The Heart of Anger: How the Bible Transforms Anger in Our Understanding and Experience
- Downloads：3460
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-17 11:51:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Christopher Ash
- ISBN：1433568489
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
How should Christians understand anger， evaluate it， and respond for good？
Each person experiences anger--in their own hearts and in the words and actions of others。 In this doctrinal， pastoral， and practical book， Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley explore the Bible's teaching about anger through biblical examples such as Moses， Saul， David， and the Ephesian church as well as present-day accounts。 Though sometimes right and godly， anger is more often rooted in greed， lust， love of control， or pride。 Only once the source of anger is recognized can the gospel of Jesus Christ--God's perfect wrath poured out on his Son for the sins of many--bring true freedom， transforming a heart of anger into a heart filled with the love of God。
Each person experiences anger--in their own hearts and in the words and actions of others。 In this doctrinal， pastoral， and practical book， Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley explore the Bible's teaching about anger through biblical examples such as Moses， Saul， David， and the Ephesian church as well as present-day accounts。 Though sometimes right and godly， anger is more often rooted in greed， lust， love of control， or pride。 Only once the source of anger is recognized can the gospel of Jesus Christ--God's perfect wrath poured out on his Son for the sins of many--bring true freedom， transforming a heart of anger into a heart filled with the love of God。
Reviews
Panda Incognito
，
This book is insightful， clear， and well-organized， providing deep insight into human anger， God's righteous anger， and the ways that Christ can change our hearts。 The authors provide case studies and examples of anger from the Bible and from modern life， and even though they acknowledge the deep power of anger， they show that it is possible for people to choose self-control， let go of prideful， demanding， self-righteous rage， and live at peace with others。 They also address how we can navigate This book is insightful， clear， and well-organized， providing deep insight into human anger， God's righteous anger， and the ways that Christ can change our hearts。 The authors provide case studies and examples of anger from the Bible and from modern life， and even though they acknowledge the deep power of anger， they show that it is possible for people to choose self-control， let go of prideful， demanding， self-righteous rage， and live at peace with others。 They also address how we can navigate issues of righteous anger， so that we can feel godly rage at injustice and evil without acting out in sinful ways， or making our anger all about ourselves。 This book is very practical and wise， and is the perfect example of how helpful biblical counseling can be， when it is based in a profound understanding of human nature and Christ's transforming power。I have always struggled with anger， and it is difficult for me to find resources that make a difference in my life。 Many repeat the same ideas that I already know and struggle to put into practice， but this book has such a holistic understanding of anger that I was able to find new insights， get a better perspective， and calm down about things I have been struggling with for months。 This book was the perfect blend of biblical teaching， practical advice， and psychological insight， and the authors write with sensitivity to readers' emotional struggles and the reasons why dealing with anger is so hard。Structure and ContentThere are four main parts， and each one builds on the last。 Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley explain the deeper motivations behind human anger， the holy and righteous anger of God， first steps in diffusing anger， and how Christ can change our hearts。 At the beginning， they illustrate sinful anger by summarizing key Bible stories， showing how desires for control， possessions， sexual satisfaction， and reputation characteristically fuel anger。 However， even though they focus on men's anger through portraits of powerful men in the Bible who had the social privilege to express their anger in major ways， the authors make it clear that anger is not a gendered issue， and speak to women as well。The authors describe anger's harmful effects， the relationship between anger and power， the consequences of pride and self-righteousness， and the ways that others' affirmation can entrench us in our anger and create a mob mentality。 On a related note， the authors contend that "righteous anger" is far rarer than we think， since when we convince ourselves that we are right， we remain blind to our sin， ignore alternate perspectives， and cannot reconcile with others。 In the section about God's anger， the authors show what truly righteous anger looks like， and in the third part， they provide practical tips for diffusing our anger and understanding the deeper emotions behind it。 The final section addresses how we can find peace through Christ as he transforms our selfish desires， gives us power， wisdom， and love to serve Him and others， and gives us a new humility。AudienceThe authors speak to both men and women throughout the book， and they are sensitive to people's different life situations。 Instead of assuming that their readers are all married with kids， they write to people in a variety of life stages， drawing in examples and applications from work， rooming situations， and friendships。 Also， at the beginning of the chapter about parenting， the authors acknowledge that even though some of their readers don't have kids， they chose as a clear case study that people can relate to from their upbringing or cultural observation， even if it isn't directly relevant to them。 The chapter is incredibly insightful， emphasizing how often parental anger arises from fear and a desire for control， but I enjoyed it even more because of the authors' sensitivity and awareness to where different readers are coming from。This book is also appropriate for teenagers， as long as they are mature and informed enough to deal with some of the sexual elements in this book。 The authors connect the role of entitled anger to sexual assault and general abuse， and as long as a teenager can read at an adult level and handle these occasionally recurring themes， this book can be helpful and enlightening for them。 