Of Intolerance and Truth
Josh McDowell, in his book THE NEW EVIDENCE THAT DEMANS A VERDICT, explores this common objection of Christian intolerance: "You Christians seem to think that your way is the only way and that all other views are wrong. How intolerant can you be? Why can't you accept other people and what they believe as also true?"
He answers the objection saying that the new-world definition of tolerance "is that every individual's beliefs, lifestyle, and perception of truth claims are equal...and all truth is relative. This misconception assumes that truth is inclusive, that it gathers under its wings claims that oppose each other. The fact, however, is that all truth is exclusive--at least to some degree--for it must exclude as false that which is not true.
"For instance, it is true that Washington DC is the capital city of the US. This means that no other city in the US is the country's capital. In fact, no other city on planet Earth or anywhere in the universe can lay legitimate claim to being the capital city of the US. One city and one only fits the bill, and that's Washington DC.
"Simply because just one city is the US capital does not mean that the people who affirm this truth are therefore intolerant. They may like scores of other cities and even live in different cities themselves. They may even live in different countries and prefer their country to America. Accepting the exclusive truth claim about Washington DC does not make a person tolerant or intolerant—it simply makes him or her correct about what the capital city of the US is."
McDowell concludes by saying, “The same is true about Christianity. If the claims of the Christian faith are true—and many people accept them as true—these people are no more intolerant for their belief than those people who accept Washington DC as the US capital.”
"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Can My Maker Handle Me
"I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." — Winston Churchill, nearing the end of his life.
Do you ever feel like you are just too much for God? If He only knew you. If He could only see the mess that you are, the things you've done, surely He'd never want to deal with that, to accept that, to accept YOU.
Even the great, lion-hearted Winston Churchill questionned His Maker's willingness to take on the "ordeal" of dealing with his life.
Well, gues what?! He IS ready for you. There is no mess too big that you cannot bring him. No sin that He will not swallow up in forgiveness, in mercy, and grace.
"All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (John 6:37, NIV).
A New Perspective
When my oldest daughter was 15 months old, my wife and I were at a youth convention during the summer. As she was walking back to the dormitory with our little girl in tow, Anna kept stopping and laying down on the sidewalk. Mom would heave her back up on her feet and walk a few more feet, only to have Anna lay down once again on the cement. Starting to feel a bit frustrated, Mom stopped and looked at her daughter. She then got down on the ground with Anna and looked up and saw the most amazing display of stars in the summer night sky that she had ever seen.
So often in life, we are in such a hurry to get where we're going that we fail to stop and take the time to appreciate what is around us. And sometimes, if we just stop and take a different perspective on things, we might just see something beautiful...like another person's point of view, or a beautiful display of love and affection.
So don't be in such a hurry. Take time to appreciate where you are and what's happening around you.