Monday, January 24, 2005
Tolerance - Again!?
Don't know how I missed it, but the Reuters News Service put out a dispatch over the weekend about "increasing intolerance" amongst Christians. (link in the title) Best of the Web compared and contrasted the Reuters dispatch with the Washington Times printing of the story to make a point about the choice of words and revealed prejudices. Great point!
What really irks me though is that when you read the actual dispatch all they are talking about is that Christians are becoming bolder about 1) sharing their faith, and 2) pushing back on societal institutions when they take step that are clearly unchristian and likely immoral. It's as if having a different opinion and standing on it, just that, and nothig more is by definition "intolerant."
I posted on this just a couple of days ago regarding how fuzzy the meaning of words has gotten, and particularly the meaning of the word tolerance. Evangelical Undergorund has a great post on the consequences of the increasingly expanding definition of tolerance.
Michael Medved had on some vehement atheist today that claimed that the simple act of wishing for her that she might meet Jesus was "intolerant." Actually she contended that it was a lot worse than that, but I can't remember her precise words so I will not attempt to quote them.
The anti-Christian left is becoming increasingly hysterical about Christianity having any place in public discourse, any place at all.
I hurt for such people. They wish to reduce our faith and committment to a mere set of intellectual conceits that we can pick up or put down as the situation calls. More importantly, they are incapable of opening themselves up to anything like genuine relational faith.
I remind myself that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reach such people, not us. The parable of the sower and the seeds seems most appropriate in this setting. The best thing I can think of for such people is to pray for them.
What really irks me though is that when you read the actual dispatch all they are talking about is that Christians are becoming bolder about 1) sharing their faith, and 2) pushing back on societal institutions when they take step that are clearly unchristian and likely immoral. It's as if having a different opinion and standing on it, just that, and nothig more is by definition "intolerant."
I posted on this just a couple of days ago regarding how fuzzy the meaning of words has gotten, and particularly the meaning of the word tolerance. Evangelical Undergorund has a great post on the consequences of the increasingly expanding definition of tolerance.
Michael Medved had on some vehement atheist today that claimed that the simple act of wishing for her that she might meet Jesus was "intolerant." Actually she contended that it was a lot worse than that, but I can't remember her precise words so I will not attempt to quote them.
The anti-Christian left is becoming increasingly hysterical about Christianity having any place in public discourse, any place at all.
I hurt for such people. They wish to reduce our faith and committment to a mere set of intellectual conceits that we can pick up or put down as the situation calls. More importantly, they are incapable of opening themselves up to anything like genuine relational faith.
I remind myself that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reach such people, not us. The parable of the sower and the seeds seems most appropriate in this setting. The best thing I can think of for such people is to pray for them.
