Christian Moral Indignation

Wednesday, October 3 In the year of our Lord 2012
Briercrest Distance Education Office, Caronport SK
Writing down thoughts before they Vanish, 10:50 AM
Weather = Overcast, Windy, and Cold


I got to listen to an old sermon that was part of our Distance Education archives. The sermon was from 1989 which may as well have been from a hundred years ago. So many things have changed since that time. Part of the sermon was on the degrading moral standard of our culture and the example he used was how women, of all people, were leading the charge for legal abortions. The moral indignation and woeful tone in the speaker's voice told me that what is now commonplace and 'normal' was at one time something so backwards and unthinkable that it was indeed the clear example that all Hell had broken loose and the end of the world as at hand! Now that wasn't the point of the sermon, far from it, but it does serve as an illustration of what I want to write about right now.

Often times people rely on cultural and moral indignation as validation for our stances and opinions. We assume that everyone should know that some things are just simply wrong and that to question those things is a sign that you are either deranged or evil. The problem though is that moral indignation is not a reason in and of itself and often times we treat it as if it is. I try to stay far away from conversations where people get all up in a huff about the latest antics of a celebrity or reality TV show and I stay extra far away from 'the world is going to Hell in a hand basket' griefing. Continual griping about situations and people as a means of self justification or moral superiority is just... ugh.

The reality is that in the West, we are Post-Christian. Our sensibilities that were once firmly grounded in Christianity are drifting. The moral standards once firmly grounded in Christianity are degrading. The social landscape that was once dominated by Christendom is changed and will not change back.

The result is that if we feel that something is not right, then we need to be able to explain (in love) why that is wrong and resist the temptation to be morally outraged when other people are genuinely clueless or even dead set against us. Given our media saturation, Capitalist culture, and the emphasis on individual rights and freedoms, nothing should surprise us. It should not surprise us when porn developers demand a spot on prime-time television or when a motion is made to remove God from the national anthem. Such things tend to make Christians morally indignant and we wish for the good ol' days. But even back in the 'good 'ol days' when everything was supposedly so much better and everyone supposedly knew right from wrong, moral indignation was a more potent force but it was no more a valid reason then than it is today.

The solution is not to come up with new supposedly 'breakable standards' as a sign of how far society has fallen and then be aghast every time society attempts to topple even those. Yes, Christians are supposed to be different from the rest of the world, set apart for God, but moral indignation can lead to three traps that we need to stay away from.

1) To be overwhelmed by it which leads to depression and ineffectiveness. We, like the Apostle Peter, behold the violent waves and storm around us and find ourselves sinking and despair. It is easy to become negative and cynical or even broken by how society has changed and continues to change. Holding on to old battles (abortion or the definition of marriage perhaps) at the expense of actually living in today, in Christ, is allowing yourself to be distracted by the wind and waves, taking your vision away from Christ.

2) To be elated by it which leads to gossip and self righteousness. Some people love nothing better than to talk about how horrible everything is. Some people love the thrill of being miserable and on the point of disaster. Some people shine like polished gold as they describe all of the hardships they have had to endure and all the defeats they have had while 'fighting the good fight.' This is idolatry of the self and of moral standard which blocks out Christ and stops you from actually living in today, in Christ.

3) To be overcome by it which leads to sin, guilt, and numbness. Ultimately our conduct must still reflect the connection we have in Christ. We are to be characterized by the Spirit, not the flesh. Being overcome is to sacrifice what you know to be right in Christ for what society has deemed acceptable. Many of us have already been overcome in our minds because we attempt to play society's game with society's rules and forget that our real mooring is in the Word of God. To join in ungodly acts and turn our back to Christ is sin, which leads to guilt. God will work with us to bring us back, be that through his Word or the community of believers but if it is not repented from it will eventually leave our consciences numb.


What we need to do is commit our concerns to Christ and continue to live into the fullness of life that he continually provides. By all means, take action, hold conferences, talk about it, get involved, but don't forget that your mooring is in the Word of God, and that God will take care of it. We must not become disheartened or self-righteous, we must commit it to Christ and follow him in obedience, the living God who is faithful and good.