Where does the rage come from? In traffic someone slams on their brakes, shoots the gap, or zips across the intersection in front of me. Pow. Quick mad, oath. If the offender is older or younger, different gender or skin hue, better or worse car than me... at least for a moment from somewhere comes a slice of anger at 'those people'. If the opposing driver happens to be an aging bald white guy in a mid-scale car, I tend to give him a pass.

Source of the quick come/quick go anger...rage? Fear. It scares me that something threatens my safety, sense of security. Maybe even jangles my pride, violates my temporary asphalt territory.

In THE POLITICS OF RAGE: GEORGE WALLACE, THE ORIGINS OF CONSERVATISM, AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN POLITICS, Emory historian Dan Carter traces George Wallace's life, politics, and continuing impact on American life.

Wallace got votes by whipping up racial prejudice and working class anger. His rhetoric, intelligence, chemistry, lack of boundaries, and masterful use of direct appeal mailing lists (perfected even more by Ronald Reagan) all played their part. But at the heart of it was fear.

Toward the end of the near 500 page book, Professor Carter begins to assess. In times of social, national, economic, and now add environmental uncertainty, people are edgy and fearful.

Will I have enough? Will others get easily what I perceive I worked hard to get? Is my sense of worth jangled by others sharing some of the status only 'some' of us previously had? Isn't it Washington or Wall Street's fault? Do I have to take some of the responsibility for the jam we are in, for which I prefer to blame someone else? Fear: physical, financial, social class, self-esteem.

In such times, Carter reminds, three dangerous 'isms' epidemic-ize. Racism. Nationalism. Fundamentalism. We blame people of different races, colors. We blame people from other countries; as well as call those with whom we disagree: unpatriotic, even treasonous. Religious fundamentalists (all religions) demonize others. Fear poisons our love of others, country, and God.

A word quest through scripture finds such as 'fear not' and 'don't be afraid' repeated again and again. From God to Abraham and Sarah, through Moses to the Israelite wanderers, angels to scared Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and shepherds. On the road Jesus with shaky disciples then. Risen Jesus with shaky disciples now. The promise is God is more present than we initially believe and see.

The fear alternative throughout the Bible is love (mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion). The God of Jesus gives us the beyond our own doing love and courage to care and include when our fear always drives us to be mean and exclude. Fear = destructive. Love = constructive. "In Christ reconciliation with the world with God took place. The world will be overcome not by destruction but by reconciliation." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Politics are value neutral. Based on the Greek word 'polis' for city, politics refers to how groups of people make decisions (in families, churches, society). HOW we conduct our politics is of huge moral, even earth survival, significance. Our fear is easily pumped up just now. Temptation to villainize and exclude is....well tempting. God's love translated into our lives is not for the faint and never easy...will always call us to include those we would otherwise exclude, to call enemies brothers and sisters.

Question: is there a driving school for life? Oh yeah, they call it worship.