A HISTORY OF INTOLERANCE
I was in Cairo a couple years ago. My host graciously showed me around the city. One of our stops was the citadel of Saladin, the 12th century Sultan of Egypt and Syria. Saladin was the Muslim commander who stood up to the armies of Richard the Lionhearted, and won back from Europe the prized city of Jerusalem. It was Saladin who had enlarged this fortress. And as I passed through the massive walls of the citadel, I suddenly realized that the reason Saladin strengthened this fortress was because of people like me. You see, I’m a Christian. And Saladin had thrown up these walls, and had strengthened the towers, to keep out Christian crusaders.
As I wandered through that ancient citadel, I was reminded that Christians have a rather checkered reputation in many parts of the world. In the Middle East, for example, the advance of Christianity is often equated with the forward movement of western pop culture—with the advance of racy Hollywood films and the onward march of McDonald’s hamburgers and fries. Evidently, the west thinks that if the world couldn’t be conquered by force, perhaps it can be conquered by rock music, fast—food pizzas, and lattes. In the minds of millions, Christians are still oppressive people. They’ve just changed their tactics. A friend of mine, a Christian in the Middle East, told me that in his witness to Jesus Christ, he refrains from using the word, "Christianity." "If I tell people in the Middle East that I am here to bring them Christianity," he said, "they think I’m an agent of secular western culture. It is better here," he went on, "to simply speak of ‘the Christian faith.’"
Interesting. One of the great challenges Christians face in many parts of the world is to convince their listeners that the gospel is not about introducing people to Starbucks, mega—churches or Western culture—but it’s about introducing them to Jesus Christ. For many around the world, Christians are seen as arrogant and intolerant people, pushing their way of life on people regardless of whether it’s what others want.
MEANWHILE, CLOSER TO HOME . . .
Now, I live in North America. And of course, it’s tempting to think that in North America things are different. But I find that isn’t so. I find that a lot of people are suspicious about me and the message I bring. I find people looking at me as a Christian as though I am part of a right—wing conspiracy that wants to impose values, and push my religion down people’s throats.
I go down to the local hair salon for a quick hair cut. The young lady cutting my hair is friendly and talkative. We chat about the weather; we talk about the high price of gas. In the course of the conversation, she asks me what I do for a living. I tell her, "I’m a pastor." "Oh," she says. I catch the hesitation in her voice. The wind goes out of our conversation. The rest of my time in the chair is spent in awkward silence.
I sit in an airplane waiting to taxi out to the runway. A stranger slips in next to me. He comments on the story that adorns the front cover of the Time magazine that lies in my lap. We get to chatting. "And why are you traveling," he asks? "I’m involved in Christian media outreach," I reply, "I’m off to visit one of our ministry centers." "I see," he says, as he quickly diverts his attention to the stewardess going through the usual pre—flight briefing.
I pass through customs at the Canadian border. The border guard flips through my passport. "You’ve visited a lot of countries," he says. "What do you do for work?" I’m the director of media mission agency." He curtly hands the passport back to me. "You can go now," he replies.
In all those encounters, I sense the discomfort of my conversation partner. I know what these folks are thinking. "I’ve got a Christian here and I don’t know what he’s about to do to me. I’ve got a Christian here who just might make me his next victim. Make me a victim of his prejudiced opinions. This guy is going to target me. He’s going to blast me with his intolerant views about life. He’s going to harass me with his religious opinions. Maybe I can still escape—if I bring the conversation to a close—and fast."
What’s going on? Are these people right? Am I intolerant? Judgmental? Are Christians like me really prejudiced, bigoted, people?
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THINGS?
Maybe today you are listening to this message and you relate to what I’ve just said. Perhaps you’re a Christian, and you’ve had experiences similar to mine. You thought you were standing up for what you believed, and because of it you were accused of being judgmental. You’re confused because it seems that to avoid the accusation of being a bigot; you need to throw away your convictions. In spite of what people think, you consider yourself a tolerant person.
But perhaps you aren’t a believer, and you feel the accusation of intolerance against Christians is justified. The Christians you know seem so, well, rigid and inflexible. Christians you know shun you because your lifestyle choices don’t match theirs. The few times you stepped into church, your stomach churned. You felt you were being thrown to the wolves. Your tattoos, your black leather, your piercings—you could feel the eyes looking at you with disapproval. The few times you’ve talked religion with Christians you found that you were treated with disrespect. You’re convinced that Christians are narrow—minded, bigoted people. Sitting in their company, feeling their disapproval—why it’s enough to give you a panic attack! Christians, in your opinion are just plain intolerant.
So who’s right? Are Christians tolerant people? Or are they narrow—minded bigots? Well, I think the answer depends on how you define tolerance. The classic understanding of tolerance is a willingness to be accepting of people whose opinions and practices are different from your own. Tolerance is what’s necessary if people with different backgrounds, nationalities, and religions are going to live together in community. It’s an essential mark of a civilized society. Tolerance, so defined, is what Jesus taught. It’s what Jesus practiced. After all, Jesus himself commanded us to love even our enemies—to love the very people who later would prove to be intolerant of those who follow the Lord.
