Jesus was counter-cultural in his day, and he still is in our day. Since what Jesus taught goes against the grain of modern thinking, the culture tends to reject him and his followers. Those followers who take seriously what Jesus taught are ridiculed as hopelessly old-fashioned and out of touch with reality.
Take the concept of happiness. The world says we can achieve happiness through pleasure, accumulation of wealth and material possessions, and by great accomplishments (Ecclesiastes 2:4-11). Jesus taught something quite the opposite, something that doesn’t even make a lot of sense until you have put your faith and trust in him. True happiness comes from what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:3-12 (New Century Version):
Those people who know they have great spiritual needs are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Those who are sad now are happy, because God will comfort them.
Those who are humble are happy, because the earth will belong to them.
Those who want to do right more than anything else are happy, because God will fully satisfy them.
Those who show mercy to others are happy, because God will show mercy to them.
Those who are pure in their thinking are happy, because they will be with God.
Those who work to bring peace are happy, because God will call them his children.
Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be happy. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you. NCV
Rather than follow what the world tells us regarding happiness, I encourage you to follow what God, through the Apostle Paul, tells us in Romans 12:2:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect. NRSV
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Don't Be Fooled
Colossians 2:8 exhorts followers of Christ not to be fooled by arguments that may sound reasonable, but aren’t based on biblical truths. This advice is especially relevant today.
Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ. (CEV)
Today we are bombarded with all kinds of arguments and rationalizations for doing things that are contrary to biblical teachings. On the surface they sound reasonable, and maybe even biblical, but they aren’t. As far as I’m concerned, the Bible supersedes logic and rationalizations – we are to obey what God tells us in the Bible, not what the world tells us, alluring as it may sound. We see such warnings against false teachings in many other places in the Bible. For example, we see a strong warning in 2 Peter 2:1-3:
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. NRSV
I encourage you to not listen to the world, which gives us and our children messages that are contrary to biblical teachings, and will lead us down wrong paths. Be careful even whom you listen to when it comes to preachers. Colossians 2:18-19 exhorts followers of Christ not to be taken in by deceptive people who preach false doctrines.
Don’t be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God. CEV
False teachers are certainly a problem in our day and age. There is no shortage of false teachers who claim to be preaching the Gospel, but are really distorting it. There are false teachers on TV masquerading as ministers of the Gospel, who are misleading people and relieving many people of their money as well.
I encourage you to be discerning in whom you listen to, whether it is on TV, on the radio, or in a church. Pray for discernment so that you will know when to turn off a preacher and not end up filled with false doctrine. I also encourage you to build up your knowledge and faith by regular worship, Bible study, and prayer, so that you are properly equipped.
Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ. (CEV)
Today we are bombarded with all kinds of arguments and rationalizations for doing things that are contrary to biblical teachings. On the surface they sound reasonable, and maybe even biblical, but they aren’t. As far as I’m concerned, the Bible supersedes logic and rationalizations – we are to obey what God tells us in the Bible, not what the world tells us, alluring as it may sound. We see such warnings against false teachings in many other places in the Bible. For example, we see a strong warning in 2 Peter 2:1-3:
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. NRSV
I encourage you to not listen to the world, which gives us and our children messages that are contrary to biblical teachings, and will lead us down wrong paths. Be careful even whom you listen to when it comes to preachers. Colossians 2:18-19 exhorts followers of Christ not to be taken in by deceptive people who preach false doctrines.
Don’t be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God. CEV
False teachers are certainly a problem in our day and age. There is no shortage of false teachers who claim to be preaching the Gospel, but are really distorting it. There are false teachers on TV masquerading as ministers of the Gospel, who are misleading people and relieving many people of their money as well.
I encourage you to be discerning in whom you listen to, whether it is on TV, on the radio, or in a church. Pray for discernment so that you will know when to turn off a preacher and not end up filled with false doctrine. I also encourage you to build up your knowledge and faith by regular worship, Bible study, and prayer, so that you are properly equipped.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Going into the World
Jesus told the disciples to go into the whole world when he said in today’s Gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19a, NRSV)
In Jesus’ words just before his Ascension, he said the following (Acts 1:8):
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” NRSV
I believe “you will be my witnesses” meant for us to not only tell others about Jesus, but also to serve others as a witness to the power of Jesus in our lives. Let’s look into what it means for us today when Jesus said “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
1a. Jerusalem – Our Church
I believe we could interpret “in Jerusalem” to mean in our own church. As a body of believers, we are called to take care of one another in the church family. Ministries such as religious education, Bible studies, visitation, providing meals when needed, and praying for one another are ways we care for each other.
