Maybe it’s not a ‘culture of outrage’ we’re living in after all …

Justine Sacco was preparing to board a flight from London to Cape Town in December 2013 when she posted an offensive joke about AIDS and race on Twitter. She had only a small number of followers and apparently expected the post to pass with little notice. Instead, while she was inaccessible during the long flight, other users began sharing it, condemning it and turning her into the target of an enormous public backlash. By the time she landed, her post had spread around the world, a mocking hashtag about her arrival was circulating widely, and her employer had announced that it was investigating the matter. She was subsequently fired.

The offensiveness of Sacco’s post was real, and public criticism was justified. Yet criticism soon became something more personal and more disturbing. Strangers who had never met her speculated about her entire character, mocked her appearance, anticipated her discovery of the uproar and treated the destruction of her career as entertainment. Thousands of people were no longer responding only to an objectionable statement, they had joined a public spectacle centered on the humiliation of the person who made it.

That incident occurred more than a decade ago, but the conduct it exposed has become ordinary. A video clip, careless remark, political opinion, criminal accusation or embarrassing failure can now place almost anyone before an online tribunal. Facts may remain incomplete and motives unknown, yet judgments arrive immediately. People ridicule the target, assign the worst possible intentions, search through years of personal history, demand professional and social punishment, and congratulate one another for helping to deliver it.

Athletes encounter abuse after losing a competition. Politicians and their families receive threats. Pastors, teachers, business owners, and ordinary private citizens can become objects of national scorn in a matter of hours. A 2026 report on online abuse directed at professional tennis players examined more than 1.2 million posts and identified thousands as abusive, including serious threats. The targets were not merely told that they had played poorly, they were treated as people against whom strangers felt entitled to direct degradation and hatred.

Digital platforms did not create human anger, but they can reward its public performance. Research has found that social approval through likes, reposts and replies can increase subsequent expressions of outrage and toxicity. Other research has identified a “confrontation effect” in which users are especially likely to engage with political content that challenges or provokes them. The designation of “rage bait” as Oxford University Press’s 2025 Word of the Year reflected how thoroughly the deliberate provocation of anger had become embedded in online culture.

Christian leaders have consequently warned that we are living in a “culture of outrage.” Ed Stetzer used that description prominently in Christians in the Age of Outrage, addressing both the surrounding culture and the conduct of Christians within it. The phrase fits much of what we see. Public life is saturated with anger, accusation and retaliation, while communication increasingly appears designed to provoke the strongest possible reaction.

Yet the visible anger may not identify the deepest problem.

Much of what passes for outrage contains an additional judgment. The person speaking is communicating more than “What you said is false,” “What you did was wrong” or “The harm you caused must be confronted.” Mockery, humiliation and dehumanizing language convey another message: “You are beneath me. You are unworthy of respect. Your disgrace is deserved, and your suffering gives me satisfaction.”

Perhaps we are living in a culture of contempt.

The judgment beneath the emotion
Clinically, contempt is an emotion rooted in a person’s thoughts and appraisals about someone else. A person observes another’s conduct, character, beliefs, social position or failures and interprets that person as inferior, morally repulsive, worthless, beneath respect or deserving of scorn. Those thoughts produce the emotion of contempt, and the combination of thought and emotion influences behavior.

Contempt may be expressed through a sneer, an eye roll, a dismissive tone, an insulting label, sarcastic imitation, ridicule, avoidance or indifference. Its outward forms vary, but the internal message remains essentially the same: “I am above you, and you are beneath me.”

This helps explain why outrage and contempt can appear together so easily. Outrage responds to something perceived as offensive, unjust, or morally wrong. Contempt evaluates the person associated with that wrong as inferior or undeserving of dignity. Outrage can exist without contempt; a person can be deeply angered by cruelty or corruption while continuing to recognize the humanity of the wrongdoer. Yet outrage becomes especially vicious when contempt supplies its underlying view of the person.

The difference appears in the desired outcome. Righteous anger seeks truth, justice, protection, correction, repentance, or restitution. Contempt wants the offender lowered, exposed, silenced, humiliated, or expelled from the circle of people whose lives and voices matter. Once a person has been judged beneath respect, cruelty can feel morally acceptable.

