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As far as my limited knowledge of this shift to postmodernity goes, one theme that runs rampant is the lesson of tolerance. As with most ideas we once held a firm grasp on, this notion has been analyzed and reanalyzed since September 11th. As Islam suddenly became a major presence on the world scene, many groups were at the forefront of preaching tolerance for the millions of Muslim believers who do not share the same beliefs as those responsible for the Great Tragedy.
But it appears that this tolerance seldom runs both ways. Part of this is due to the stigma attached to the word "Christian." As well as being a society saturated by Christianity, we are also the heirs of a Christianity that has been through numerous Crusades and adulterous televangelists. People that are not Christians typically have a negative connotation with the word "Christian." And, unfortunately, they are right to think so. Yet the same people that preach tolerance for other religions seldom preach tolerance for the beliefs of Christianity. More often than not, they are calling Christians intolerant if they even voice their own opinion. Where did this begin? Well, Jesus made it difficult for us, for the whole world. He said that He was the only way to Heaven, and people in our massively pluralistic society have much difficulty believing that.
This is why Christians are intolerant:
Pah! Our traditions don't demand others to conform to us. We could interpret Jesus as saying so when he talked about new wine in old wineskins. Another contemporary analogy I've heard is a glass of water. The shape, size, texture, etc. of the glass may change but the (living) water stays the same. Our intent should never be that others become like us, but Christ. ( "Not I, but Christ.") Maybe that's why people have such a bad connotation with "Christian." They've confused the person for the deity. Our worldview is most definitely not narrow. In fact, I would argue that a Christian's worldview is much too wide and far too long. We know about eternity. The reason we tell (or the reason we should tell) others about Christ is because of our love for them. It is our love (and not our need to be "right") that should cause us to shout from the rooftops. We know the end of the story, and that may sound arrogant, but what is even more arrogant than that is if we didn't share the end of the story with those we loved. If we know the truth, we have a deep-seated obligation to tell others. Go To Page: 1 2
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