{"id":56285,"date":"2020-07-14T08:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T12:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/?p=56285"},"modified":"2020-07-14T10:58:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T14:58:18","slug":"the-biblical-method-for-soothing-rage-an-interview-with-scott-sauls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/the-biblical-method-for-soothing-rage-an-interview-with-scott-sauls\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biblical Method for Soothing Rage: An Interview with Scott Sauls"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Scott<\/a>In a defensive and divided era, how can followers of Jesus reveal a better way of living, one that loves others as God loves us? How can Christians be the kind of people who are known, as the book of Proverbs puts it, to “turn away wrath?” What does the Bible mean when it compels us to give “a gentle answer” to hostile people?<\/p>\n

Bible Gateway interviewed Scott Sauls<\/a> (@scottsauls<\/a>) about his book, A Gentle Answer: Our “Secret Weapon” in an Age of Us Against Them<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (Thomas Nelson, 2020).<\/p>\n

What led you to write A Gentle Answer<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Buy<\/a><\/p>\n

Scott Sauls:<\/strong> Originally, the book was conceived with the 2020 elections in mind. 2016 went poorly, and 2020 promised the same, given our increasingly polarized and “cancel culture” climate. Oddly, we’ve barely even begun to talk about the election because so much else in addition to it has come onto the radar. It seems everywhere we turn, there’s something to bicker about, something to get offended by, something to compel attack and shaming. My hope is that the book, which is based on Proverbs 15:1<\/a>, will nudge Christians in the direction of being counter-culture in a polarized culture. If Christians don’t lead in the fruit of gentleness that leads to reconciliation and peace, then who will?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is the biblical context of that verse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott Sauls:<\/strong> Proverbs 15:1<\/a>, which is a bit of a stand-alone verse, is the key inspiration behind the book. It says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”<\/p>\n

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, How to Be the Kind of Christian People Can\u2019t Resist: An Interview with Scott Sauls<\/em><\/a>]<\/p>\n

Why do you think outrage and a lack of civility are such rampant problems today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott Sauls:<\/strong> It’s a problem that’s not unique to our time, but that’s as old as time. When Adam and Eve turned away<\/a> from God, it was only a matter of time before they began turning against each other also. Soon after this, their son Cain turned against their other son<\/a> Abel. And the rest is history.<\/p>\n

The problem is a deeply embedded human problem that starts with shame. We feel ashamed not only of the things we’ve done, but of the people we’ve come to feel that we are. We’ve lost touch with the dignity that’s ours as Image bearers<\/a>, and we’ve lost touch with the fact that God’s primary posture toward us is one of love. Because of this, we feel vulnerable and therefore resort to strategies of self-protection. And such strategies always lead us to either go on the attack or to pander to and appease those who are doing the attacking. It’s a painfully dysfunctional reflection of our human condition apart from God.<\/p>\n