In recent decades, there has been a growing movement in the world, led by the western media, to coexist and tolerate everything and everyone. The coexist sign we see as a bumper sticker on cars looks innocent and good from the outside, but it has grown to become a tool to silence Christians in the western world. Nowadays, we are being led to believe that sharing the Good News with our friends might be offensive, and professing that Jesus is the only way to salvation is inconsiderate to those who claim other “truths.”

What is tolerance?

The original simple definition of “tolerance” is the belief that people have the right to express their opinions without being condemned. It used to mean accepting other people though they may differ from us in their beliefs, opinions, and how they do life. Today, this is not the case.

Sadly, tolerance has been twisted to mean something wildly different. This new era of tolerance is trying to shut down the presence of truth, and is postmodern and based on relativism– everyone’s reality is right because it is subjective to them. This new version of tolerance means that we are not supposed to say that someone else is wrong and we should not profess our own beliefs if they offend someone else. Anyone who does this is considered prejudiced and intolerant.

A real life example of this modern-day tolerance comes from the United Arab Emirates, where they recently built the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. This building includes a synagogue, a church, and a mosque, each representing part of what is called the “Abrahamic faiths,”  a claim that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam descend from Abraham therefore they are all equal and valid.  This is an example of interfaith tolerance. (Source)

As the new definition of tolerance continues to spread, it is easy for Christians to feel afraid to speak up or share the truth. We do not want to push someone farther from knowing Jesus by “offending” them, so we tend to keep quiet.

Are Muslims tolerant?

One thing to do if you are worried about offending your Muslim friend is to ask yourself, “Does Islam teach tolerance of other religions?” The answer: no! Muslims are taught to convert people to Allah by whatever means necessary, even force, and that it is okay to take advantage of those who are not Muslims. Muslims in western countries might not act on these ideas as often as those in eastern or middle eastern countries, but for more devout Muslims the mindset remains the same. We will examine this topic further in a future blog post!

Was Jesus an example of tolerance?
Jesus loved people, but he did not tolerate sin. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus shows His love and compassion for people while also calling out sinfulness. In summary, the Pharisees bring a woman who was caught in the act of adultery before Jesus to trap Him into saying she should be stoned. Instead, Jesus writes something on the ground and says, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Imagine the relief the woman felt as she watched people walk away from them, one by one. Jesus had every right under the Law to say that they should stone her, but He instead had mercy on her, unlike the Pharisees who were determined to expose and humiliate her.

However, Jesus’ love also includes speaking the truth. He tells the woman, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” Loving the woman meant He could not allow her to continue to live in sin. Jesus spoke the truth about her actions while also giving her grace and love. The most unloving thing Jesus could have done was to leave her to a life of sin that would ultimately lead to eternal separation from Himself and God the Father.

(Read the full story in John 8:1-11)

How should Christians respond to this “tolerance culture”?

There are certain things that Christians should be intolerant of, like sin, the perversion of truth, and anything that comes from the enemy. Jesus did not tolerate these things, and neither should we!

However, we should be accepting of everyone, loving and gracious. Jesus was the perfect example of this. He accepted them as they were, but loved them enough to make sure they didn’t stay living in sin by speaking truth.