Book Review: Good And Angry

How many of us have been angry, irritated, or bitter this week? How are we doing in the complaint department? This week’s blog is about a book published by New Growth Press in 2016 called Good & Angry:Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining, and Bitterness by David Powilson. I highly recommend this book to anyone in our church who struggles with anger issues and the resulting bad spiritual fruit of irritation, complaining, and bitterness.

David Powilson is the Executive Director of the Christian Counseling Education Foundation (CCEF). He is a counselor with over 30 years experience. Our Gospel Care Center staff has received counseling certification from CCEF so we lean heavily on the “biblical counseling” philosophy foundation that he champions. In addition, we are the beneficiaries of both counseling classes taught by David at Westminster Theological Seminary as well as the numerous articles and books he has published.

As you can imagine, our counseling staff was very excited to learn he had written a book about a subject that is quite difficult to counsel wisely as it creates profound spiritual blindness to those under its control. This book is truly groundbreaking as it reframes the universal problem of anger through an in-depth exploration of God’s anger and ours. It is designed to be full of practical help for all who either struggle or are affected by anger issues. The goal of Good & Angry is to set readers on a path toward the faithful and fruitful expression of anger.

In order to whet your appetite so as to give you a flavor for this book, I have hand selected some of the numerous reviewer comments. My hope is you will find this book helpful either in your own personal struggle with anger or to help a loved one successfully navigate their own anger life issues.

Here are a few reviewer's quotes from the book:

“Anger can teach us something good not only about ourselves but also about God.”

“Powlison’s insights are profound, not only on anger, but patience, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.”

“Good & Angry masterfully captures the way every last one of us needs our anger redeemed and brims with practical wisdom to help that happen.”

“Powlison does not treat anger as a disease to be cured or a vice to be crushed. After all, the Bible depicts both Jesus and his heavenly Father as sometimes angry. Expect no comforting nostrums from these pages. Here, instead, you will find biblically faithful probing and gospel hope that will make it possible to be good and angry.”

“This book moves far beyond anger management, consistently reorienting us to God’s redemptive purposes for anger against real wrongs, while unveiling the lies that fuel destructive rage and cold-hearted grumbling. I have not read a more soul-searching and refreshing book in a long time.”

“Reading this book is like a conversation with a friend, rather than a lecture from a know-it-all. It is, above all, helpful and biblical.”