Isn’t Christianity Intolerant?

Among the more challenging objections to the faith is, Isn’t Christianity intolerant? Evangelizing—according to some—is an effort to undermine our cherished diversity. Liberals in positions of influence talk openly of their goal to eliminate the “intolerance” that lurks behind attempts to convert people from one religion or way of thinking to another. And yet, as Christians we can’t really back down from this, can we? It’s our mandate to love people enough to seek their rescue from an eternity of weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

This means that we can’t make “keeping the peace" the priority. We should remember that civilized debate is actually a good thing. It helps all parties carefully think through what they believe and why. We should also courageously admit that we are, in fact, a bit adamant (and yet not intolerant in our attitudes!), conveying that we disagree because we’re loving. The key is that we never be motivated by pride or the desire to win an argument! 

There are a few items behind liberals’ crusade against “intolerance,” and it is good to understand them. They’ve probably had experiences with Christians who proudly condemn, demean, and even seek to manipulate (and we should apologize for those). They probably fear Christianity as an enemy of social cohesion and peaceful diversity. They probably believe that it cannot adopt to modernity, keeping people holding on to “backward” mindsets like chastity before marriage and male leadership. With its firm stances on things like homosexuality and gender, many also see Christianity as the enemy of “authentic personhood,” believing it doesn’t allow people to be who they really feel they are deep down inside.

All of these concerns should be recognized in certain ways as legitimate, and certainly understandable. I don’t have the space here to deal with how to answer them. But the key is that you honor the person making the objection.  Take the time to understand their concerns and show them you care by genuinely listening. This always works better than pointing out how inconsistent they are in trying to "convert" Christians out of trying to convert people!

Often illustrations are particularly helpful. Try this one sometime to explain your "intolerance." Imagine you lived in a remote African village where many struggled with sickness and disease. One day you discovered a well with an abundance of clear water—life-giving water—a 3-hours’ walk away. And you’ve been making that journey nearly daily. Why? You’ve been “converted” to the truth that it’s the local water that’s been the problem all along. Now, your family members are no longer getting sick.  

Yet nobody else in the village believes your “theory” about the bad water.  They say you’re crazy to claim that it’s worth all the trouble to get the clean water. After one or two attempts to convince them they’re beginning to “not appreciate” your message. But how self-loving and cruel would it be to therefore stay quiet about it? Out of love for your fellow villagers you would continue “evangelizing” them—not tolerating their false belief and explaining that you insist because you love them. You would patiently weather the accusations of pride, judgmentalism, intolerance, etc.

Create your own illustration if you prefer. And pray that the Lord would use it in the lives of unbelieving friends who can’t understand why we won’t stop gently insisting their belief is wrong. May the sovereign ruler of hearts be gracious to many souls, using our feeble efforts to bring them into His kingdom of grace.