Agapic Anger - by Jan R Schnell (Paperback)

About the Book

"Christian culture often treats anger as problematic, conditioning women and gender-diverse people to act in ways that make others feel secure. If these groups do display anger, only constricted expressions like sadness seem acceptable. Jan R. Schnell argues that communities benefit when people fully explore anger as a vital part of vocation"--

Book Synopsis

Christian tradition and faith formation often affirm anger as a righteous emotion. However, women and gender-diverse persons typically are conditioned to present themselves as soft and gentle. If they do express anger, they are conditioned to do so in constricted ways. Jan R. Schnell argues that such individuals should, in fact, fully explore anger as a vital part of their Christian vocations.

In Agapic Anger, Schnell explores the religious ethics of virtuous anger to show that expressions of anger can be morally good. Schnell weaves the narratives of four female community organizers alongside key principles of Thomas Aquinas's virtue ethics, as well as practices gleaned from choreographic performance studies, to create a framework that dismantles oppressive traditions regarding anger. Schnell identifies three dance-like movements that instead cultivate a virtuous habit of anger expression that can fuel the work of communal justice. The result is a constructive presentation of a form of anger that is rooted in love, is characterized by hope and courage, and feeds people's capacity to feel well, choose well, and do well.

This book is for community organizers and church leaders who yearn for a liberative, embodied response that attends to the gap between the angering realities of our present world and the vision of God's kin-dom. Readers will find this book an accompaniment and guide that directs anger toward structural issues and nurtures a sustaining participation in systemic change.

Review Quotes

"Jan Schnell's outstanding book is a grounded--and uplifting--inquiry into the vocation of choreographing social change, assisted by the powers of virtuous love and anger. It shares the fruit of extensive interviews, inviting us into relationships with wise women who have devoted their lives as community organizers to protecting human dignity and strategically removing causes of structural injustice. Agapic Anger is a discerning, captivating, and transformational work." --Diana Fritz Cates, professor of religion and ethics, Department of Religious Studies, University of Iowa, and author of Aquinas on the Emotions

"Since I was a girl, the messages I heard in my Latinx/Caribbean context were 'don't complain, ' 'don't get angry!' Anger and questioning aren't well received if you're a woman. While other authors encourage the reader to tame or control their anger, Jan Schnell's Agapic Anger gives people like me permission to get outraged over injustice, without guilt or shame. Biblical texts such as Proverbs 21:19 and 25:24 describe some women as 'contentious' with no explanation of the cause. Such verses contribute to society's negative perception of women. Schnell's proposal gives hope to women, redirecting our anger toward community organizing for social transformation. Agapic Anger is a must-read for women tired of being silenced by people afraid to confront injustice." --Lydia Hernández-Marcial, assistant professor of Old Testament and biblical Hebrew, Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico

"Jan Schnell's timely argument in Agapic Anger is grounded in ethical and biblical reflection, enriched by the practical wisdom of four women community organizers and written especially for those whose gendered experience can lure them to 'quail or quit' in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Schnell argues persuasively that anger arising from the cry for a more just and loving world, disciplined by specific practices of reflection and action and supported by community, can be a healing and liberating force for personal and social transformation." --Kathleen D. "Kadi" Billman, John H. Tietjen Professor of Pastoral Ministry: Pastoral Theology, Emerita, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and coauthor of Rachel's Cry: Prayer of Lament and Rebirth of Hope

"Agapic Anger weaves together stories, theology, ethics, scripture, and praxis to reframe how we view the power of anger in transforming communities and the world. Schnell challenges the gendered and racialized assumptions about anger, offering strategies for turning that passionate energy into a force for social change. Drawing on the experiences of women leading faith-based organizing, this book offers practiced wisdom on how to use love-rooted anger for the sake of the world." --Steve Jerbi, OEF, director of the Organizing for Mission Network, and coordinator of community organizing, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

"Drawing on the wisdom of women and gender-diverse people, Agapic Anger fosters a healthy relationship with both anger and those who are angry to bring about social transformation informed and shaped by the gospel of Christ. Artistic, persuasive, and reflective, Agapic Anger is a sincere pursuit to embrace anger as a moral emotion with a potential for positive and transformative change rooted in individual stories with a vision for collective impact." --Helen Chukka, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible, Wartburg Theological Seminary