Thoughts On Tolerance

"But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed." 2 Corinthians 11:3,4

The new buzz word these days is tolerance. I've seen these new bumper stickers lately that say "coexist" and each letter is a different religious symbol, like the t is a cross, the x is part of the Star of David, the s is the symbol yin-yang. There is so much focus on just trying to all get along. Last year in our area at Christmas there was a big to-do over a local city putting up a manger scene, and then nearby the local Wicca group wanted to put up a symbol of some kind, and in the end I think all of them were taken down. I think that as Christians it can be very easy to get caught up in the idea of tolerance. After all, we're to love all people aren't we? And I think that is the exact kind of deception the snake uses on us. We're told that as we're walking around greeting people at Christmas time that we shouldn't say Merry Christmas to anyone, for fear of offending them. If we do decide to try and be bold, we say something glib like "who put the Christ in Christmas" or "Jesus is the reason for the season." Come on, we can do better! We can let the love of Jesus just ooze out of us without being condescending or trying to be clever.

Satan is a great deceiver. In fact, look at what verses 14 and 15 say in 2 Corinthians 11:

"But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve." 2 Corinthians 11:14,15

Satan does disguise himself as an angel of light- often, in fact. And while the idea of tolerance and getting along seems to be a great idea- it's actually the deceiver hard at work. Because those people who are not followers of Christ are not going to get to know Christ if we spend our time smiling at them and telling them that their choices are their own, and it's okay. And here, here is some space on our lawn for them to put their religious symbol too, we want them to feel free to worship how they want to.

And actually, it can be the same among Christians, sad to say. We see a brother or sister in Christ doing or saying something contrary to God's Word, and we turn a blind eye. Or we pat them on the shoulder and tell them we know what they're going through. We're told in our churches today that we shouldn't say anything to discourage them, we shouldn't tell them they're doing wrong, because, golly, we might offend them. And by golly, they should be offended. They are not following God's Word, and it is our task as brothers and sisters in Christ to hold them accountable, to tell them when they are doing wrong, and pray with them about it, pray for them about it, and send them to a spiritual adviser if needed. But we are not supposed to bite our tongue and look the other way. See? Satan deceives us in so many ways.

And how do we know whether it's Satan or not? The verses above say that he disguises himself as light! We look at the motive, the intent. Satan is only out to steal, kill and destroy. That's all he does, that's what drives him. If you don't call out your Christian brother or sister, the devil is winning because he's stealing that soul, he's destroying that person's relationship with Christ. Tolerance destroys our passion for Christ, and fear steals our boldness.

The best example I can think of in the church today and the idea of tolerance is the Harry Potter books.( I know, don't be hatin', I never talk about ideals and stuff, but this is a great example of tolerance and what I'm talking about.) Harry Potter is a series of books based on witchcraft. I've never read more than a small portion of one of the books, and you know what? I'm sure they are well written and tell a great adventure story. Except that the spells and incantations in it are real. Very real, in fact. While we're encouraging our children to read this great adventure story, we're also giving them an education in witchcraft, and how to recite incantations. Do we really want that in the minds of our children? The argument is that hey, at least our kids are reading something. Really? Would you say the exact same thing if your son brought home a stack of Playboy magazines? Would you say the exact same thing if you found a copy of the satanic bible in your child's backpack? There are thousands of new books being released every month in this country, surely, there is something else your child can read. Another fantasy series, perhaps that will engage their imagination without the realistic witchcraft and evil worship. Tolerance in the church has made this series of books okay- in fact, parents are reading them with their children, and more and more people are leaving the church. Wicca is the fastest growing religion right now- and that is no coincidence.

It's time, as Christians, to stop with the tolerance and take a stand for the sake of our children. It's time to heed the advice of Paul:

"Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

And...

"Greet each other with Christian love." 2 Corinthians 13:12

Not with tolerance.