Our refusal to heed the Holy Spirit’s instruction in James puts our folly on display. The calamity of a situation dubbed a dumpster fire beckons us to be quick to anger, quick to speak, and slow to listen-the opposite of James’ command. James writes, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (Jas. It would be great if we learned to stop stoking dumpster fires, but the real issue is in our quick-to-anger hearts. Wait 24 hours and ask yourself if it’s still worth it. Quietly hold back whatever you feel compelled to say. “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Prov. There’s wisdom in keeping quiet at the right times. The reality is, the more we talk or type, the more we sin. It might feel good at the moment to vent your anger, but as millions of deleted tweets can testify, you’ll regret broadcasting those unguarded thoughts soon enough. It’s only in the quiet that we can learn to read the signs of the times. After all, “If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet” (Prov. The best way to extinguish a dumpster fire is to stop feeding it. Proverbs 26:4 tells us, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” The more we answer a fool (especially online), the more foolish we become, and the more foolish we make the church look. But as it is now, we are too often drawn into dumpster fires and come out looking just as foolish as everyone else. If Christians choose not to add opinions and retweets to arguments that are clearly going nowhere, the quarreling would cease, at least in our spheres of influence. Our ability not to engage in the day's outrage even when others are is crucial to following Jesus in our moment. John Stonestreet, when asked about the negative tone of public discourse in a recent Q&A, said, “Our ability to not escalate our emotions even when our opponents are is going to be the only way we can really obey Jesus in a cultural moment where our views have gone from being considered wrong or outdated to being considered wrong and evil” (emphasis mine). Proverbs 26:20 says, “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” No wood, no fire. The only way out of a world of dumpster fires is to stop fueling them. Our negative reactions and hot-takes might seem clever, but all they’re doing is heaping trash on an already flaming dumpster. Everyone’s first reaction to hearing about a dumpster fire is to add their take. Stop Heaping Trashįires need fuel to burn, and all too often, we’re happy to provide the fuel. Fortunately, the book of Proverbs is full of countercultural wisdom for putting out dumpster fires. We have to find another way to engage the public square and bring the love of Christ to our neighbors. If Christians want to present a winsome gospel in this cultural moment (and I hope we do), we can’t get bogged down in the dumpster fires of the day. This is true even of “Christian Twitter,” where it’s not uncommon to see prominent figures sparring over a blog post or deleted tweet. Whether it’s your beloved sports team’s abysmal season, another campaign nightmare, or a public official’s latest gaffe, you’ve surely witnessed a dumpster fire burning across your social media feeds. Its lexicographers added the term to the dictionary this year, calling it “an utterly calamitous or mismanaged situation or occurrence,” or simply a “disaster.” Depending on who you follow on Twitter, you may not have needed a definition.ĭumpster fires spread like wildfire through social networks. Fortunately, Merriam-Webster is here to help. A dumpster fire is like porn: it’s hard to define but you know it when you see it.
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