| Acknowledgments | ix |
| Introduction: The Problem with Anger | 1 |
| The Church and Anger | 2 |
| What's the Problem? Anger Can Be Destructive | 4 |
| Why I'm Writing This Book | 7 |
| Constructing a Pastoral Theology | 9 |
| A Map of the Journey Ahead | 11 |
| Limited Perspectives | 14 |
| Part 1 | Thinking about Emotion | |
| 1. | The Significance of Emotion | 19 |
| What Is Emotion? | 19 |
| The Philosophical Case against Emotions | 20 |
| The Postmodern Recovery of Emotion | 22 |
| Neuroscience and Emotion | 27 |
| Neuroscience and Pastoral Theology | 33 |
| 2. | The Christian Tradition and Emotion | 35 |
| Emotion and the Bible | 36 |
| Historical Factors Affecting the Christian Tradition | 40 |
| A Word from the Theologians | 43 |
| 3. | Theological Reflections on Emotion | 54 |
| Emotion and Embodiment | 55 |
| In the Beginning--Emotion | 57 |
| Created in God's Image | 57 |
| The Gift of Emotion | 58 |
| Head and Heart: A Wholistic Approach | 60 |
| We Are Responsible for Our Emotions | 62 |
| Part 2 | Understanding Anger | |
| 4. | Anger or Aggression? | 67 |
| Science and Aggression | 67 |
| Aggression as Life Force | 73 |
| Theological Reflections | 74 |
| 5. | Where Does Anger Come From? The Neuroscience Contribution | 77 |
| The Brain and Anger | 77 |
| The Significance of Memory | 81 |
| Anger and Fear | 82 |
| A Capacity, Not an Instinct | 84 |
| The Threat Model of Anger | 84 |
| The Flexible Brain | 85 |
| Science in Process | 86 |
| Contributions to a Pastoral Theology of Anger | 87 |
| 6. | Why Do People Get Angry? A Constructionist Narrative Perspective | 90 |
| Constructivist and Constructionist Theory | 91 |
| Narrative Theory: Life as Story | 95 |
| A Constructionist Narrative Understanding of Anger | 97 |
| The Freedom to Change Narratives | 100 |
| Identifying and Changing Dominant Narratives from the Past | 102 |
| Contributions to a Pastoral Theology of Anger | 108 |
| Part 3 | A Constructive Pastoral Theology of Anger | |
| 7. | Why Is Anger One of the "Seven Deadly Sins"? The Christian Tradition | 115 |
| Dominant Narratives and the Formation of Tradition | 115 |
| Anger in Christian Theology: The Early Church | 121 |
| Anger in Christian Theology: The Reformers and Beyond | 129 |
| Twentieth-Century Theologians | 133 |
| Contributions to a Pastoral Theology of Anger | 135 |
| 8. | Biblical Perspectives: The Alternative Story about Human Anger | 137 |
| Stories in Hebrew Scripture | 138 |
| New Testament Stories | 142 |
| Contributions to a Pastoral Theology of Anger | 147 |
| 9. | The Anger of God and Jesus | 150 |
| Was God Angry? | 151 |
| Was God Abusive? | 153 |
| Why Was God Angry? An Expression of Love! | 157 |
| Jesus' Anger | 160 |
| Contributions to a Pastoral Theology of Anger | 166 |
| 10. | Toward a Pastoral Theology of Anger | 169 |
| Embodiment | 170 |
| Anger Is Rooted in Creation, Not in Sin | 172 |
| Created in God's Image | 173 |
| Anger as Gift: Blessed by God | 176 |
| Anger Is a Moral Issue | 177 |
| Freedom to Choose | 179 |
| Personal Responsibility | 181 |
| Summary | 184 |
| Part 4 | Dealing with Anger: Christian Care and Counseling | |
| 11. | Anger as Spiritual Ally | 189 |
| Anger and Hope | 190 |
| Anger and Courage | 193 |
| Anger and Recovery of Self | 195 |
| Anger and Intimacy | 198 |
| Anger as Idol Detector | 200 |
| Anger as a Guide toward Self-Understanding | 202 |
| 12. | Compassionate Anger | 205 |
| Anger and Love | 205 |
| Good Christians Should Be Angry | 206 |
| Compassion and Anger | 212 |
| Love Should Direct Anger | 218 |
| Christian Care and Counseling | 221 |
| 13. | Handling Anger Creatively | 226 |
| Recognizing Anger | 227 |
| Acknowledging Anger | 229 |
| Demobilizing the Body | 231 |
| Identifying the Narratives That Are Threatened | 232 |
| Evaluating the Validity of the Threat | 236 |
| Transforming Narratives | 238 |
| Changing Previous Patterns of Dealing with Anger | 241 |
| Creative Expressions of Anger | 243 |
| Christian Care and Counseling | 247 |
| Notes | 253 |
| Bibliography | 281 |
| Scripture Index | 294 |
| Author Index | 296 |
| Subject Index | 299 |