That is why our culture’s problem may reach deeper than the prevalence of anger. The insults, public shaming, and pleasure in another person’s downfall reveal conclusions about human worth. The Bible speaks comprehensively and forcefully to those conclusions.

What the Bible says about contempt
1. Contempt begins as a sinful judgment within the heart. The Bible presents contempt as an inward judgment through which one person despises, devalues, or looks down upon another. Its outward expressions matter, but they originate in thoughts and appraisals already accepted within the heart.

Jesus taught that evil words and actions proceed from within a person (Matthew 15:18–19). Contemptuous speech therefore does more than reveal poor communication skills, it discloses what the speaker has been saying internally about someone else. Before the insult is spoken, the person has formed a judgment. Before the mockery is expressed, the other person has already been reduced in the mind of the mocker.

This biblical pattern corresponds to what is observed clinically. Thoughts about another person generate an emotional response, and thought joined with emotion shapes behavior. A person who repeatedly tells himself that another is stupid, disgusting, worthless or beneath consideration will increasingly feel and act in accordance with those judgments.

2. Contempt grows from pride. Contempt requires a position of assumed superiority. The contemptuous person looks down because he has placed himself above. Scripture associates mockery with arrogance and pride (Proverbs 21:24), and Paul warns believers against thinking more highly of themselves than they ought to think (Romans 12:3).

Jesus made this connection unmistakable in His parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Luke introduces the parable with a complete description of its intended audience: “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else,” Luke 18:9.

The Pharisee measured his righteousness by comparing himself with people he considered morally inferior. His prayer thanked God that he was unlike “cheaters, sinners, adulterers” and the tax collector standing nearby (Luke 18:10–12). The tax collector, however, asked God for mercy because he recognized his own sin (Luke 18:13). Jesus declared that the humbled sinner, rather than the self-exalting religious man, returned home justified before God (Luke 18:14).

Contempt thrives when people become impressed with their own goodness, knowledge, discernment, doctrine, politics, or social standing. Another person’s failure then becomes an opportunity to confirm their own superiority. Awareness of grace undermines that posture because grace reminds us that we stand before God as recipients of mercy, never as self-created examples of righteousness.

3. Contempt violates the dignity God gives every human being. Human dignity begins with creation. God made human beings in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26–27). Their value therefore does not depend upon intelligence, achievement, wealth, usefulness, agreement, social approval, or moral performance.

Sin can corrupt a person’s beliefs and behavior profoundly. It may require confrontation, restraint, discipline, or legal punishment. Yet even serious wrongdoing does not give others permission to treat the wrongdoer as though he has ceased to bear God-given human dignity.

James confronts the contradiction of praising God while cursing people made in God’s likeness (James 3:9–10). The mouth cannot honor the Creator while degrading those who bear His image without exposing a divided and sinful heart. Contempt for another human being therefore reaches beyond a failure of courtesy, it dishonors someone whom God deliberately created.

4. Contempt speaks through mockery, ridicule, and insult. Scripture repeatedly portrays contempt through language intended to belittle. Young men mocked Elisha and reduced him to an object of ridicule (2 Kings 2:23). Sanballat and others laughed at Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, despised the workers, and misrepresented their intentions (Nehemiah 2:19). Psalm 1 warns against settling into the company and habits of mockers (Psalm 1:1), while Proverbs recognizes that a scoffer’s presence fuels insults and conflict (Proverbs 22:10).

Jesus traced insulting speech back to the heart. In Matthew 5:21–22, He moved from the prohibition against murder to the anger and contemptuous language that can arise from the same disposition toward another person. An insult does not inflict the physical harm of murder, but it can express the wish to strip someone of honor, identity, and place among other human beings.

Modern technology expands the audience for this ancient sin. A contemptuous comment once heard by a few people can now reach thousands. A humiliating image can be copied indefinitely. A degrading nickname can become a trend. Wider distribution does not change the moral character of the act, it multiplies the number of people invited to participate in it.

