As Christians, how we respond to cultural events matters, whether we support them or not.

The 2024 Olympic games have already been a hotbed of Christian outrage.

It started with the Opening Ceremonies.

There were parts I loved (Gojira), and parts I thought maybe weren’t appropriate for my young children glued to the TV.

Obviously, the Last-Supper-Maybe-Not-Last-Supper segment drew massive Christian ire.

Last night, in a women’s boxing match, a player threw in the towel, in pain, after a couple of punches.

Her opponent had previously been disqualified from the World Championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test (this doesn’t mean she’s a man; details are few).

Christians have had a wide range of responses to both events so far.

Rage and disgust are two responses that have outweighed the rest (at least online).

Conservative Christians took to social media to blast Olympic organizers over both situations.

Facts be damned, they were going to have their voices heard and heard NOW.

Now, I don’t need you to condone either situation or any situation, but how we respond as Christians matters.

Neither incident was life-threatening. No one died.

In the first incident, a simple change of channel solved the problem for most people who were uncomfortable with the display.

When the situation isn’t life and death, let’s be the first ones to take a beat and breathe.

Wait, let the rage and anger pass, and respond with dignity and respect (if we need to respond at all).

Disagree. Express concern. Call to a higher standard.

All are appropriate. Your voice matters as much as anyone else’s.

When we fly off the handle in a fit of rage, it says more about us than the culture we’re commenting on.

For better or worse, as Christians, we’re all tied together. What one group of us does impacts the standing of all the others. Maybe, especially in the US.

The social media rage machine negatively impacts the on-the-ground ministry of local churches, which find it hard to reach out to neighbors due to their perceptions of Christians.

Let’s be the most level-headed and respectful cohort of Americans, even when we find ourselves offended.

Maybe we should be the last to respond instead of the first?

Be respectful. Be thoughtful. Be loving. Be Christian.