UJCCPC@UNC (02/08/90)
> nevertheless not all men have > answered that call, and to ignore that difference is to risk giving > our non-Christian friends the impression that all is well with them > just as they are. Of course we can't ignore the differences. But at the same time let us not ignore the bonds. As Christians, we are called to build bridges, not tear them down, or pretend they're not there. > > Jesus preached tolerance. > > Tolerance means that the degree of compliance is negotiable. > Jesus does not negotiate -- ever! He demands unconditional surrender > and total allegiance. He has no time for a wishy-washy concept like > tolerance. Of course this is true, but I wasn't referring to Christian behavior or our relationship to Christ when I used the word "tolerance". I was referring to our attitude toward non-Christians. Tolerance has several definitions. The one I was using was not "deviation from a standard" as you thought, rather it was "sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own". If you want to save a non-believer, for example someone who has grown up as a Hindu, do you start by saying, "Everything about your religion is bunk." No, no, and no again!!! You start by getting to know the person and his beliefs, by sharing your story and having that person share his. The best way to share Christ is to seek common ground. That's what I mean by tolerance. I think it is possible to be "sympathetic toward different beliefs" without "deviating from the standard" that Jesus demands. John Cromartie P.S. James, a belated "Thank you" for Mere Christianity. It's your fault that I'm on this "tolerance" crusade, since it comes straight from this book.