I definitely would have benefited from this book in high school， and it is especially important now， since our society increasingly views anger as a valuable tool， not a personal problem to overcome。 This book can help teens and adults counter narratives about anger being a good leadership skill， or a way to find justice， since the authors differentiate corrosive， prideful rage from truly righteous anger that elevates the good of others。ConclusionIn this book， the authors focus on the deeper issues behind anger， instead of just recommending coping skills。 They provide insight into human nature， God's holiness， and the life-transforming power of the gospel， and I found this book deeply helpful。 As I read it， I could clearly see how often my anger flows from acting as if I am God， should be in control， know all of the relevant facts， and am in a position to judge。 This book has helped me get perspective and diffuse anxious， angry thought spirals before they begin， and I would highly recommend it to any Christian who struggles with anger。 I would also encourage pastors and counselors to read it for themselves and the people they minister to。 This is a convicting， encouraging， and potentially life-changing resource， and I am so thankful that I got to read it。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ietrio
，
Apparently the Bible was written too dumb， so people need the higher intellect of Ash to understand the text。
Floyd
，
A well-written description of anger and its impact on the human condition。 After reading this 200+ page book I don’t know whether to classify it as a theology of anger， a counseling textbook （an ancillary text）， or a self-help book - and in fact it is all three。 As a theology text， the book explores how anger is defined and expressed by both God and man。 As a counseling textbook it will prepare the helping professional to address the causes and repercussions of unaddressed anger。 As a self-help A well-written description of anger and its impact on the human condition。 After reading this 200+ page book I don’t know whether to classify it as a theology of anger， a counseling textbook （an ancillary text）， or a self-help book - and in fact it is all three。 As a theology text， the book explores how anger is defined and expressed by both God and man。 As a counseling textbook it will prepare the helping professional to address the causes and repercussions of unaddressed anger。 As a self-help book， the book allows the reader to address their own concerns and to move forward in their life。The book also includes a number of helpful appendices:1。 A Checklist for Our Anger - to help evaluate where and how we need help to understand the reader’s personal struggle with anger。2。 A Devotional Response to Our Anger - guiding the believer in his response before God as they address anger in their lives。3。 General Index4。 Scripture IndexThese last two were not available for review in the Advanced Reader’s Copy I received。The book is not difficult reading and is rooted in scripture。 It has a place on both the pastor’s shelf and in the church library’s。 I give the book 5-stars。______________This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review。 The opinions are mine alone。 。。。more
Beth
，
Based on who wrote this book I assumed it would be an excellent book。 The book did not disappoint。 "Anger is one of those experiences that begins with a feeling and ends with an action; the same anger inhabits the angry feeling and then the angry deed。" This book has 4 parts。 Part 1 Biblical Portraits of human AngerPart 2 Leave Room for an Angry GodPart 3 First Steps in Defusing human AngerPart 4 Find Joy in the Peace of ChristIn Part 1 the authors look at numerous examples of anger in the Bible Based on who wrote this book I assumed it would be an excellent book。 The book did not disappoint。 "Anger is one of those experiences that begins with a feeling and ends with an action; the same anger inhabits the angry feeling and then the angry deed。" This book has 4 parts。 Part 1 Biblical Portraits of human AngerPart 2 Leave Room for an Angry GodPart 3 First Steps in Defusing human AngerPart 4 Find Joy in the Peace of ChristIn Part 1 the authors look at numerous examples of anger in the Bible。 "The triggers that set of anger vary。 But the rage that is triggered always reveals in some way what the angry person truly values and treasures。"1。 Control2。 Possessions3。 Sexual Intimacy and Delight4。 ReputationPart 2 looks at God's anger which is so different from man's。 God is perfect and his anger is perfect。Part 3 deals with topics such as the agenda behind our anger。 Again touching on what we value and treasure。 Part 4 gives practical ways to change。 We need to replace anger with something else in our lives。Overall this is an excellent book。 It gives insights into God's word and practical help。 Thanks to netgalley and Crossway for a copy of this book to review。 The review and opinion is all my own。 。。。more
Jeanie
，
At the root of anger is the desire of the heart。 Anger management may ease some of the symptoms。 But only Christ can give new desires in the heart， a new self。 Only Christ can change what I value， and therefore what provokes me to anger。 Whether you are passive or aggressive， we all deal with anger。 Anger shows itself when we lose control of our circumstances， people and how we thought of。 I never thought of myself has of an angry person。 Verbally or physically， however， how I internalize my day At the root of anger is the desire of the heart。 Anger management may ease some of the symptoms。 But only Christ can give new desires in the heart， a new self。 Only Christ can change what I value， and therefore what provokes me to anger。 Whether you are passive or aggressive， we all deal with anger。 Anger shows itself when we lose control of our circumstances， people and how we thought of。 I never thought of myself has of an angry person。 Verbally or physically， however， how I internalize my day to day， there is anger。 It just comes out differently。 Self-righteousness is one that we are easily blinded by。The text is foundational and I will stress not a self-help book but it is every bit of this is your illness and now here is your cure。 The cure is not a step by step but a beep beep back up and lets get to the root of your anger and lets change it to something beautiful that is redeemed by Christ。 We live in a angry world right now and this text brings hope。 I highly highly recommend。A Special thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review。 。。。more
Jesvin Jose
，