Chaos, Correction, and Confrontation

We are living in times of unsustainable chaos and pain. You see it in the wicked incompetence of elected officials, the moral confusion and corruption from cultural influencers, the convictional weakness of our religious leaders, and even in the spiking cost of eggs, milk, and rent. Everything is in a chaotic mess.

Unfortunately, chaos is not the kind of thing you can drift out of. You have to bust out. It is a fact of history that a disruptive confrontation is required in order to correct chaos. Let me explain the way this works.

Three Kinds of Actors

In times of chaos and confrontation, at least three different kinds of actors exist.

The first kind of actors are the aggressors. These are the bad guys who create the chaos through evil actions, wicked thinking, and redrawing of traditional boundaries. The second kind of actors are the appeasers. These are good guys who see the problems initiated by the aggressors and respond to the trouble with some form of compromise. Finally, there are the agitators. Agitators are good guys who know confrontation is required to respond to evil, error, and serious difficulty. They take bold action to confront wickedness and restore righteousness.

These various kinds of actors show up repeatedly throughout history. Just one example is World War II—one of the most chaotic times in all human history. The obvious aggressor was Adolf Hitler, who sought to redraw the boundaries of Europe, rebalance the scales of international power, and remove entire groups of people from the planet. The appeasers in the conflict were men like Neville Chamberlain in Great Britain, who thought Hitler’s wickedness could be kept in check through conversations and compromise. The great agitator was Winston Churchill who knew the only way to address such wicked aggression was through a bold confrontation leading to clear defeat.

We see similar patterns throughout biblical history with an aggressor like Absalom, who sought to usurp the throne of Israel, an appeaser like King David himself, who was willing to allow a supplanter to steal the throne, and an agitator like Joab, who motivated those around him—including the true king—to righteous conflict (2 Samuel 15-19).

These same categories appear in our contemporary conflicts. In the world of politics, the liberal democrats are the aggressors seeking to reshape national life, established Republicans are the appeasers seeking to respond with traditional means, and MAGA Republicans are the agitators seeking to solve problems with radical confrontation. In evangelicalism, aggressors seek the normalization of LGBTQ+ lifestyles, appeasers remain personally committed to biblical sexuality while apologizing for it publicly, and agitators insist on a bold stand for the truth and call anyone who refuses to repentance.

Three Guiding Principles

An understanding of these three actors provides a great deal of help in navigating the times of contemporary chaos. Here are three principles that guide the way forward.

1. The Principle of Divided Voices

If you have ever noticed that chaotic times make it hard to know who to listen to and trust, a big reason is because of the competing and confusing voices of these three actors. Times of trouble redraw traditional boundaries, displacing old alliances and creating new coalitions. In calmer times, appeasers and agitators agree in principle on most of the fundamental issues. But in times of chaos, the commitment of appeasers to prioritize compromise over confrontation places them at practical odds with agitators who would otherwise be their allies. Appeasers thus create a functional and shocking alliance with aggressors who are their enemies in principle.

This reality means aggressors love appeasers. Aggressors know appeasers do not agree with them on the issues but also know an appeaser’s distaste for conflict makes the aggressor’s wicked work much easier. This reality is profoundly frustrating to agitators who recognize their appeaser friends are mere pawns in the hands of aggressors. On the other hand, appeasers who agree with agitators on core issues are consumed with fear and frustration that an agitator’s disruptive tactics will make a bad situation worse.

In WWII, Chamberlain and Churchill each wanted to thwart Hitler’s corrupt use of power. But they were placed at practical odds as Chamberlain felt the threat was best addressed through compromise, and Churchill believed a dramatic confrontation was necessary. This disagreement led each man to believe the other was making their common goal harder.

2. The Principle of Distorted Vision

The fundamental flaw of every appeaser is a failure to see what is really taking place.

Because appeasers are good guys, they are not blind. They see some things accurately. For example, they are correct that confrontation is dangerous, risky, and always destructive. It is right to avoid it wherever possible.

The distortion of appeasers enters when they fail to see when the time to fight has come. They look at agitators who were their friends in former times but now see them as part of the problem. They critique the tone and tactics of their principled allies while overlooking the wickedness of aggressors they should oppose.

Their problem is not that they never have a point or that their intentions are bad. The problem is a failure to see the times for what they are. They do not see that conflict will come sooner rather than later and that sooner is better before wickedness grows, spreads, and strengthens.

Appeasers want things to be different than they are. They may want to emulate the life work of someone they admired from a former, more peaceful time. They may desire to pursue the mission they thought they would have, which real life is now threatening. Regardless, appeasers replace reality with a wish or dream. In so doing, they fail to see what is actually going on and miss the moment.

Their failure of action is a failure of vision.

When Chamberlain led the European powers to hand over huge chunks of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in a bid to bribe him out of war, he told the world he had achieved “peace in our time.” WWII broke out one year later.

Chamberlain’s error was a failure to see clearly. He simply could not see that Hitler had a voracious appetite for European domination that appeasement encouraged rather than constrained.

3. The Principle of Delayed Vindication

Agitators are far from perfect. In advancing their necessary arguments, their flaws become visible, creating stress and strain.

But God uses these unique individuals to combat unique threats. He gives them the gift of seeing what others overlook and the strength to do what others avoid. They are his gift in chaotic times to confront wickedness and increase righteousness. But this precious gift comes at a cost to the agitators. There is a direct relationship between the seriousness of the threat, the warnings of the agitators, and the scorn they receive from people who do not see with similar clarity. Agitators are usually accused of being crazy or corrupt—especially early on.

But time always tells the truth and ultimately vindicates agitators. In WWII, King George was very nervous about appointing Churchill to be his Prime Minister. He thought Churchill was reckless and, initially, wanted to appoint an appeaser in the mold of Chamberlain. Over time, he came to believe that Churchill, with all his bold imperfections, was essential to victory.

The Need for Agitators

Look around at the contemporary chaos happening in so many areas of life, and you will see examples of all three kinds of actors. But in these tumultuous times, I really hope you will keep your eyes peeled for the agitators. Chaotic times like ours require agitators willing to confront the chaos and lead in the restoration of righteousness. We need God to raise up agitators in many areas of life and to lead us out of our contemporary chaos.

As you look for the agitators that God is raising up, don’t expect to find someone perfect. The kind of massive personality required to confront serious chaos usually comes with significant flaws. In fact, in all human history, God has only raised up one perfect agitator (1 Peter 2:22-24). All the rest have been characterized by serious sins.

Instead of perfection, find someone flawed who sees clearly what is wrong and is fighting like crazy to oppose it. Then, get behind that person and help him win.