Tolerance

    Our system is broken. Everybody knows it, and we all believe we have the answer to the problem. Ideologies of life, morality, and politics divide us into tightly defined bunkers as we hurl napalm filled labels at one another. These segments of our culture rally around a spoken word, common idea or visible leader, working to overthrow our enemy who just happens to live a few houses down. In a fight like this cowardice abounds, but it often goes by a familiar name that in a brilliant marketing move sounds much more crisp and unifying, tolerance. Tolerance is the new “trump card” in the argument between right and wrong.

    Postmodernity offers plenty of insight into the topic, yet completely fails to recognize its true meaning mostly due to it’s inability to recognize anything as universally true. Through a postmodern lens we are forced to view competing ideas as equally real, fair, or valuable. Because after all, it might be true for you. We are no longer tolerating the individual, we are tolerating their ideas.

    Historically in the modern area, an understanding of tolerance was placed upon the individual himself. Instead of defending an opponent’s theory, we were defending the opponent. This is where true tolerance must return, “While I think your opinion is absolute garbage for these following reasons, I aggressively and wholeheartedly defend your right to defend it.”

    If we can push through the emotion of the moment, and break through the thick tags and labels, we’ll find flesh and blood, real people with real problems. The fact is that truth exists, and scripture calls us to be equipped to defend the truth while offering grace to those who see things differently.