A Christian for Tolerance (Why Matt Walsh is Wrong Again)

In truth, I had already been mulling over the idea of writing a post about how I was for tolerance before Matt Walsh wrote this: http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/04/07/jesus-didnt-care-about-being-nice-or-tolerant-and-neither-should-you/. But I guess you could say his post was the catalyst for turning my thoughts into words.

Most people who spread the idea that Jesus was not a nice guy use the rousing accounts of Jesus overthrowing tables in the temple. Jesus gets angry at how his Father's house is being used as a moneymaker rather than a place of reverent worship. God is holy. We see it time and time again in Scripture, and it's a truth that we dismiss far too hurriedly. His temple was a place to worship God, and his anger was a result of these men making a mockery of his holiness.

(Notice that he never went to the bars and started turning the tables over there. He did not go to the brothels and start flipping over the beds. He didn't even go to the tax collectors and dump out their stolen wages.)

There are also instances recorded in which Jesus called people names. Among other things, he referred to the Pharisees and scribes as a brood of vipers, fools, hypocrites, and whitewashed tombs. He spoke fiercely, and He didn't mince words. But there is a crucial, crucial point here that most people skip right over. Jesus is talking to the CHURCH leaders here. He is speaking to those who already claimed to be following God. Those who, more than anyone else, should have been leading others in the way of truth. It's typically dangerous to make sweeping generalizations, and especially when it comes to the Bible. Name-calling and severity was absolutely not part of Jesus' typical routine.

For example, here are some things that Jesus did not say:

To the woman at the well: "You whore. I can hardly stand to be around you. It's no wonder that you come here to the well alone. No doubt you've got herpes or something. You should probably stop sleeping with every man who will take you."

To the demon-possessed man: "Look what you've done. You cut yourself with stones and run around in a graveyard? Craaaaazy. You opened yourself up to this, and now you're going to have to deal with the consequences. Good luck getting those demons out, sucka!" 

To the disciples: "Everybody get your whips and come with me. We're gonna drive out those heathens from the temple. And when we're done with that, we're gonna go call the prostitutes names! And when anyone insults what God says, we're gonna argue with them to the death!"

Anyone can say that Jesus was not nice, but a glance through the Scripture will reveal otherwise. He was kind and compassionate, a friend of sinners. He spoke to them truthfully, boldly, and kindly. It is possible to be kind and truthful at the same time, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Jesus told sinners, with the exception of those in the church, to turn away from their sin WITHOUT calling them names. 

It was the self-righteous hypocrites, the church leaders who were responsible for teaching others what God had to say- it was this group that the harsh words were reserved for. It was not the "nice" crowd, or the "worst" sinners, or those who were not religious. Time and time again in Scripture, we see God rebuking his own people and the church. It is we who are called to a higher standard. He proclaimed truth to sinners, and we are to do so boldly yet humbly as well. 

That is why when I use the word tolerance, I don't mean that I accept sin. If the definition of tolerance is that we'll all be ok if we do whatever we want, then I retract my previous statement- I am not this kind of tolerant. What I mean is that I don't reject and despise people who are sinners. I don't call them names, consider myself superior to them, or think of their salvation as a conquest. I mean that I recognize that my battle is not against flesh and blood, but rather against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. It means that I try to see people as God sees them, and not as people to defeat with witty proclamations. It means that I recognize in humility that, but for the grace of God, my way of thinking would be just as muddled. It does not mean that I sugarcoat the truth. I can boldly speak truth and still be friends with someone who disagrees with me. Jesus did. 

In fact, here are some things that He did say:

To the woman at the well: "Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water...The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true...I, the one speaking to you, I am [the Messiah]." John 4

To the demon possessed man (after casting out the demons): "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had compassion on you." Mark 5:19

To the disciples and the multitudes: "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also... But I say to You, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets." Matt. 5:39,44, 7:12

Jesus doesn't sound quite like the rabble-rouser He's been made out to be. A couple incidents of cleansing the temple makes this behavior the rare exception, not the rule. He was quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

John 3:17 is another helpful verse. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." I don't include this to imply that the whole world will be saved, that Jesus danced around the truth, or that God does not judge sin. (Just check the rest of Scripture and this post.) The point is that Christ's goal on earth was not condemnation, and neither should ours be. See, Jesus didn't view his time here on earth as an opportunity to win some arguments. (Though He did win them, since those Pharisees just wouldn't give up trying to trap Him.) He could have righted every wrong, made every person He came in contact with look like a fool, forced them all to grovel at his feet, overthrown the government, the list goes on and on. He did not do that because He came to give his life as a ransom for many. He came to serve. He told us that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven would be the one who was the servant of all, not the winner of the most arguments. 

