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Is It Intolerant to Say Jesus is the Only Way?
Posted
by
arsindelve on
4/9/2007 8:51:19 PM
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Intolerance is not a bad thing, and it should never lead to war or violence. It simply means to stand-up for Christ and proclaim He is the only way. If He is the only way, then there can be no other way and we should not allow other faiths to be just as valid and right. We need to lovingly convince others that Jesus is the only way.
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4.8 out of 5.0 in 4 votes
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Yes, it is. And that's a good thing.
Intolerance has some very negative connotations and that's unfortunate because what it really means is to never compromise what you know to be right. If something is right, why should you compromise? If there is only one way to do something, why tolerate other opinions?
The reason intolerance has such a bad image is because of the actions people tend to take when someone else won't see their point of view. People attribute violence, war and hatred to intolerance, but that's not the entire picture. Intolerance does not have to lead to any of those things any more than love leads to jealousy or patriotism leads to war. Like love and patriotism, intolerance is a good thing in and of itself, but it is not the only thing. It needs to be tempered with justice, love and compassion otherwise it will turn to violence and hatred. Jesus was intolerant of the Pharisees and that was fine because Jesus still loved them and wanted them to change. On the other side of the scale, the crusaders of the middle-ages were likewise intolerant, but they had no sense of love, justice or compassion and so they turned to hatred and murder. We need to change our perspective - intolerance is not bad - it's our actions which determine that.
Christians need to be intolerant when it comes to Jesus Christ. We need to be strong and say without hesitation, "He was the Son of God and He is the only way." On this point, there can be no compromise. If you do not believe these things are true, then you are not a Christian. If you do believe them, then they are the most important facts in all of history. If you will not stand up for these principles, what will you stand for?
What Does it Mean to 'Stand Up For Jesus?'
Let's be very careful in what we mean when we say we need to stand for Jesus. It does not mean that we hate or murder those who disagree. It does not mean we fight, argue or attack anyone. What is does mean is that when someone has a different opinion about Christ, we will not say, "I don't see it that way, but, perhaps we're both right." This is not standing up for Christ! We need to say to that person, "You're mistaken about Jesus Christ, so let me help you see the truth." If that person will not see the truth, then we love them and pray for then, but we will not compromise our position. We will not soften our stance or water down the truth to make someone feel better about it. You may feel compelled to let them believe that there are other ways to be saved in order to make them feel better and lessen the conflict, but that is the worst thing you can do. As Christians, we know there is only one way, so lying to someone and risking their salvation in the process is the worst thing you can do to them! Would you rather they feel better, or would you rather they accept the truth about Jesus?
Truth is not subjective and there cannot be shades of right and wrong. If our faith is right, then other faiths which stand philosophically or theologically in contradiction are wrong. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He is the only way; That cannot be compromised. If someone cannot see that, we must do everything we can, it a spirit of respect and gentleness (1 Peter 3:15) to help them understand the truth. What we must not do is allow the opinion that Jesus is anything less than the one and only Savior to be just as right and just as valid as the truth. We cannot tolerate that position. This has nothing to do with hatred; It has everything to do with how much we love others and how much we desire their salvation.
Be Intolerant
That is what intolerance means, and Christians need to start getting more intolerant about their beliefs. We can tolerate differing opinions about food, politics, music or television but when it comes salvation, there is only one answer. It's an answer worth standing up for and we owe it to Jesus not to compromise.
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Comments
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To add to what arsindelve is saying, I think we need to look at other cultures and religions and realize that Christianity is one of the only religions which permits itself to be weakened from the outside in the name of tolerance. Try moving to any Muslim nation and tell them that their religions ceremonies offend you and you want them to stop. See what kind of reaction you get! Yet in North America, that's exactly what's happening. We are afraid to stand-up for what we believe because we don't want to "offend" anyone. As Christians, we certainly should not go out of our way to offend anyone, but neither should we change or adapt what we do and believe every time someone cries about the "rights of the atheist."
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marklang-
4/16/2007 11:08:08 AM
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Wow! Just reminded of a great read that is unlike most Christian books. Check out "The Intolerant Christ" by Darin Bowler. You may love it...
CARM
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anonymous-
4/11/2008 2:28:33 AM
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I liked this article better than the more liberal material I have recently seen on this subject.
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anonymous-
4/25/2008 12:17:31 PM
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