Situational Tolerance

We live in an age where ‘tolerance’ is politically correct. Everyone believes whatever ‘truth’ he sees fit. That tolerance is usually not extended to Christians because they are seen as ‘intolerant’ because of their teachings about Jesus being the only way. I have friends that attend a Unitarian church which claims to be tolerant of all beliefs. But they have told me that even there Christianity is not tolerated very well. I call this ‘situational tolerance’ in that even those who are ‘tolerant’ of ‘all beliefs’ have a few places where they become ‘intolerant.’ Christianity just rubs those people the wrong way.

Jesus was confronting the religious leaders about their lack of acceptance of him as being God’s Son. He said, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me, but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 5:42-47

Just as these religious leaders were condemned by their own laws and teachings, so the ‘tolerant’ crowd are condemned by their own beliefs when they choose to not tolerate Christians. Come to think of it, they are not the only ones condemned by their own beliefs. It seems in interactions with others, many of us have more difficulty with people who have the same struggles we have, especially if we have not recognized our own problems or dealt with them. If we take note of what we judge in others, we will often find our own shortcomings being illuminated. Ouch!

When I recognize my intolerance of others as my own issues I need to deal with, it makes me more compassionate, forgiving, and accepting of the other person. Something that has made a difference for me when I find myself not liking a person or what they said or did is focusing on a couple of things Jesus said. “For God so loved the world,” John 3:16. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Jesus is always open and accepting of everyone. There is no one so bad that Jesus cannot love them.

In the end, I think that is really what the ‘tolerance crowd’ is looking for – Love! “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

I need to get myself and my demands out of the way so I am free to love others. And with his grace and his Holy Spirit living in me, I can love those I find difficult to love as well as those who are easy to love.

May God give me the wisdom to love others well.