Beyond Tolerance

On this side, there are those who cry for "Tolerance!" These are often those who live in some way that departs from a particular standard (a Biblical standard, a rigid religious standard, a self-righteous standard, a societal norm, etc.). They feel judged, and understandably don't want to be judged. They don't subscribe to that particular standard and are asking to not be held to that standard.

On the opposite side, there are those who see the word "tolerance" as a code word for "condone me with all of my sins." There are some things that are right and some things that are wrong, and whoever is wrong should not be condoned in their wrong-ness. Often, but certainly not always, these folks identify themselves as Christians.

So, let me focus in on the Christian response, without comment on how the rest of the world ought to respond.

Calmer Christians will add a caveat saying, "Of course, we ought to accept everyone as they are, but in no way condone any form of sin." That's rational and consistent. But I don't think it goes far enough. Nor do I think those who call for tolerance are going far enough, either!

Now it's beginning to sound like I'm about to skip merrily down the lane of full-on tolerance of anything and everything. Not at all. Here's my key issue - those who live in each of the far corners of this topic have a binary view of this issue. It's either tolerance of everything or horrible judgmentalism. You're either advocating everything or condemning others, with no other way to look at it. If those are the only two options, then we are stuck in an ugly dispute with no real resolution.

Jesus, the one who Christians are supposed to follow, did not teach us to be tolerant. But neither did He teach us to be judgmental. In other words, He didn't teach either of the binary choices, so there must be something else. Not a midpoint between the two, but something completely other.

In Luke 15, the Pharisees posed this issue with Jesus. He was hanging around sinners, and the religious leaders called Him on it because He sure looked like He was condoning their sin. But He wasn't judging these sinners, and He certainly wasn't condoning their sin. And yet He still loved spending time with them. He responded to the Pharisees with a triplet of parables teaching about the joy of finding what was lost - that was how He explained why He would hang around such "awful" sinners.

Jesus was practicing something far beyond tolerance. In some ways, He went much further than what those who want tolerance are asking for! He loved them. He spent time with them. He wanted them to be found, and so He sought them out. They were, in a sense, His goal. Tolerance is just putting up with something, but Jesus went far beyond merely putting up with sinners.

People get caught up in the question, "Should we be tolerant?", and I think that's not even the right question, because Jesus didn't act based on a tolerance scale. The questions He evokes are: Who should we love? Who should we spend time with? Who should we seek? Will our joy be in staying clear of what's lost or finding what's lost?

Don't get caught up in the tolerance debate, follower of Christ. Instead, follow Christ in this.