Let’s talk about mice and rats for a minute. They are small yet very destructive, a complete nuisance in a home. One way of warding them off is trapping them. But here’s the rub—these rodents will rarely saunter into a waiting trap; you need a bait to lure them, something irresistible to their rodent palates.
You may use a spoonful of peanut butter, slices of bacon, chocolate, cheese, fruit jam, etc. As they reach out to nibble on the delicacy, the trap snaps shut, ensnaring them.
Online rage baiting works the same way. It involves generating content aimed at eliciting extreme reactions. The provocative content will infuriate, shock, or cause its consumers to feel downright frustrated.
The result? Some people will throw a hissy fit in the comment section. Others will leave a reaction- a like, dislike, angry face, astonished face, etc. Yet others will share the content far and wide, giving it wings to go viral.
The sneaky content creator will, in turn, cackle to the bank as most social algorithms reward high engagement. Such rage-baiting content could be inflammatory remarks touching on politics, race, and gender. It could also be false information or pure hogwash.
In fact, I just came across a rage bait post on X. A content creator with a massive following has maliciously asserted that a particular politician’s wife abandoned him on his sickbed. I was frothing at the mouth after reading the post. I scurried to the comment section, and there it was—a bounty harvest of comments from enraged readers. They had fallen into the trap hook, line, and sinker, like me.
Is rage-baiting a smart move or a sin? Can Christians in the digital space use it to increase their reach? After all, didn’t Jesus ask believers to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves? (Mathew 10:16). Does God frown or give a thumbs up to those who fancy it?
Truth distinguishes God from man. God is truth, Jesus is truth, and the Holy Spirit is truth. The entire trinity is described as truth in the scriptures.
“Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4)
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.”
(John 16:13)
Truth points to God’s trustworthiness, infallibility, steadfastness, and faithfulness. You cannot separate truth from the gospel. God’s words are true (Psalm 119:160), and those who worship Him must do so in Spirit and truth (John 4:24).
Rage baiting is hinged on falsehood, lies, misinformation, trickery, and selfishness. The information disseminated is either twisted truth or outright deceit. The scriptures are crystal clear, light and darkness can have no communion (2 Corinthians 6:14). Truth and lies cannot mingle.
King Solomon laid it bare – lying lips are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 12:22). God abhors lies. A lying tongue ranks among the seven abominations listed in Proverbs 6. Ananias and Saphira attempted to lie to the Holy Spirit -the Spirit of truth. They offered an abominable sacrifice to God, laced with lies. They did not make it alive.
Christians, therefore, should neither generate rage bait nor be fond of consuming it. Truth is imprinted in the DNA of a believer.
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Jesus came to give us life in abundance. But guess where that life is generated-right inside your heart. Salvation itself happens in the heart. We receive forgiveness of sin when we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10).
After salvation, everything else in our lives proceeds from the heart. Faith proceeds from the heart, but so does unbelief. Courage proceeds from the heart, but so does fear. Hope is churned in the heart, but so is despair.
King Solomon, therefore, urges us to guard our hearts, not nonchalantly but diligently. He asks us to beef up the security around our hearts—install alarms, cameras, motion sensors, and high-quality locks. Because from our hearts proceeds life—or lack of it.
Consuming rage bait impinges on the health of our hearts. We get angry, flustered, frustrated; our peace is stifled. In the heat of the moment, we may utter unsavory words and sin against God.
Rage baiting may appear harmless, but it is not. Jesus warned that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. An ignited streak of anger, frustration, and despair can lead to full-blown sin.
Paul helps us filter what we should allow into our hearts. He asks us only to permit things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). If we use Paul’s standard (and we should), rage baiting stands no chance.
There are two ways to pass an exam. You can study hard and earn good grades- the honorable way. But there’s another twisted way of garnering good grades - cheating. It’s downright unscrupulous, but it achieves the desired end.
Rage baiting uses unscrupulous means to rake in likes, comments, shares, and followers. It manipulates people’s emotions through false information and sheer dishonesty. The followers will stream in, but the tactic used is at the bottom of the barrel.
In James 3, we discover two kinds of wisdom - heavenly and earthly. Divine wisdom is meek, pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, merciful, and full of good fruits. It does not show partiality and has no hypocrisy.
Human wisdom, on the other hand, is self-seeking, envious, boastful, and lies against the truth. It breeds confusion and every form of evil. Undoubtedly, rage baiting uses human wisdom, gratifying selfish desires, and peddling lies. James warns that this wisdom doesn’t come from God. On the contrary, it is earthly, sensual, and demonic.
Granted, we need wisdom to build our careers, businesses, and homes. Content creators and influencers need wisdom to flourish in their field. Wisdom is priceless, and its returns cannot be understated. God Himself built the world through wisdom.
“The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens” (Proverbs 3:19)
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”(Proverbs 4:7)
“Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established.”(Proverbs 24:3)
Rage baiting uses human wisdom, and though it may seem to work for a while, it only builds rickety structures. It builds on sand, and the building stands no chance when the rains, floods, and winds pound.
On the other hand, using godly wisdom is likened to building on a rock. Such a structure withstands the fiercest rains, floods, and winds. Christians should, therefore, steer clear of rage baiting by neither creating it nor consuming it.
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)
To redeem is to repurchase something, recouping its ownership. This is God’s expectation of us, where the use of time is concerned. We are to use it so wisely that it.
Translates into recouping it.
Our world, however, is peppered with distractions, with technology adding fuel to the fire. Social platforms abound, all baying for a slice of our time. Rage baiting is designed to ensnare us deeper into this rabbit hole of vanity. We end up squandering the precious time we would have spent on meaningful things.
Improper use of time leads to missed deadlines, lost opportunities, mental fatigue, sleep disorders, and a flurry of other drawbacks. Rage baiting pollutes our time, making it impossible to redeem it.
What if the cultural chaos we’re witnessing isn’t just political or social—but a visible sign of ancient, unseen spiritual forces at work? In this riveting episode, Catherine welcomes back New York Times bestselling author and esteemed spiritual leader Jonathan Cahn. Known for his prophetic insight and viral teachings, Jonathan cautions: “If we change the government, but we don’t change the hearts of the people, the unchanged hearts are going to change the government back... The only thing that can save America is revival.” If this episode helps you be a more thoughtful Christian in a crazy world, be sure to subscribe to Christian Parent, Crazy World on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Kara Gebhardt