy which had been building since the arrival of ICE agents in early December.

Independent investigation of the killing seems unlikely, which makes the situation worse. The White House claims that Mrs Good ran over the agent with her vehicle, while the mayor of Minneapolis fervently disagrees. Most who have seen the video coverage state that she was trying to drive away from the situation.

Culture war divisions deepen and anger blossoms on both sides.

We live in an angry age. Indeed, there is much in the world to be angry about: injustice, wrongdoing, recklessness, foolish – even wicked – actions by political leaders, and wars that rage on, claiming the lives of the innocent.

Some seem to believe that justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder

In this context, Ephesians 4:26 warns us: “In your anger, do not sin” - which is not the same as saying that we should never be angry. Studies show that being constantly angry is bad for your health, but so is a failure to acknowledge or process your anger properly.

At the start of his ministry, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a grave warning about anger: it can be dangerous; it can destroy relationships. In Matthew 5:21, he linked the Old Testament prohibition of murder – the most serious wrongdoing a human can do to another – to the kind of “bitterness, rage and anger” cautioned against by Paul in Ephesians 4:31. I wonder if this is because they have the same, suffocating root.

This is deeply challenging stuff. We are told that if we have anger and bitterness in our hearts, we should deal with it before we worship God – which is tough in an age where everyone seems determined to take offence and think the worst of their opponents.

Righteous anger

And yet, Jesus was provoked to anger by the evil and injustice he saw in the broken world into which he was born. So, anger isn’t always wrong. It can be a right reaction to evil; it can inspire us to seek to change the world for the better. “The twin daughters of hope are anger and courage” is a phrase attributed to St Augustine. It feels pertinent for these present times. When you have hope in Jesus, it is acceptable to get angry at injustice.

This makes it possible for us to look at the tragic, avoidable killing of Renee Good and be deeply angered – by the loss of her life and impact on her family, and by the misuse of power and the bearing of false witness that enabled and followed the tragedy. Yet, at the same time, we are not to be consumed by bitterness and rage because we worship a God who remains in control and has forgiven us our every wretched act.

Isaiah 51:5 encourages us to hold on to the truth that mercy and justice are coming soon: “[His] salvation is on the way, and [his] arm will bring justice to the nations”. This gives us the courage to act on the anger we feel in a positive way.

Love made manifest

Pastor and author, Tim Keller, spoke of anger as “energy released to defend something we love”, meaning that if we grasp the root of our anger, we find our loves.

What might this be for you? When you are angry, are you in fact experiencing a passion for justice, equality, unity or peace? The Gospels are scattered with examples of Jesus getting angry in the course of defending something he loved: children, his friends, the purity of worship in the temple…Time and again, Jesus’ love for people was displayed as anger against those who would harm them.

If we grasp the root of our anger, we find our loves

It’s a tragedy that we see so little of this among our political leaders today. Christians will, of course, differ in their political conclusions, but that cannot mean turning a blind eye to wrongdoing even if it makes it politically awkward for us personally.

Some seem to believe that justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. But justice should never be applied arbitrarily or inconsistently or to favour one particular tribe or group over another.

The killing of Renee Good, and the unapologetic doubling-down of President Trump, poses a serious test for Christians who have supported him. This is not a moment for Christians to panic about the state of the world, nor shrug it off because we’ve got a bit of outrage-fatigue, but to care deeply. To choose integrity over tribe, and to insist that justice and truth still matter.