Tolerance pt. 1

Much is made in our society about being "tolerant." What exactly does that mean? What should it mean for the contemporary Christian. The accusation is oft made against Christians that we just aren't "tolerant" enough. These next few posts will attempt to explore this slippery issue and answer a few key questions: What is tolerance? Are we Christians tolerant of others? Should we be tolerant of sin? How did Jesus deal with the issue of tolerance.

Today, let's look at a brief, but illuminating illustration of what tolerance isn't...by any objective standard. The great irony is that this statement is uttered by an activist fighting for greater tolerance of his special interest group, gays and lesbians:

"We have to quit being afraid of the religious right. We also have to quit — I'm trying to find a way to say this. I'm trying not to say, '[F—] 'em!' which is what I want to say, because I don't care what they think! [audience laughter] Drop dead!"

That's Greg Jennings, founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSN) and recent appointee to the Department of Education. He doesn't sound all that tolerant! Apparently, Mr. Jennings definition of tolerance is this: Hold firm to what you believe in and arrogantly attempt to squash all who might oppose you.

Sadly, this too often what passes for tolerance in today's PC culture. Even more sad is the prevalence of those in Christendom who have taken up the same tactic, assuming the role of the shouting victim. As we will examine further, this is not the scriptural model for tolerance. We Christians certainly have some work to do in this area and a long way to go before we can assume our place as Christ-like role models for the rest of the world.