Now, I’m going to admit right here that Christians sometimes have a problem with practicing this loving acceptance. The truth is Christians have a pretty spotty track record when it comes to welcoming in the name of Christ those who are different from themselves. I wince when I read stories of communities where Christians have tried to keep out Muslim immigrants in an effort to protect their insulated neighborhoods. I grieve when I hear of Christians who make their nationality or their skin color the defining issue when it comes to whether you can be a ‘real’ Christian. If you have been subjected to this kind of prejudice by those who claim to be followers of Christ, I would ask your forgiveness. I would ask you not to dismiss Jesus because of the way some of his followers live out their faith—or just plain don’t live out their faith.
A DIFFERENT DEFINITION
But now, let’s get back to our definitions of tolerance. I’ve said that historically, tolerance has been defined by a loving acceptance of those different than ourselves. Through the centuries, that’s the kind of tolerance that has marked the Christian church at its best. It’s the kind of tolerance which allowed early Christians in the Roman Empire to reach out and minister to pagan neighbors when plague ravaged whole communities in the early centuries after Christ. It’s the tolerance that allowed Christians in the Netherlands to welcome Jews when those same Jews found an inhospitable welcome in other parts of Europe.
But this kind of understanding of tolerance isn’t the way I’m finding the word used in our culture today. Many today want the idea of tolerance to go beyond just acceptance to approval. If we are tolerant, so the argument goes, we will approve of the way other people think and act. If we are tolerant then we will be open to the fact that all religious ideas have equal merit. If we are tolerant, then we will be willing to say that virtually all ethical behavior is morally equal. Tolerant people, it is argued, have gone beyond absolutes. Tolerant people have moved beyond absolute truth, they’ve moved beyond absolute morality.
When people say Christians are intolerant, they’re really critiquing the way Christians approach faith. They are challenging the way Christians claim to have a truth that others don’t have. After all, Christians honestly don’t accept the idea that all religions are equal. Christians hang on tenaciously to a special role in history for Jesus Christ, from whom their religion takes its name. And people say—if Christians were really tolerant they wouldn’t make such claims. After all, aren’t all religions the same? And besides, people say, wasn’t Jesus the most tolerant person who ever lived?
THE TOLERANT CHRIST
Now, there is a claim that’s worth a closer look. People say it all the time. Jesus was the most tolerant person who ever lived. But is that true? Was Jesus a tolerant person? Well, it all depends on what definition of tolerance you’re working with. If we begin with the first definition—accepting people into the orbit of his life who were different than himself, who held different beliefs, well, then Jesus was a model of tolerance. He rubbed shoulders with all kinds of folks that the spiritual leaders of his day considered unacceptable. He touched lepers. He sat down at the dinner table with sinners. He hung out with people that were considered the social outcasts of society. He wouldn’t have gotten uptight if he had seen someone walking into the synagogue whose moral reputation or physical appearance was questionable to the spiritual elite. He would simply have been glad they were there.
In fact, Jesus gave his own followers a model of true acceptance. It must pain his heart that the church is still divided today along lines of race, economic class, and nationality. It must pain his heart that so many Christians expect neighbors to meet their personal standards before they are welcomed into the church. After all, this community Jesus established is founded on the basis of grace—and grace alone! Jesus taught his disciples what it meant to accept others in his name. This is the heart of true tolerance.
THE INTOLERANT CHRIST
But when it came to issues of truth, we see a different side of Jesus. The fact is Jesus was shockingly intolerant! Yes, for those of us who think Jesus was just another spiritual guru who taught that all religions are the same, that it’s all about getting along and loving each other—well, take a hard look at what Jesus really said during his ministry.
Jesus never gave an inch when it came to issues of truth. And that meant, even more shockingly, he wouldn’t waver an inch when it came to his own relationship to the truth. In fact, Jesus went so far as to claim: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me." (John 14:6) This has to qualify as one of the most intolerant claims ever made by any religious teacher. And it’s a claim like that that forces us to make some hard decisions about Jesus. What’s going on here?
ARE ALL RELIGIONS THE SAME?
Let’s get down to the core question. ARE all religions the same? Is believing in Jesus the same as believing in Mohammed? Is trusting Jesus the same as trusting the Buddha? Or for that matter the same as believing in the latest cult figure to emerge on the pop scene? Are the teachings of the Bible the same as those of the Koran or the Vedas? When I raise that question, I’m moving beyond questions about tolerance or intolerance. I’m simply asking for us to confront the facts about religion and take a hard look at issues of truth.
Now, if you just take a quick pass through the major religions of the world, you might come away with the impression that all religions are the same. After all, they all share a common focus. They all deal with the spiritual issues. They all offer some definition of God.
