The Marketing of Anger

Anger is big business. Every social media site has provocateurs who create posts that are meant to elicit strong reactions. Outrage fuels the entire brand of political commentators. Influencers understand that engagement leads to revenue, and controversy leads to engagement. It is rewarded by the algorithms, which give emotional content precedence over academic discourse. Every angry comment, every share, every click feeds the machine and pays the content creator for it. This practice has penetrated even the Christian community, where some justify a sharp tongue as a “serrated edge.” It's a device, they say, supported by Scripture, to cut down hypocrisy and foolishness. But as people of Christ, we must take a step back and consider this argument. Is exercising wrath, even with a holy banner, part of the ethics we're to live by? The answer tilts solidly toward no. This practice, particularly in its most unbridled state as rage-baiting, is at odds with Biblical principles and serves to chain us to the world's conflict. Christians should not use it or feed it.

The appeal lies in a cutting word. Picture someone at the workplace, shaping words like a knife, sharp and precise, targeting pretense at its core. She refers to ancient tales: prophets ridiculing idolaters, a Teacher slamming religious pretenders with blunt force. She claims that it's right, an exposure to lies and rousing slumberers. There is a temptation to it, a swift, precise slash through noise. Who is there that doesn't have an urge to cheer when a witty jab is made?

But take a better look. That knife doesn't always land on its mark. It wounds innocents, ignites fights, and most often leaves the talker smug, not remorseful. The selling of anger, rage-baiting, thrives on this misfire. It's not merely about truth, it's about the noise that ensues, the conflict that amplifies the message further. Its proponents may try to dress it up as godly, but its outcomes don't deceive: it divides more than it unites and overpowers peace with cries.

What Scripture Demands

Open to the Bible, and suddenly the mood changes. "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger," writes James, "for human anger doesn't bring about God's righteousness" (James 1:19-20). A direct line, no space for a tongue that swings for itself. The path of Christ is towards love and peace, not provocation. "Blessed are the peacemakers" He said (Matthew 5:9), and "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44), not destroy them for engagement.

Yes, Jesus had His confrontational moments. He called religious leaders vipers and overturned tables (Matthew 23:33, John 2:15). The prophets such as Elijah mocked the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:27), though these weren't cheap shots. Jesus sought to rebuild, not merely berate. His anger was laced with tears for a city lost (Luke 19:41). The prophets' sharp words were designed to turn people's hearts, not drive them off. Today's proponents of a caustic tongue often miss that target. Their jabs pursue reaction, not redemption, perpetuating a cycle Scripture warns us against. "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth," says Paul, "but only what builds up" (Ephesians 4:29). Words that ignite rubble rather than renewal benefit no one except perhaps the speaker.

The Danger of Overreach

The danger is this: a sharp tongue is hard to tame. It begins with a high-minded goal, call out evil, shake complacency, but then it's loose and out of control. Pride sneaks in under cover of passion, and there's no difference in sight between prophetic words and taunts. Proverbs spells it out: "Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, 'I was only joking!'" (26:18-19). A jab has a way of hurting deeper than its intention, and rage-baiting relies on that blowback. Every furious retort is a victory. Christians are not designed to engage in strife.

The fruit reveals everything. The Spirit develops "love, joy, peace, patience" (Galatians 5:22-23), and this cutting edge produces bitterness and disunity. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger," Solomon writes (Proverbs 15:1), and all too commonly, that's the inheritance of a supposedly righteous cut. We're commanded to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), not kindling for the world's flame. A sharp wit may catch eyes, but love captures hearts.

Once the tongue is unrestrained, the Spirit's fruit cannot grow in that soil.

A Different Approach

So how do we live this out when anger's sharp edge tempts us? The world, and even portions of the church, gives us a tool and tells us to sharpen it. Christ gives us something different: an invitation to speak with mercy, rather than with malice.

Before you respond, stop. Pray. "Search me, God, and know my heart" says Psalm 139:23. Is this for God's glory or your desire to win? A breath can dull that impulse. Pause and examine your heart before words leave your mouth or fingers.

Measure your words by Philippians 4:8: true, noble, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy. If it's primarily a setup for a fight, drop it. Those who profit from rage need your reaction. Don't provide it. No comment, no like, no outraged click, not even a share to call them out. Every engagement, even criticism, fuels their platform. Starve it by leaving it unseen and unanswered. "A gentle answer turns away wrath," not a louder one (Proverbs 15:1). Test every word by Scripture and starve the outrage machine.

Say what is true, but speak it with love (Ephesians 4:15). "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11), true but not harsh. Let people observe your calm, not your bite. Speak truth seasoned with grace.

Soak in God's Word, remain in Christ (John 15:4). A heart established in peace doesn't flinch at every provocation. Before posting anything sharp, invite a trusted believer to read what you've written. Ask them honestly: does this build up or tear down? Their perspective can save you from mistakes your anger blinds you to. Stay rooted in Scripture and community.

The world's conflicts rage and fade. We're building something that will last. "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2). Elevate the humble voices, not the loud ones. The kingdom is built by builders, not by those who profit from division. "Value others above yourselves" in humility, says Paul (Philippians 2:3), not by tearing them down. Keep the long view and amplify what matters.

Moving Past the Culture of Outrage

The commercialization of anger, with its urge to use a sharp edge, entices even believers. Some dress it in sacred terms, referencing harsh passages from Scripture. But Christ's path runs differently. His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). A pointed comment may have its occasional place, with careful aim and right motive, but it's powerless against peace's constant grip.

Christians are not here to fan strife or sell wrath. We're sowers of a quiet seed, with a mandate to make hard soil tender with compassion, not scar it with anger. The world can swing its fists. We'll till the field, believing in the One whose power is kindness.

The world profits from provocation. The kingdom profits from peace. Every believer must choose which economy to invest in.

Even as we move through a digital landscape designed to profit from our outrage, may we be characterized by our rare reasonableness, by our reflective dialogue, by our commitment to speech that encourages and builds up. This is not weakness or compromise or withdrawal. It's a better path for a world desperate for healing rather than more division.