1b. Jerusalem – Our Families
In addition to our own church, our “Jerusalem” can also be our families. We should tell our non-believing family members about Jesus, but we also have to love them unconditionally, serve them gladly, and pray for them often. Telling them about Jesus – even nagging them about Jesus – will do no good if there isn’t love, serving, and prayer (with prayer being the most important).
Just as with missionaries, if they don’t see our faith lived out, then whatever we tell our families about Jesus will not impress them. People are experiential – they want to experience something in their lives or see something different in the lives of others, before they will believe. Telling family members can be more difficult than telling strangers, but we have to persevere without being pushy or obnoxious. A difficult balance, so we have to pray fervently for guidance.
2. Judea
I believe we can interpret “in Judea” to mean our community and surrounding area. A church should reach out to the community in various ways, such as VBS, food pantries, soup kitchens, and various other ministries as needed. Some churches do “midnight runs” of food and supplies to the homeless. Others have ministries to help divorced people, single mothers, families of incarcerated people, and help in other ways as needs are identified.
A church should reach out to the community as God leads it, and should be welcoming when people from the community come to that church. While the government has taken over much of what the church used to do, there are plenty of gaps in the social safety net that churches can fill.
3. Samaria
We can interpret “in Samaria” to mean for us today those people who are not in our immediate community, or who may be different from us. Samaria was next door to the province of Judea, but the Samaritans were ethnically and religiously different from the Jews. It was a stretch for Jesus’ Jewish disciples to reach out to the Samaritans, and they must have cringed when Jesus said that. “Oh no! Not the Samaritans!”
Yet we are called to help others who are different from us, whether it is ethic, racial, religious, or socio-economic difference. Just as the Samaritans were a stretch for the early disciples, we are called to stretch ourselves today for the cause of Christ. We can see from Acts 8:4-8 that the disciples were eventually obedient to Jesus’ command to go to Samaria. I believe it took the scattering caused by persecution to get them out of Jerusalem, but they finally got with the program. In addition, there is a very strong tradition that the Apostle Thomas went all the way to India to establish a church that exists to this day.
4. Ends of the Earth
Lastly, we have the “ends of the earth” which is pretty obvious. It means today what it meant when Jesus said it. We know that Thomas, Peter, Paul, Mathias, Barnabas and others did, in fact, go far and wide to preach the Gospel. As I said before, not everybody is called to foreign missions, but I believe we are all called to at least financially support national and foreign missions.
Proper Balance
Of course the key is to keep all of these competing priorities in proper balance. I believe a church that is sending much money to foreign missions but not helping its own congregation in various ways is out of balance. It can be easy to send money, but it is more difficult to give hands-on care. On the other hand, I believe a church that does much within its own congregation but does little elsewhere is also out of balance. It easy to become inward-looking and forget the rest of the world, which desperately needs help.
In Jesus’ words just before his Ascension, he said the following (Acts 1:8):
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” NRSV
I believe “you will be my witnesses” meant for us to not only tell others about Jesus, but also to serve others as a witness to the power of Jesus in our lives. Let’s look into what it means for us today when Jesus said “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
1a. Jerusalem – Our Church
I believe we could interpret “in Jerusalem” to mean in our own church. As a body of believers, we are called to take care of one another in the church family. Ministries such as religious education, Bible studies, visitation, providing meals when needed, and praying for one another are ways we care for each other.
1b. Jerusalem – Our Families
In addition to our own church, our “Jerusalem” can also be our families. We should tell our non-believing family members about Jesus, but we also have to love them unconditionally, serve them gladly, and pray for them often. Telling them about Jesus – even nagging them about Jesus – will do no good if there isn’t love, serving, and prayer (with prayer being the most important).
Just as with missionaries, if they don’t see our faith lived out, then whatever we tell our families about Jesus will not impress them. People are experiential – they want to experience something in their lives or see something different in the lives of others, before they will believe. Telling family members can be more difficult than telling strangers, but we have to persevere without being pushy or obnoxious. A difficult balance, so we have to pray fervently for guidance.
2. Judea
I believe we can interpret “in Judea” to mean our community and surrounding area. A church should reach out to the community in various ways, such as VBS, food pantries, soup kitchens, and various other ministries as needed. Some churches do “midnight runs” of food and supplies to the homeless. Others have ministries to help divorced people, single mothers, families of incarcerated people, and help in other ways as needs are identified.
