The contemporary definition of tolerance is that you are expected to agree with, validate, affirm, indulge, coddle, adopt, and consider as equally true the contradictory opinions of everyone around you.
This is particularly bogus, because the tolerant crowd is conspicuosly tolerant of everything except Biblical Christianity. Try it, just say “Jesus is the ONLY way” in a crowd and see what happens…
The classical definition of tolerance is: “I don’t believe you should die or be imprisoned simply because we disagree.”
People should be able to discuss, compare, and contrast their differing views and then still be able to go out to lunch together afterwards even if they never reach an agreement.
Unfortunately, in this post-modern culture, if you don’t agree with and affirm someone’s opinion, they get all huffy and take it as a personal attack on them.
Everyone is so used to having their egos stroked and their self-esteem built up by other people.
Teacher: Johnny, what is 2+2?
Johnny: 5?
Teacher: Oh, Johnny, spoke so well in your answer. Didn’t he class? Why Johnny, you are such a smart little boy, here have a sticker.
BALONEY!
The whole self-esteem psychobabble has accomplished nothing but raise two generations of milktoast mamby pamby wimps who need constant coddling from an enabling nanny.
Instead, it would be far better–and far more beneficial to the person–to correct them when they are wrong.
People need to get their confidence from KNOWING THE TRUTH. Jesus said, “You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free” (John 8:32).
It is the TRUTH that sets you free, anything else is BONDAGE.
The post-mods need have to have thier self-esteem artificially inflated because they are taught that everything is relative, that everyone’s opinion is equally valid and true. Having no foundation of their own, they are enslaved to the need of someone else constantly around to affirm and build them up.
When challenged, they fall apart. They take it as “you don’t like me”, and as a personal attack directly on them.
They have no concept of: “I love you and care about you enough to tell you the truth”.
There is a horrible misconception about what it means to love someone.
If you love someone, you want what is best for them. Sometimes what is best is not what that person wants, and can even be painful.
Love is NOT about:
– “whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy”
– avoiding making waves or offending people
– wanting people to like you
– supressing the truth because it might make them feel bad
– making people feel good about being wrong
– making people feel relaxed and comfortable on their roadtrip to hell
Love IS ABOUT:
– letting people know when they are heading in the wrong direction
– pulling people out of the fire
Speaking the truth in love is NOT about watering down the truth or sugar coating it.
It IS ABOUT speaking the truth motivated by love for that person.
You don’t tell people the truth because you want to impress people, demonstrate how smart and holy you are, or bring attention to yourself. It is also not about being obnoxious for the sake of being obnoxious. Apply what is necessary to get the person’s attention and make the point.
You tell people the truth because you care about them and don’t want them to burn eternally in hell.