In the name of tolerance

I've recently had some very good, thought-provoking discussion with family members over the holidays about a variety of controversial topics from politics to religion and life, in general. After investigating many new (and old) topics of debate, I became aware of our midunderstanding of the word tolerance in our culture.

The dictionary definition of tolerance is "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own." The big term associated with tolerance is open-mindedness. I simply understand this to mean accepting others for who they are and what they believe.

I think what is most important to understand, though, is that you can ACCEPT someone without AFFIRMING them. You can be tolerant and remain true to a set of standards or convictions.

When it comes to my faith in God, I desire to be tolerant, or accepting of everyone. However, being tolerant doesn't necessarily mean that I must condone the actions of others if they are fundamentally at odds with what the Bible says. I can love the individual and not love what they do. It's an important distinction. Accepting the individual is not synonymous with affirming them. I think we all need to remember this. God is completely loving, but He is also completey just.