A church should reach out to the community as God leads it, and should be welcoming when people from the community come to that church. While the government has taken over much of what the church used to do, there are plenty of gaps in the social safety net that churches can fill.
3. Samaria
We can interpret “in Samaria” to mean for us today those people who are not in our immediate community, or who may be different from us. Samaria was next door to the province of Judea, but the Samaritans were ethnically and religiously different from the Jews. It was a stretch for Jesus’ Jewish disciples to reach out to the Samaritans, and they must have cringed when Jesus said that. “Oh no! Not the Samaritans!”
Yet we are called to help others who are different from us, whether it is ethic, racial, religious, or socio-economic difference. Just as the Samaritans were a stretch for the early disciples, we are called to stretch ourselves today for the cause of Christ. We can see from Acts 8:4-8 that the disciples were eventually obedient to Jesus’ command to go to Samaria. I believe it took the scattering caused by persecution to get them out of Jerusalem, but they finally got with the program. In addition, there is a very strong tradition that the Apostle Thomas went all the way to India to establish a church that exists to this day.
4. Ends of the Earth
Lastly, we have the “ends of the earth” which is pretty obvious. It means today what it meant when Jesus said it. We know that Thomas, Peter, Paul, Mathias, Barnabas and others did, in fact, go far and wide to preach the Gospel. As I said before, not everybody is called to foreign missions, but I believe we are all called to at least financially support national and foreign missions.
Proper Balance
Of course the key is to keep all of these competing priorities in proper balance. I believe a church that is sending much money to foreign missions but not helping its own congregation in various ways is out of balance. It can be easy to send money, but it is more difficult to give hands-on care. On the other hand, I believe a church that does much within its own congregation but does little elsewhere is also out of balance. It easy to become inward-looking and forget the rest of the world, which desperately needs help.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Evangelism
Evangelism isn’t always understood, or it often has a bad image. Let me make a few points concerning Christian evangelism.
Evangelism can be simply defined as sharing our faith, or telling others about Jesus. There are several aspects to evangelism: sharing our faith, welcoming visitors to our congregation (hospitality), and making disciples (spiritual formation, equipping the saints). We can share our faith by inviting an unchurched friend to church or a church event, or telling someone about our faith when there is an appropriate opening.
Evangelism is an important aspect of the Christian faith. Evangelism goes back to Jesus, who spent most of his time inviting, welcoming, and teaching. Evangelism was a new concept then, since the Jews did not evangelize. 1,700 years after Christ, John Wesley became a traveling evangelist, doing those same things throughout England: inviting, welcoming, and teaching. Wesley was not converting people to Christianity, but his efforts were in the realm of spiritual formation. The people of his day were going through the motions, but there was no spiritual vibrancy. Wesley’s goal was to bring people into his prayer societies where they would pray, study the Bible, and keep one another accountable.
So evangelism runs deep, both in Christianity and in Methodism. There are hindrances to evangelism today, but we mustn’t let those hindrances become barriers to us. We have a higher calling that transcends these hindrances – we have a charge to keep that comes from God. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, which seems to have a certain sense of urgency about it:
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent, whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. NRSV
So let us take on that same sense of urgency, knowing that so many people, right in our own circle of influence, need Jesus. We can be used by God as his life-saving instruments – snatching people from the grip of the world’s ways and helping to change their lives forever. What a privilege it is to serve God in this way.
Evangelism can be simply defined as sharing our faith, or telling others about Jesus. There are several aspects to evangelism: sharing our faith, welcoming visitors to our congregation (hospitality), and making disciples (spiritual formation, equipping the saints). We can share our faith by inviting an unchurched friend to church or a church event, or telling someone about our faith when there is an appropriate opening.
Evangelism is an important aspect of the Christian faith. Evangelism goes back to Jesus, who spent most of his time inviting, welcoming, and teaching. Evangelism was a new concept then, since the Jews did not evangelize. 1,700 years after Christ, John Wesley became a traveling evangelist, doing those same things throughout England: inviting, welcoming, and teaching. Wesley was not converting people to Christianity, but his efforts were in the realm of spiritual formation. The people of his day were going through the motions, but there was no spiritual vibrancy. Wesley’s goal was to bring people into his prayer societies where they would pray, study the Bible, and keep one another accountable.
