Righteous Anger and Sinful Anger: How to Tell the Difference

 

Anger is one of those emotions we’d rather not admit to, especially if we’re trying to live a life shaped by grace. Yet Scripture never tells us to avoid anger. It tells us to discern it.

“Be angry, but do not sin” is both permission and warning. It assumes anger can be holy — and also that it can go terribly wrong.

Righteous anger begins with love.

Righteous anger rises when something good, true, or vulnerable is harmed. It is the heart’s instinctive defense of what God loves:

  • the dignity of a person

  • the protection of the weak

  • the honoring of truth

  • the defense of justice

Righteous anger is outward‑facing. It is not about me being offended; it is about someone else being harmed. It moves us toward action, not explosion — toward repair, not revenge.

It is the kind of anger that clears the fog and sharpens the moral landscape. It is anger that stands up, steps in, and says, “This must not continue.”

Sinful anger begins with the self.

Sinful anger is not about justice; it is about ego. It flares when:

  • our pride is bruised

  • our preferences are challenged

  • our control is threatened

  • our comfort is disrupted

Sinful anger is inward‑facing. It demands to be fed. It wants to win, not heal. It narrows our vision until the only thing we can see is our own grievance.

This kind of anger corrodes. It leaves us smaller, meaner, and more isolated than before.

The fruit reveals the root.

Righteous anger bears fruit that looks like God:

  • courage

  • clarity

  • compassion

  • protection of the vulnerable

Sinful anger bears fruit that looks like the Fall:

  • bitterness

  • contempt

  • cruelty

  • division

One purifies. The other poisons.

The question is not “Do I feel angry?” but “What is my anger defending?”

If it defends love, truth, or the dignity of another, it may be righteous. If it defends my pride, my comfort, or my need to control, it is almost certainly not.

Anger is not the enemy. Unexamined anger is.

graphic and some content/research via AI

Read more posts on anger: MSI Press Blog

post inspired by Anger Anonymous by Dr. Dennis Ortman


Book Description:

When you feel in the grip of anger, ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you feel powerless to control your temper?
    Does your anger frighten you so much that you feel compelled to suppress it?
    Does your life feel unmanageable because of your anger?
    Does your preoccupation with the unfairness of life and being wronged interfere with your happiness
    Do you feel hopeless about finding a cure for your temper? 

If you answer "yes" to these questions, you may be addicted to your anger. It acts like a drug that stimulates you, energizes you, and causes you to act insanely.


Viewing your anger as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to find healing and growth. He shows how the Steps offer practical wisdom to use the natural energy of your anger wisely and well, neither suppressing nor indulging it. The Steps provide guidance for your personal journey into your hostile moods so that you can discover your true self and release the Power within you.


Keywords:

Anger management book; How to control anger; Overcoming anger addiction; Twelve Steps for anger recovery; Managing anger effectively; Self-help book for anger issues; How to stop being addicted to anger; Using the Twelve Steps to manage anger; Best books for anger management and self-control; How to handle anger without suppressing it; Anger management strategies for personal growth; Recovering from anger addiction through the AA Steps; Emotional regulation techniques; Breaking free from toxic angerl Controlling temper without therapy; Anger and personal transformation; How to stop destructive anger patterns; Mindfulness for anger management



Comment from President and Founder, Psychological Counseling Services Ltd


Dr. Dennis Ortman does an incredible job with his books. He does an excellent job of using the 12 Steps to provide practical guidance for the millions of people who have problems where anger, depression, or anxiety rise to the top in terms of "the presenting problem" in their lives when they come for therapy. His books provide very useful tools to deal with getting to a better place and having a life that functions better, including more serenity.

Ralph H. Earle, PHD, ABPP, MDiv, LMFT, CSAT
President and Founder
Psychological Counseling Services, Ltd (PCS)
Scottsdale, AZ



THIS BOOK WAS SELECTED AS A FINALIST FOR
BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
(FOREWORD REVIEWS)





For more posts about Dennis and his books, click HERE.

For more information about this book, click HERE.




To purchase copies of this book at 25% discount,
use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore.



Want to buy this book and not have to pay for it?
Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.



(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)

Check out recent issues.

 



Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, Pinterest, Bluesky, and Instagram. 




Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? 


We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us?





Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help.





Check out information on how to submit a proposal.




Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process.






Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.



Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.

Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.


Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.

Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.




   
MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guest Post from Dr. Dennis Ortman: Words Matter

Image
  WORDS MATTER “If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging symbol.” --I Corinthians 13: 1   My three brothers recently visited from afar. We spent a week together crammed into my small apartment. We exhausted ourselves talking about our lives and our favorite subjects--religion, psychology, and politics. I daily used up my quota of words. Many family and friends avoid talking about these subjects to avoid conflict. But we relish the give-and-take of debate. Coincidentally, the Republican National Convention was televised each night. We watched it diligently and exchanged views. Our convictions ranged across the political spectrum. So our conversations were animated, our disagreements passionate. However, at the end of the week, we learned something from each other and parted friends. Words matter. They have power. Our traditions attest to this fact. For example, God created the world with His word. He be...
Read more

In Memoriam: Carl Don Leaver

Image
  1948-2021 It is with great sadness that MSI Press notes the death of Carl Leaver, CEO of the Press and typesetter and graphic designer par excellence . Many authors have expressed not only condolences but also a sense of legacy from covers he designed that they love.  Here is his obituary: On August 16, 2021, Carl Don Leaver of San Juan Bautista passed into eternal rest. A forester with the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana, he turned to nature photography while working in the Bitterroot National Forest. His photographs graced national magazine covers and on a weekly basis the local paper of Hamilton, MT, the Ravalli Republican. He later worked on photography projects for the US Army (AFEES) and taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan. His final career change led him to computer graphics and publishing as co-owner of MSI Press LLC; his many typeset books and book covers have helped MSI Press authors win a large number of awards over t...
Read more

Literary Titan Reviews "A Theology for the Rest of Us" by Yavelberg

Image
  According to Literary Titan -- "Readers will love this book because it answers a lot of questions that bothers believers." " A Theology for the Rest of Us  is not just a religious book. You will get history lessons from the book and also learn more about humanity. Every reader is guaranteed lifelong lessons once they are done reading the book." Read the complete review HERE . To see more posts about Arthur Yavelberg and this book, click HERE .
Read more