Moreover, they all explore the ultimate issues and goal of life. Typically, they are all concerned to find reconciliation with the divine——however god is defined. And typically, they all share a remarkably similar code of conduct. All religions talk about issues of love and peace. The Ten Commandments that you find in the Bible have their echoes, their counterparts, in much of the world’s religious literature.
But if we dig down a little deeper, we find that there is something shockingly different about the Christian faith. It is something that Christians call grace. It’s the news that there is a loving God who welcomes us as we are. All other religions lay out a system whereby ordinary mortals can work their way toward the divine. Whether its some noble eight—fold path or some divine code of conduct, there is some formula you need to follow if you want to get on the good side of God. But the shocking news of the Christian faith is that everything we do to build bridges to God is doomed to failure. We aren’t going to make it on our own. We can’t save ourselves.
How can this be good news? Because God has carried out a plan in history to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. It’s a plan that centers in the man we know as Jesus Christ. It’s that plan that stands behind Paul’s announcement in Romans 2:4. There Paul asks: "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?"
Here Paul pulls the wraps off misunderstandings regarding the tolerance of God. A lot of people think that God’s tolerance is his own divine ‘anything goes’ attitude toward religion and ethics. They think God really doesn’t care what people believe or what people do. He really doesn’t care what spiritual path they pursue. But Paul says that attitude is dangerously wrongheaded. The reason God’s judgment is delayed—the reason God is tolerant——is because in this present day he is keeping open the door to repentance. And what is at the core of repentance? It’s a U—turn from a life that’s missing Jesus to a life that has Jesus at its center, at its core. This is how Peter expressed it in his message on Pentecost, the day the church was born: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
Peter puts Jesus Christ right at the center of a life that flows from repentance. God’s tolerance and patience are for a purpose—to allow us to heed God’s call to enter into a relationship that fully relies on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In that relationship we find the kind of life we are looking for. In fact, in relationship with Jesus, we find what we are really searching for in all our talk about tolerance.
TOLERANCE——OR GRACE?
You know, secular society today has a fascination with wide—open tolerance. It’s become a buzzword in western culture. In fact, some people pride themselves in being so non—judgmental that anything and everything goes in the realm of morality. But can you really live that way? Are there no issues of justice that need to be confronted in this world? Are there no moral behaviors that are ultimately destructive to self and others?
When tolerance is understood as an attitude that approves anything and everything, well, then tolerance becomes an enemy of truth. When that happens, tolerance tries to convince us that what we think and how we live doesn’t matter. Tolerance tries to convince us that what you do with your money is your own business. Tolerance tries to convince you that all issues of morality surrounding sexual issues are non—existent. Tolerance tries to convince you that all cultures, all ethnical systems are essentially the same. But can we really live this way? Can we live accepting that there is no moral difference between greed and generosity? Can we live thinking that whether we are faithful or unfaithful in marriage is of no consequence? Can we live believing that the choices we make as we shape our cultures have no moral meaning?
The truth is tolerance misunderstood has become a cheap substitute in our world for grace. What the world offers is talk about tolerance—the casting away of all absolutes. But what the world needs is grace. Mere toleration will not make the past disappear. It will not make our guilt vanish. Nor will it heal our brokenness. Tolerance only throws a cover over all those things. But sweeping the dirt under the rug doesn’t make the dirt go away. It just makes the rug really lumpy to walk on.
What the world craves is grace—true grace. Grace that faces up to the brutal reality of the past and doesn’t sugarcoat our brokenness, our failure, our pain. Grace that confronts life head—on. But then having confronted life, grace doesn’t leave things the way they were. Grace transforms. We crave a grace that truly forgives, truly renews, truly heals.
This is the grace God offers through his Son. I invite you today to move beyond cheap forms of tolerance—to grace. Take another look at the Christian faith and the Christ who is at the core. When you do, you’ll discover a Savior who doesn’t merely put up with everything the way it is. He loves you and he loves the world too much to leave things the way they are. He wants to renew this whole creation. He wants to make you a new person. And his resurrection is a sure sign that his redemptive plan is unstoppable.
Get beyond mere tolerance of the wrong to the grace that overcomes the wrong. Get into a relationship of faith with Jesus Christ. His arms are open wide to receive you — and bless your life.
Robert Heerspink
Rev. Robert Heerspink is a native of west Michigan. He completed his undergraduate studies at Calvin College and holds the degrees of Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Calvin Theological Seminary. He has also received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Bob was ordained a minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church of North America in 1979, and has 26 years of parish experience, having served four churches throughout west Michigan. He was appointed the Director of The Back to God Hour in 2006. Bob has written several resources related to congregational stewardship, including the book, Becoming a Firstfruits Congregation. He is a regular contributor to TODAY, the monthly devotional of The Back to God Hour. Bob is married to Edith (Miedema) and they have three children. His hobbies include reading fictional and historical works, watersports, and occassional golfing.
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