Unsearchable RichesChristian. Veg*n. Writer. Wife.

There’s a lot of controversy around the word ‘tolerance’ in the Christian community because it can be used as a smokescreen to avoid speaking out about hot button issues. This can certainly be the case sometimes. Also, some argue that by being ‘tolerant’ of issues that it implies tacit approval.

I think that people using these arguments are operating from a flawed perception of tolerance.

Merriam-Webster says this:

1 : capacity to endure pain or hardship : endurance, fortitude, stamina
2 a : sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own b : the act of allowing something : toleration
3 : the allowable deviation from a standard; especially : the range of variation permitted in maintaining a specified dimension in machining a piece

Nowhere does it say ‘accept’ or ‘approve’. It does say ‘allow.’ Maybe it’s because I’m a language fanatic that I split hairs on semantics, but there IS a difference. I can allow someone to smoke near me, and still voice my disapproval of smoking. But I’m respecting the smoker’s decision to do so.

This gets sticky when it comes to Christianity, or does it? You’ll notice in my intro I mentioned that this word gets thrown around most often in relation to hot-button issues. Gay marriage. Abortion. Separation of church and state. Evolution theory. By allowing, tolerating, these things, we can still speak out against them. Tolerance does NOT mean sitting placidly on your heels; it doesn’t mean compromising your beliefs for the sake of a lack of contention.

However. (I always have a however, don’t I?) We must still respect the people who disagree with us. I have a big problem with the issue of respect because nobody does it anymore. Everyone feels entitled to respect they haven’t earned (I don’t believe it needs to be, as per Biblical commands to respect each other), but doesn’t feel a need to reciprocate it.

The thing about tolerating issues is we often forget to respect the person involved. By speaking in favor of unborn babies, I should not be pointing fingers at the women who have had abortions. I think part of the problem with the tolerance debate is that people aren’t able to separate the issue with the people involved (it’s not easy to do; I’ll admit. Most people aren’t good at theoretical debate and must personalize). So no one says anything because they don’t want to come off as the Christian meany who isn’t sensitive to the hardship that X/Y/Z has gone through, etc. etc. You know what I’m talking about.

What can we do? Well, don’t sit silent. On the other hand, don’t be that rabid lone voice so angry and single-minded that it has lost touch with the saving message of Christ.  Tolerance isn’t a bad thing. Recognizes that all those issues are just that, issues. They aren’t SOULS. And people caught in sin don’t need you to practice a faulty tolerance toward them. They need love and honesty. Funny, but Christ is Love and Truth; how ’bout that?

So, in conclusion, because I know this was rambly-pambly, tolerance means allowing things we disagree with, even as we speak against them, with love and respect for the people involved in the discussion. Tolerance should never prevent us from sharing Christ; conversely, it should encourage it.