So evangelism runs deep, both in Christianity and in Methodism. There are hindrances to evangelism today, but we mustn’t let those hindrances become barriers to us. We have a higher calling that transcends these hindrances – we have a charge to keep that comes from God. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, which seems to have a certain sense of urgency about it:
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent, whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. NRSV
So let us take on that same sense of urgency, knowing that so many people, right in our own circle of influence, need Jesus. We can be used by God as his life-saving instruments – snatching people from the grip of the world’s ways and helping to change their lives forever. What a privilege it is to serve God in this way.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Gay Marriage Update
One of the purposes of this blog is to provide background to current news or issues, to give you information not usually published in the mainstream media. You may agree or disagree with what is presented, but at least you will be better informed on the subject. In this posting I want to give some background on the subject of same-sex marriage, an issue that is emotional and volatile.
Those opposed to same-sex marriage are often portrayed as hateful bigots and homophobes, mindlessly opposing a right that is long overdue. However, there is some rationale behind opposition to same-sex marriage, as we can see from the following article, which explains that the issue has ramifications well beyond the gay community:
In a Newsweek article last March, polygamist Mark Henkel explained the basis of his argument for “polygamist rights”: If Heather can have two mommies, she should also be able to have two mommies and a daddy.
At the time, even gay activists scoffed at the premise. But as family scholar Elizabeth Marquardt explains in an op-ed for the New York Times, the courts are redefining parenthood in a way that makes the legal acceptance of that argument all but inevitable.
On April 30, a Pennsylvania Superior Court panel made history by becoming the first court in the United States to rule that a child can have three legal parents. The case involved two lesbians who were the legal co-parents of two children conceived with sperm donated by a friend. The panel held that the sperm donor and both women were all obligated to financially support the child and were all equally entitled to visitation. By ruling that a child can legally have three parents, the court not only severed the legal ties between biology and parenthood, but provided a basis for the legal recognition of polygamous marriage.
“If more children are granted three legal parents, what is our rationale for denying these families the right and protections of marriage?” asks Marquardt. “America, get ready for the group-marriage debate.”
By Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. From The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing, July 19, 2007. © 2007, Focus on the Family, All rights reserved.
Those opposed to same-sex marriage are often portrayed as hateful bigots and homophobes, mindlessly opposing a right that is long overdue. However, there is some rationale behind opposition to same-sex marriage, as we can see from the following article, which explains that the issue has ramifications well beyond the gay community:
In a Newsweek article last March, polygamist Mark Henkel explained the basis of his argument for “polygamist rights”: If Heather can have two mommies, she should also be able to have two mommies and a daddy.
At the time, even gay activists scoffed at the premise. But as family scholar Elizabeth Marquardt explains in an op-ed for the New York Times, the courts are redefining parenthood in a way that makes the legal acceptance of that argument all but inevitable.
On April 30, a Pennsylvania Superior Court panel made history by becoming the first court in the United States to rule that a child can have three legal parents. The case involved two lesbians who were the legal co-parents of two children conceived with sperm donated by a friend. The panel held that the sperm donor and both women were all obligated to financially support the child and were all equally entitled to visitation. By ruling that a child can legally have three parents, the court not only severed the legal ties between biology and parenthood, but provided a basis for the legal recognition of polygamous marriage.
“If more children are granted three legal parents, what is our rationale for denying these families the right and protections of marriage?” asks Marquardt. “America, get ready for the group-marriage debate.”
By Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. From The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing, July 19, 2007. © 2007, Focus on the Family, All rights reserved.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Immigration
The immigration issue is complex, and we as people of faith need to pray for wisdom for our leaders. I want to touch on just one aspect of this debate. I believe Scripture is being misused by a certain segment of the religious community to justify a position on immigration.
In my last posting, I mentioned that the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) talks often about taking care of the stranger and alien in the land. An example of such a passage is the institution of a form of welfare system for the poor and alien as recorded in Leviticus 19:9-10:
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. (NRSV) By the way, we see this welfare system in operation in the Book of Ruth, chapter 2, and in Matthew 12.
Another passage along those lines is Leviticus 19:33-34:
When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (NRSV)
(Interestingly there are about one million Israeli citizens who are Arabs (or Palestinians). These people have full rights as citizens, even though it is a Jewish state, and these Arabs could be considered “aliens” in the land.)