5. Contempt can be expressed through indifference. Contempt is not confined to hostile words. A person can communicate another’s supposed worthlessness by refusing concern, withholding compassion, or deciding that the person’s suffering does not deserve attention.

Proverbs 14:21 states, “It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor.” The verse connects contempt directly with a failure to recognize and respond to a neighbor’s value.

Jesus illustrated this moral failure in the account of the man who was beaten, robbed, and abandoned beside the road. A priest and a Temple assistant saw him and passed by, while a Samaritan stopped, treated his wounds, carried him to safety, and paid for his continued care (Luke 10:30–37). The Samaritan recognized a human obligation that the religious men ignored.

Indifference can therefore carry the judgment of contempt without saying a word. We reveal it when we dismiss someone’s pain, regard another’s needs as an inconvenience, or decide that certain people fall outside the boundaries of compassion.

6. God especially condemns contempt toward the poor and vulnerable. Scripture gives particular attention to people whose lack of wealth, influence, or social standing makes them easy to disregard. Proverbs 17:5 states the matter plainly: “Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.”

Mockery of the poor insults God because their poverty does not diminish His role as their Creator. The verse also condemns pleasure in another person’s suffering, one of contempt’s most revealing features. When someone else’s misfortune becomes a source of satisfaction, the heart has moved far beyond a concern for justice.

James applies the same principle within the church. He rebukes believers who offer an honored seat to a wealthy visitor while directing a poor person toward an inferior place (James 2:1–9). Their behavior exposes judgments about whose presence deserves respect. Favoritism becomes an expression of contempt when wealth is treated as evidence of worth and poverty as grounds for humiliation.

The principle extends to anyone whose weakness makes mistreatment easy: children, older adults, people with disabilities, immigrants, prisoners, the poorly educated, the socially awkward, and those carrying visible consequences of past sins. Their limited ability to increase our status or repay our attention never reduces their worth before God.

7. Contempt is incompatible with biblical love. Biblical love refuses to build one person up by pushing another down. Paul describes love as patient and kind, free from jealousy, boasting, pride, rudeness, self-seeking conduct, and delight in injustice (1 Corinthians 13:4–6). Each of those qualities challenges some feature of contempt.

The command of Romans 12:10 provides a direct alternative: “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Honor recognizes value and treats another person accordingly. Contempt searches for reasons to withdraw honor and replace it with degradation.

Paul also commands believers to live in harmony and associate with people of low position rather than becoming proud (Romans 12:16). Philippians instructs Christians to reject selfish ambition and pride, consider others with humility, and attend to their interests (Philippians 2:3–4).

Honor does not require pretending that evil is good or error is truth. Love can confront, rebuke, establish boundaries, and insist upon consequences. It does so while continuing to regard the other person as someone whose life matters to God.

8. Contempt prevents honest self-examination. Contempt directs sustained attention toward another person’s defects while protecting the contemptuous person from examining his own. The sins of others become vivid, while personal pride, cruelty, and hypocrisy remain conveniently blurred.

Jesus portrayed this distortion through the image of someone attempting to remove a speck from another person’s eye while ignoring the log in his own (Matthew 7:1–5). His teaching does not forbid moral discernment. After confronting hypocrisy, He says that the person who first addresses his own condition will then see clearly enough to help his brother.

Jesus elsewhere commands people to judge correctly rather than by appearances (John 7:24). Righteous judgment requires truth, humility, and clear sight. Contemptuous judgment begins with a verdict of superiority and then interprets every fact in a way that supports it.

This explains why contempt can masquerade as moral courage. A person may describe harshness as honesty, mockery as discernment, cruelty as boldness, and pride as faithfulness. Without honest self-examination, contempt can easily disguise itself as virtue.

9. The Bible distinguishes contempt from righteous opposition to sin. Scripture never calls Christians to moral indifference. God commands His people to identify evil, confront wrongdoing, and defend what is right. Israel was instructed to correct a neighbor rather than silently allowing sin to continue (Leviticus 19:17). Paul told believers to expose the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). Timothy was charged to preach God’s Word faithfully, correcting, rebuking and encouraging with patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2).

