In our current era, many people are outraged by the wrong things while remaining indifferent to the genuine injustices happening around them.
Outrage is a waste of time if it is not followed by action. Writing letters, making phone calls and participating in marches are all simple ways to express profound concern. However, even these actions must be tempered. Before one turns the dial up to “outrage,” some foundational work needs to be done.
Michael Chancellor
First, be well-informed with accurate information rather than relying on dubious social media posts. During the last legislative year in Texas, a bill was proposed in the House of Representatives to forbid the placement of litter boxes in public school classrooms. As far as I could tell, only one representative, James Talarico, spoke in opposition. He asked the bill’s proposer a simple question: “Can you name one classroom in one school in one district in Texas that has put a litter box in a classroom?”
The representative who proposed the bill responded in the negative. Talarico followed up with a concise response: “You are proposing a legislative action without any knowledge that such a practice or problem even exists?”
So much for wrong-headed outrage. I have seen this type of ignorance weaponized frequently in our state and across the nation. A few years ago, ignorance was weaponized against Critical Race Theory being taught in public schools. Outraged parents stormed school board meetings demanding their districts stop teaching CRT.
There was only one problem: How do you stop teaching something you never taught in the first place?
The outrage was directed at a theory primarily taught in law school — a semester-long class designed to acquaint future lawyers with the framework.
Most recently, Republican leadership has been in an uproar over the supposed threat of Sharia Law looming over Texas. It is another “paper tiger” designed to keep voters in a state of rage.
Texas is a multi-ethnic culture; the latest figures place the Muslim population at a maximum of 422,000 in a state of 31.7 million people. There is no real evidence that Muslim neighborhoods anywhere in the nation, and certainly not in Texas, are attempting to enforce Sharia Law.
It helps to understand Sharia — if you want to. The truth is easily accessible via any AI app or search engine for those who prefer facts over hysteria.
For Muslims, Sharia generally falls into two categories: Ritual worship and social interaction. Groups like the Amish, Quakers and Mennonites have similar internal structures. Within those categories are five rulings: Mandatory, recommended, neutral, disliked and forbidden.
To put this in context, almost every faith group in the United States uses these same categories. In Baptist life, we have specific understandings of what is appropriate for worship — usually a mix of instrumental music and singing, Scripture reading, prayer, a sermon, and an invitation. Most nondenominational churches include the Lord’s Supper. Furthermore, most churches have covenants that include statements of belief and expectations of conduct — defining what is encouraged, neutral or forbidden.
Sharia is no different in its functional application to the faithful.
The problem with manufactured outrage over political lies is that it accomplishes exactly what the politicians intend: It distracts us from issues that are more troubling, illegal and unconstitutional.
Research consistently shows most crime in America is homegrown. Immigrants often pay more in taxes than they receive in social services, and most undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Medicaid or federal assistance. For example, the massive Medicaid scam in Minnesota was planned and executed by a U.S. citizen, Amee Bock, the head of “Feeding Our Future.”
Currently, we face a political landscape where a convicted felon and those mentioned in the Epstein Files — which involve child trafficking and money laundering — occupy the center of power. When leadership oversees the destruction of international alliances, the deployment of poorly trained agents and the violation of civil laws, they rely on these distractions to maintain their grip.
Outrage can be appropriate, but it should not be spent on phantom issues. It should be reserved for the real injustices being perpetrated in our time.
Michael Chancellor served 33 years as pastor of four Baptist churches in Texas, six years as a mental health manager in a maximum-security Texas prison before becoming a therapist in private practice in Round Rock, Texas. He now lives in Taylor, Texas.