In my opinion, some people are taking such biblical passages out of context and using them to justify uncontrolled immigration. I believe this is a wrong application of the Scripture. My interpretation of these passages is that any aliens that happen to be in the land, either permanently or passing through, are to be respected and treated well. Looking at the Old Testament as a whole, these passages don’t say that your borders should be completely open, and anybody can come and live in your land. That’s because other passages of the Old Testament indicate that the Israelite society was to be somewhat closed to avoid intermarriage and falling into “detestable” pagan practices.
I know some will disagree with me on this point, but that’s the way I understand these passages within the context of the Hebrew Bible as a whole. Rather than misusing Scripture (in my opinion), there are better arguments with respect to immigration and the status of illegal aliens within our borders.
In my last posting, I mentioned that the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) talks often about taking care of the stranger and alien in the land. An example of such a passage is the institution of a form of welfare system for the poor and alien as recorded in Leviticus 19:9-10:
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. (NRSV) By the way, we see this welfare system in operation in the Book of Ruth, chapter 2, and in Matthew 12.
Another passage along those lines is Leviticus 19:33-34:
When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (NRSV)
(Interestingly there are about one million Israeli citizens who are Arabs (or Palestinians). These people have full rights as citizens, even though it is a Jewish state, and these Arabs could be considered “aliens” in the land.)
In my opinion, some people are taking such biblical passages out of context and using them to justify uncontrolled immigration. I believe this is a wrong application of the Scripture. My interpretation of these passages is that any aliens that happen to be in the land, either permanently or passing through, are to be respected and treated well. Looking at the Old Testament as a whole, these passages don’t say that your borders should be completely open, and anybody can come and live in your land. That’s because other passages of the Old Testament indicate that the Israelite society was to be somewhat closed to avoid intermarriage and falling into “detestable” pagan practices.
I know some will disagree with me on this point, but that’s the way I understand these passages within the context of the Hebrew Bible as a whole. Rather than misusing Scripture (in my opinion), there are better arguments with respect to immigration and the status of illegal aliens within our borders.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Godly Tolerance
“Tolerance” today is the cardinal virtue of political correctness, our new civil religion. Tolerance sounds nice, but the PC kind of tolerance isn’t tolerance at all. According to the dictionary, “tolerance” means “sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from one’s own.” (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, © 2005 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated)
The PC crowd is far from tolerant of those who have beliefs or practices different from theirs, yet their goal is to force their brand of selective tolerance on others. By “selective tolerance” I mean being tolerant only of a select few groups that are considered politically correct. All other groups are not to be tolerated, but are to be ridiculed and suppressed. Despite this abuse of the concept of tolerance, I believe that people of faith are supposed to practice what I call a godly tolerance.
What, then, is godly tolerance? I believe godly tolerance is the practice of what we are taught in the Bible: love your neighbor as yourself, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It means to love a person, yet not to affirm their sin or destructive lifestyle if they are doing things contrary to biblical teachings. It means to love a person even if his or her theology or religious practices are different from our own (Romans chapter 14 contains a discussion of this subject).
The Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) talks often about taking care of the stranger and alien in the land. These aliens were quite different from the Israelites: not monotheists and they engaged in some detestable (according to the Bible) religious practices. While the Israelites were not to intermarry with them or engage in their religious practices, they were to treat them well (today we might say to be tolerant of them, but not affirm or buy into their way of life). So let us practice godly tolerance and not let the PC people force an ungodly and bogus form of tolerance on the rest of us.
The PC crowd is far from tolerant of those who have beliefs or practices different from theirs, yet their goal is to force their brand of selective tolerance on others. By “selective tolerance” I mean being tolerant only of a select few groups that are considered politically correct. All other groups are not to be tolerated, but are to be ridiculed and suppressed. Despite this abuse of the concept of tolerance, I believe that people of faith are supposed to practice what I call a godly tolerance.
What, then, is godly tolerance? I believe godly tolerance is the practice of what we are taught in the Bible: love your neighbor as yourself, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It means to love a person, yet not to affirm their sin or destructive lifestyle if they are doing things contrary to biblical teachings. It means to love a person even if his or her theology or religious practices are different from our own (Romans chapter 14 contains a discussion of this subject).
The Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) talks often about taking care of the stranger and alien in the land. These aliens were quite different from the Israelites: not monotheists and they engaged in some detestable (according to the Bible) religious practices. While the Israelites were not to intermarry with them or engage in their religious practices, they were to treat them well (today we might say to be tolerant of them, but not affirm or buy into their way of life). So let us practice godly tolerance and not let the PC people force an ungodly and bogus form of tolerance on the rest of us.
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