None of those commands, however, authorizes contempt.

Instead, Scripture carefully regulates the spirit in which correction is given. Paul instructs believers to restore those caught in sin gently, remembering their own vulnerability to temptation (Galatians 6:1). He writes to Timothy that “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth …” (2 Timothy 2:24–25a). Titus 3:2 likewise commands believers, “They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.”

The distinction is essential. Christians are never required to approve sin, excuse evil, or remain silent in the face of injustice. They are, however, forbidden to despise the people they confront. Truth spoken without love easily becomes contempt. Love without truth becomes compromise. Scripture commands neither. It commands both.

10. Jesus endured contempt without responding in kind. No one in history experienced greater contempt than Jesus Christ.

Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be “… despised and rejected — a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care,” Isaiah 53:3. During His trial, Roman soldiers mocked Him, clothed Him in a scarlet robe, forced a crown of thorns upon His head, spat on Him, struck Him, and ridiculed His claim to be King (Matthew 27:27–31). Herod and his soldiers also treated Him with contempt before sending Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:11).

Yet Jesus never answered contempt with contempt.

Peter writes, “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly,” 1 Peter 2:23.

That does not mean Jesus ignored sin. He confronted hypocrisy, exposed falsehood, and pronounced judgment where judgment was deserved. But He never denied the humanity of those who opposed Him, and He never surrendered His own character to the sins committed against Him. He entrusted justice to His Father while remaining perfectly righteous Himself.

In a culture increasingly defined by contempt, Christ provides not merely an example but the pattern every believer is called to follow.

11. The biblical answer to contempt is repentance and renewed thinking. Because contempt begins with the judgments we form about other people, behavioral restraint alone cannot cure it. A person may learn to conceal contemptuous words while continuing to nurture contemptuous thoughts. God therefore addresses the problem at its source.

Paul writes, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think,” Romans 12:2. The renewed mind naturally produces a different view of both self and others. Immediately afterward Paul warns believers not to think more highly of themselves than they ought (Romans 12:3).

Philippians points to Christ as the model of that transformed mind: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too,” Philippians 2:3–4. Paul then points to Jesus, who willingly humbled Himself, took the position of a servant and became obedient even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5–8). A heart shaped by Christ cannot simultaneously cultivate contempt for those He came to save.

Renewed thinking also transforms speech. Paul commands believers, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them,” Ephesians 4:29. He immediately adds that believers must “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you,” Ephesians 4:31–32. Likewise, he instructs the Colossian church, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone,” Colossians 4:6.

Notice the progression. God does not begin by commanding different words, He begins by changing the way we think. Different thoughts produce different emotions. Those different emotions produce different behavior. When pride gives way to humility and self-righteousness gives way to gratitude for grace, contempt loses the judgments upon which it depends.

Perhaps that is why contempt is such a dangerous sin – it rarely announces itself. Few people wake up intending to despise others. Instead, contempt develops subtly through repeated judgments that seem justified at the time. We rehearse another person’s faults, question his motives, exaggerate his failures, and eventually conclude that he deserves less respect than other people. By the time contempt reaches our words, it has already been living in our thoughts.

That possibility should concern every Christian.

It is possible to defend truth while nurturing contempt. It is possible to oppose evil while secretly enjoying the humiliation of the evildoer. It is possible to speak passionately about righteousness while gradually losing sight of the image of God in the people with whom we disagree.

Perhaps that is why our public discourse has become so poisonous. We have become remarkably skilled at identifying what is wrong with other people while becoming increasingly comfortable treating them as though they have less worth because of it.

If that is true, then our greatest need is not simply calmer conversations or fewer angry reactions. We need hearts that have been so transformed by the grace of Christ that they refuse to surrender another person’s God-given dignity, even while speaking truth with courage and conviction.

Before joining the next online pile-on, sharing the next humiliating meme, or adding one more sarcastic comment to an already angry conversation, perhaps each of us should pause long enough to ask a far more searching question:

Am I confronting someone’s sin, or have I begun to despise the sinner?

Scotty