Why are we even having this conversation? Because of the culture we live in. Tolerance is just a buzz word. It's not important whether or not we agree on what that word means. What is important is to decide as Christians how we are going to engage a culture that persecutes our beliefs.

Peter fought back. He was ready to defend his Savior with any means he had. He swung his sword with boldness! And what did Jesus tell him to do? To put away the sword. And Jesus proceeded to heal the wound that Peter had so foolishly inflicted. Hateful words can do just as much damage as weapons.

This is why it should be the TRUTH that offends, never us! Never our cruelty, hatred, or bitterness! We are asked to love, and people will hate us because of it. Jesus even told us that the truth would act as (ironically enough) a sword. It will divide even friends and family, because truth is divisive. When we call names or we’re rude, then people have a legitimate reason to hate us. But it is the exclusivity of the Gospel and the fault it reveals in us that will make our enemies- we need not help them along.

When it comes to getting all fired up and motivating people to fight, take a moment to consider the idea of “outrage porn.” (http://www.challies.com/articles/outrage-porn-and-the-christian-reader) Here is a little snippet. “When we respond with outrage to every little offense, eventually we become hardened to the things that actually matter. If everything is outrageous, nothing is outrageous.” He makes fantastic points, including the fact that we often delude ourselves into thinking that getting all fired up about something is the equivalent of actually doing something to right the wrong we’re claiming to feel so strongly about. The outrage itself doesn’t count for anything in the long run.

 

Consider another example (similar to one from a blog that I sadly can’t credit because I don’t remember what it was.) Here is a picture of a home that was set on fire by a group of gay rights activists. The homeowner simply made the mistake of putting the well-known "one man + one woman" bumper sticker on their car.  And so, rather than demonstrating the tolerance they so loudly proclaim, this group set the man’s home on fire.

 Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the house was almost completely destroyed, along with everything in it. All because this man stood up for what he believed in. It angers me that people could do something so hateful! All of their pictures, clothes, keepsakes, gone- just like that!

Did it anger you, too? Can you believe that didn't get any media attention? How can these people who proclaim tolerance for all do such a hateful thing, and how can people just ignore that?!

I hope it angered you for the sake of my point, but you should know that I just made up that story. Didn't happen. This was a picture I found on the old interweb. No idea what the story actually is behind this fire, but it wasn't the one I just told. Doesn’t quite “incite” the same emotions, right? 

We have got to recognize the tendency within ourselves to seek out this kind of finger-pointing, anger-rousing behavior. I think we often forget that when Jesus denounced sin and spoke these brutally honest words, He was talking to us. He was speaking to you. He was speaking to me. The responsibility of myself as a Christian is to first ask God to search my own heart, long and hard and honestly, and only then to concern myself with the faults of those around me. I take out my beam, and then I can see clearly to begin working on the splinters of others. 

 The problem is not always with someone else. 

As a general rule, the world knows what we are against. People like Walsh are very clear about that. The Bible preaches against homosexuality, gossip, adultery, etc. (Notice I wasn’t afraid to include homosexuality in that list as a tolerant Christian. I've just alienated some people, and that's ok.) But people also need to know what we’re FOR. What are we for? 

Well, what is God for? When He lives in us, what is the result?

Love. 

Joy.

Peace.

Patience.

Kindness.

Goodness.

Gentleness.

Faithfulness.

Self-control.

No small things. That is what I want my life to embody. Not sensationalism. Not rudeness. Not harshness. Not self-righteousness. Not arrogance. If this is how the Spirit of God acts in me, then I have a hard time believing that Christ came to earth and exemplified the opposite. 

We're asked to speak truth with love, and that's what I plan to do. I don't want to be a clanging cymbal, and that's what we become when we let our emotions get in the way of the Spirit. So by all means, STAND for truth. Don't back down, and do it with the help of God in you. Show the world that God takes all that we proclaim as bad and replaces it with good. He loved us first, so that we could love.  

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." I John 3:16