Intolerance/Tolerance

[Denise]

I get emails from The Berean Call; can't say that we meet eye to eye on everything but I thought the following excerpt from their radio program was really good (this is a transcript). It's just logical; it offers some good suggestions on what to say when people call you intolerant....and if you stick to Jesus you will be called intolerant.

But tolerance—well you wouldn’t want the police to be tolerant of crime, you wouldn’t want your doctor to be tolerance of disease, why is United Airlines so intolerant that they insist that I pay for my flights? They don’t let me on for free. Tolerant is a word you have to be careful with. It can be used properly, but improperly as well. Now that Christians insist that their way is the only way? No, we don’t. It’s Jesus who said, “I am THE way, THE truth and THE life, no man comes to the Father, but by me.” Now we have to face what Jesus said.

I remember sitting next to a young man on an airplane and his exact words were, “In high school I believed in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Now I don’t believe any more.” I said what do you think of Jesus? He said well I think he’s a good man. I said well you can’t say he’s a good man. If he’s a man, he’s not a good man because he claimed to be God. He said he would rise from the dead. He said he would judge everyone. He said that he would come again. He [Jesus] said, “I am THE way, THE truth and THE life, no man comes to the Father but by me.” Now if Jesus is a man and he makes statements like that he’s not a good man. He’s either a lunatic or a liar and we can prove that this is what Jesus said. We have eyewitness accounts to it. On the other hand, you couldn’t say he was a bad man. The influence of Christ is beyond that of anyone else. So I have to face what Jesus said.

Furthermore, logically, what’s wrong with being narrow-minded? I mean I would hope that my doctor would be very narrow-minded. I wouldn’t want to go to a doctor and after he examines me and I say, “Doc, what’s the diagnosis and the prognosis?” And he says, “Oh I wouldn’t be so narrow-minded and dogmatic as to come up with a definite diagnosis, what would you like? Open heart surgery has been very popular. When I get on an airplane, I’ve probably said this 100 times Tom, but I always hope we have a narrow-minded, dogmatic, fundamentalist pilot. I don’t want a broadminded pilot who doesn’t care what button he pushes and what direction he goes. Come on, it’s absurd! In every area of life we recognize there must be rules. You’ve got to have rules even to play football or basketball game. That’s why they have referees there. Anything goes? It doesn’t work in any area of life, except when it comes to that which is most important: man’s relationship with God, and if there is a God, what God might think about man and eternal destiny might be.

Suddenly, we’ve got to be broadminded because you know there are all different kinds of religion out there and if we’re too definite about what we believe we might offend someone. Tom, I’m sorry I lose patience with that idea. It does not make any sense whatsoever. Now if people want to launch out into eternity based upon their own opinion, or the opinion of some religious leader, some guru, cult leader, or the Pope, or Billy Graham, or Dave Hunt, or T. A. McMahon, whoever, that’s their problem. I wouldn’t want to launch into eternity; you know I’m talking about death now of course. It catches up with all of us and you better have some better evidence. We better know.

Don’t we face God finally? Isn’t he the one that created this universe? Well then let’s find out what God said. So tolerance? Is God going to be tolerant of every human opinion? One of the favorite sayings [is] “oh, we are all taking different roads to get to the same place.” Well, no that’s not broad minded, that says there’s only one destination. No matter what road you take we’re going to all end up in the same place and I’m not going there by God’s grace. Jesus wasn’t so narrow-minded as to say that. He said there were two destinations: heaven, or hell. So in fact, this tolerance puts a person on what Jesus called the broad road. “Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many there be that go therein. But straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it.” Tom it makes sense to me. We find that in every area of life. Science is rather narrow-minded isn’t it? Mathematics is narrow-minded.

The Berean Call - PO Box 7019, Bend OR, 97708 USA

[kd2]

I totally agree. I get very tired of the "urge" for Christians to be tolerant. We need to be tender-hearted toward those who are hurting. That does not mean that we need to not recognize that sin is causing the hurt.

[Denise]

And there are so many Christians that give into tolerance....we speak the truth IN LOVE but we must speak the truth. We have been given the amazing gift of not only salvation but the privilege of telling others Who they can also spend eternity with. We don't have to apologize for Jesus being THE way, THE truth, THE life; our standing firm is what can draw others to grace alone by faith alone in Jesus alone.

[shansu]

Good thread, I believe it goes along with what I've heard over the last few years about a doctrine called "inclusion." Nasty stuff.
Yes kd2
"We need to be tender-hearted toward those who are hurting. That does not mean that we need to not recognize that sin is causing the hurt."

God draws a strong line when it comes to sin. It's simple to deal with. Humble ourselves to God and REPENT. God HELP US ALL.