Dr Paul Allen

Until recently, the inability to control one’s anger, because it was somewhat rare and exotic, was something we could laugh about. Late-night talk show hosts lampooned road rage. Anger Management was the title of a 2003 comedy film starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. Today, lack of impulse control is no rarity and no laughing matter. We live in a world aflame with anger. A recent documentary tells the story of the online “Outrage Machine” that, with a little misinformation and a viral hashtag, can rally a social-media mob and destroy a person’s life. On college campuses, many have lost the ability to interact reasonably with opposing viewpoints. Students complain of being triggered by “microaggressions” and demand the summary dismissal of anyone who would offend them, calling for “safe spaces” where fragile perspectives can rest unchallenged by opposing arguments.1 When it comes to public discourse, we have become a culture that sees red. Our constant state of unhinge...

English: Sterzing, the Holy Spirit church frescos, on the northern wall, representing the Passion of Christ. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22–23). The Holy Spirit regenerates us, then indwells us and begins the process of sanctification, of making us more like Christ . He is working within us, convicting us of sin , strengthening our desire to live for God , showing us our faults. As the process continues, these internal changes eventually manifest themselves in outward fruit. And since this external fruit comes about as a result of the work of the Spirit, we call it the fruit of the Spirit. We human beings often find ourselves attracted to unusual, extraordinary, and spectacular things. In our Christian lives, this tendency often manifests itself in terms of a keener interest in the gifts of the Spirit than in the f...

Our Lord Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. – Philippians 4:5 – This passage of Scripture comes in a list of brief commands that Paul means to demonstrate as the means of remaining spiritually steadfast (cf. Phil 4:1). That list is usually read through very quickly, and this command to be gentle often doesn’t enjoy the extended meditation that it deserves. But the word is packed with meaning, so much so that the translators have always had a hard time translating the Greek word, epieikes. The verse at the top is the New American Standard Update. The older NAS has, “Let your forbearance,” or “your forbearing spirit be made known to all men.” The ESV says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” The HCSB has, “Let your graciousness be known to everyone.” The commentators don’t help either, as their lists are even longer: gentleness, graciousness, forbearance, patience, sweet reasonableness, mildness,...