This meme was making its rounds. I think it’s wrong.
We are to hate was is evil, but that doesn’t mean we do not tolerate evil people. We are to love what is good, but we are also to love our neighbors whether they are good or not.
The definition of “tolerate” is “to allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of.”
A new definition has been added “accept or endure”
Endure makes sense, but “accept” is a very different meaning.
You can tolerate homeless people while actively trying to help them.
You are working to stop the existence of homelessness, but you still allow them to exist and allow them to turn down efforts to help, ect. They are not forced to do otherwise. Christians would love for everyone else to be Christians, but we do not force them to be or act like Christians. It’s possible the meme is coming from a Christian nationalist perspective where Christian practices are mandated by law. I think Christian nationalism is false.
Some have juxtaposed love and tolerance (here although indirectly he admits my point by saying ‘mere tolerance’ and then directly admits the point in the last line, “true tolerance is a deeply Christian idea” and here by a progressive Christian), but this doesn’t line up with proper definitions. Love is a greater virtue than tolerance. Love encompasses tolerance plus so much more. A good definition of love is to will the good of another. So the story of the good Samaritan is so far beyond tolerance that whether or not the righteous should be tolerant ought not be a question. Per Romans 14, even inside the church, we are to tolerate differences of opinion, and going further than that, we are to tolerate differences of conscience. References are below.
What we do not tolerate: sin, false teaching, etc.
(2 Tim 4:2 NASB20) preach the word; be ready in season [and] out of season; correct, rebuke, [and] exhort, with great patience and instruction.
(2 John 1:10-11 NASB20) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into [your] house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
(2 Cor 10:5 NASB20) [We are] destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
(Gal 1:8-9 NASB20) But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
(Matt 18:15-17 NASB20) “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. “But if he does not listen [to you,] take one or two more with you, so that ON THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY MATTER MAY BE CONFIRMED. “And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
There are two primary categories. In the public square, we tolerate people, but not ideas. We do not make ideas illegal, or ban/burn books, but we actively work to destroy false ideas. In the private square, in particular a local church, we do not tolerate false teaching and egregious sin within our congregations. People can choose to join or leave a congregation, so within that structure, it can be a lot more rigid. Thus, a local church should not tolerate a false teaching or a false teacher. 1 Cor 5 clearly teaches the distinction in how a Christian is to treat outsiders vs insiders it’s a great way to end, so more on that later.
Elements of tolerence
These are the primary verses that I’m aware of that teach tolerance is a Christian virtue. Either by teaching various facets of tolerance (peace, forgiveness, longsuffering) or going beyond tolerance (love).
The last section ended with Matthew 18 on what is not tolerated, 4 verses later Jesus explains a crucial element of tolerance: forgiveness.
(Matt 18:21-22 NASB20) Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I [still] forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.
(Rom 12:18 NASB20) If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.
(Rom 14:1, 3, 5 NASB20) Now accept the one who is weak in faith, [but] not to have quarrels over opinions. … The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. … One [person] values one day over another, another values every day [the same.] Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
(1 Thess 5:15 NASB20) See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.
(Matt 5:39-44 NASB20) “But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
We tolerate outsiders, but not insiders.
It appears Paul was being misinterpreted (He probably wrote a letter to Corinth that was not inspired and not preserved). It is one thing to not “accept” sexual immorality. But it’s another thing to not “associate” with sexually immoral people. When Paul had told the Corinthians to not associate with sexually immoral people, he did not mean “everyone who is sexually immoral” he meant “those who are sexually immoral who claim to be Christians and fellowship (eat) with you.”
(1 Cor 5:9-13 NASB20) I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; I [did] not at all [mean] with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler–not even to eat with such a person. For what [business] of mine [is it] to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within [the church?] But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE EVIL PERSON FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
Hezekiah's Brain 