The Bad News Part 3: Is it Intolerant to Talk About Sin?
Intolerant is conversation stopper. Today its used to label people who hold views that others find too restrictive, however they define restricitve. The moment you are accused of being intolerant, you have to either back-pedal and choose a different opinion that doesn't really match what you think, or you have to accept the label and be socially ostracized as an unenlightened moron. That's because intolerance has come to mean having a view of truth that excludes other people's views of truth.
But the popular use of the word intolerant today is incorrect. It is not intolerant to have an exclusive view of what is true. Truth, by definition, is exclusive. It excludes all views and propositions to the contrary. Anyone who states an opinion or holds to a view of truth (even the view that there is no truth) does so in distiction from contrary opinions. A person can hold a view and tolerate the views of others, even if he thinks those other views are wrong.
Let me try to clarify. Here's a dictionary definition of tolerance:
A fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
According to this definition, tolerance has nothing to do with your view or what is actually true. It has to do with how you treat the views of other people. I can disagree with someone completely and passionately without becoming intolerant. The beauty of the "permissive attitude" of this definition is that it allows me to be kind and generous, tolerating another person's opinion and practices, permitting them to make their own decisions even if they are, in my opinion, profoundly wrong.
So let's take up our original question: Is it intolerant to talk about sin? Though people who talk about human sin and evil are often labeled intolerant, I hope you can now see that this question has no answer. Tolerance doesn't address a person's view; it addresses the responses to that view. If you share with someone that the Bible calls sinners to repent and turn to Jesus, the only intolerance that could come from that encounter would be from the person who listens and must now choose how to respond. Ironically, some of the most intolerant people in the world are those who insist on ridiculing the views of others by inappropriately labeling them intolerant!
Don't be bullied by the tolerance police. If you share your view lovingly and get labeled intolerant, simply ask the question, "Why are you not willing to thoughtfully, carefully, and lovingly consider my view. Are you intolerant?"
Labels:
Evangelism,
The Bad News,
Theology
2 comments:
I agree with what you say. I don't like when people, non-Christians, make the claim that Jesus was tolerant and therefore Christians should be tolerant. This is usually presented in a manner that Christians should be accepting of certains behaviors and attitudes. Jesus was not tolerant. He was loving. When he had an healing encounter, he always ended by saying, "You are forgiven, Go and sin no more" or something similiar. If he was tolerant he wouldn't have told the person that they are forgiven because they wouldn't have needed to be forgiven. If he was tolerant he wouldn't have died on the cross because there would have been no reason to die. If he was tolerant, the religious leaders wouldn't have had him crucified. Jesus wasn't tolerant the way the word is used today and I get upset when Christians feel the church should be more tolerant.
Hey Tom, Thanks for your thoughts. My hope is actually to reclaim the real meaning of tolerance through love. Jesus was actually quite tolerant to sinners. Maybe it would more helpful to use the word "long-suffering" with regard to Jesus. The fact that we are given any common grace at all and don't fall dead the moment we sin shows just how patient the Lord is. And Jesus was certainly willing to allow people to walk away from him in disagreement. Consider the rich young ruler. I would say we definitely need to have the patience and love of Jesus toward those with whom we disagree. And I would call that tolerance.
Where Jesus was intolerant, though, was with the Pharisees; the religious insiders. Furthermore, Paul shows incredible tolerance with regard to the pagan idolaters, while harshly critiquing the church in order to maintain purity and unity. If anything, Christians need to be far more loving and tolerant of the unbelieving masses and far less tolerant of sinful abuses among those professing Christ. I would say in many ways the church gets this backwards.
I agree with you that Jesus was not tolerant the way the word is used today! Great point. But let me ask you, what specifically upsets you about the idea of the church being more tolerant toward the worldviews of non-christians? If we reclaim the idea of tolerance as a loving attitude toward those with whom we disagree, does that change your mind?
Post a Comment