Justin Thacker, Head of Theology of the Evangelical Alliance here in the UK, writes in the November/December 2007 issue of the Alliance’s magazine Idea, p.21:
We’re promoting tolerance because Jesus lived it. While His contemporaries didn’t want to have anything to do with tax-collectors and prostitutes, Jesus sat down and ate with them. It wasn’t that He agreed with their lifestyles or choices. He didn’t. But He wanted to talk to them and show God’s love to them.
Tolerance isn’t about agreeing with someone or throwing your principles away. By definition, it involves some form of disagreement or disapproval. But within that, it’s about deciding to tolerate difference. That’s what Christ did.
So we must show a measure of tolerance towards people of other faiths. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be evangelistic, but it does mean that we wouldn’t campaign for them to be made illegal, or for their places of worship to be torn down. It’s important to remember that forced conversion is no conversion at all. As evangelical Christians, we seek to win hearts and minds for Christ – not merely outward conformity.
So, if you have a neighbour who is different from you – a Muslim, a Hindu, a gay person, a transsexual – then invite them into your home. Get to know them. Sit down and eat with them. Build up a relationship with them. This is tolerance at work. It demonstrates that God cares for people.
In doing this, we’re not denying that we might disagree with their beliefs or lifestyles, but we are demonstrating the same kind of openness that Jesus lived out. We are living in the world, while not being of it. And in the process demonstrating that God calls all people to be part of His kingdom. Making a deliberate decision to share our lives with those who are different from us is precisely what God would have us do – and that is what tolerance is about.
Great words. I would only add, as I am sure Justin would, that we need to show the same measure of tolerance also to those who have no faith at all, who may even be militantly opposed to all faith. But of course these words are challenging to put into practice. It is easy to claim to love our neighbours, even if they are very different from us, but not as easy to invite them into our homes.
This was very well said and helps to bring some concreteness to my thinking in this area. As you mentioned, it is much easier said than done, but I certainly appreciate someone who can say it so well.
Reading it in this way made me think of particular people and situations in my own life right now and what this looks like (or should) in those relationships. But it also brought together examples I have seen of people either doing this well or not doing it at all. I have seen people fight desperately to create a culture of outward conformity to their beliefs, but totally miss connecting with people’s hearts (and seeing people’s hearts and lives be transformed by Christ) in the process.
Tolerance isn’t about agreeing with someone or throwing your principles away. By definition, it involves some form of disagreement or disapproval. But within that, it’s about deciding to tolerate difference. That’s what Christ did.
Amen!
I’ve said I don’t consider myself an evangelical, but may God send us more evangelicals like Thacker and Joel Edwards. This is what I recognise Christianity to be about.
My heart is strangely warmed. Thank you for that. 🙂
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