Credo
15 Dec 2025
The word “tolerance” originates from the Latin: tolerantia, meaning to bear, support or endure; and appeared in record books from the 15th century. Originally associated with the enduring of hardships, it morphed in the 18th century to mean the forbearance or allowance of different beliefs.
Traditionally, the word signified a willingness to allow the existence of opinions or behaviour one does not necessarily agree with. In contrast, the contemporary understanding of tolerance is the notion of giving everyone and everything equal space, with the acceptance of all views and actions as equally true.
Thomas Helmbock, executive vice president of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, gives us an idea of this perspective, stating: “every individual’s beliefs, values, lifestyle, and perception of truth claims are equal … There is no hierarchy of truth. Your beliefs and my beliefs are equal, and all truth is relative.”
In her book, Faithfully Different, Natasha Crain notes the characteristics of this shift in our belief regarding truth: feelings are the ultimate guide, happiness is the ultimate goal, judging is the ultimate sin, and God is the ultimate guess. The focus is on one’s freedom to do whatever one wants whenever one wants to.
“God the ultimate guess” betrays a posture of questioning the very existence of God. This is essential to one’s freedom to do as one feel and so long as one is happy, since there is no one (God) apart from oneself to be accountable to. No God, no boundaries to life apart from those of our own making, no wrongs.
To believe that “every individual’s beliefs, values, lifestyle, and perception of truth claims are equal,” leaves us with no objective truth or moral standard. If everyone is right, who is to determine if anyone is wrong?
Christians do not hold to this perspective. For us, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the Creator of the Universe – is real, and actively present in our lives today. As the omniscient loving God, He is our Law Giver, setting the objective standards of values and morals by which we live.
Those who hold a liberal-progressive inclination would deem this belief of ours to be archaic, intrusive (of one’s freedom), and intolerant (for the imposition of biblical standards upon their lives). However, Christians mean no disrespect, sharing only our conviction of Jesus as the Messiah, and His Word perfect and true.
Principle 19 of the Portland Declaration by the Philadelphia Society[1] states:
Tolerance can be exercised only by those who have well-grounded convictions … For such people tolerance is an act of self-abnegation; although they are convinced that those who differ from them must be wrong, they nevertheless will protect their rights.
Those who have no such convictions, but who espouse polite doubt, agnosticism, skepticism, or downright nihilism, can only be indifferent, not tolerant. … and history has demonstrated the intolerance of those who claim that truth either does not exist or is humanly unattainable.
Importantly, a Christian’s conviction rests, not on our own whim and fancy, but the objective inspired Word of God, which is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
While our biblical convictions should make us more tolerant, it is fair to agree with the Portland Declaration that this will not always be exercised even by us, imperfect humans that we are. The mistakes we may make, however, do not negate biblical standards of morality and values.
Rather, because all of us are fallible human beings, we should all submit ourselves to the objective teachings of God in our determination of truth and error, right and wrong, so as to prevent our human imperfect and sinful perspectives to colour our judgements. And judgements not in the sense of judging a person’s guilt or innocence, thereafter condemning him or her (Luke 6:37), but in the forming of an opinion after careful evaluation of the beliefs and practices in question, to ensure that they align with the Word of God (John 7:24).
“Judging,” in the sense of determining right and wrong, is a fact of life everyone engages in. For example, one does not have to be a Christian to weigh the morality of sundry situations such as using artificial intelligence do one’s homework, punishing by law the act of vaping, engaging in terrorism to achieve our objectives, and so on.
Those with a liberal-progressive bent believe that any passing of judgement is intolerant and unloving, and accuse Christians of not living up to the teaching to love others as oneself. Yes, Christians are to love, but part of loving is to speak the truth (Ephesians 4:15) and thereby to protect people from harm.
Our Lord Jesus himself set the example, spending time with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10) on the one hand, and driving money changers and merchants out of the temple on the other (John 2:13-16), forgiving a woman caught in adultery AND telling her to sin no more (John 1:1-11).
Tolerance does not ignore wrongdoing and sin. To do so is not loving. Rather, to love is to confront one who sins, first in private, and if he would not listen, with some others as witnesses. If he would still not listen, then we are to raise it to our leaders to be judged and disciplined (Matthew 18:15-17).
We are to do this not because we are intolerant and unloving, but “for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthains 5:5). That is, we judge between right and wrong that one might repent and turn from their wicked ways back to God, and be saved on THE day of judgement.
Our Christian way of loving tolerance is different from that of the world. James McDowell explains the difference between worldly tolerance and biblical love (tolerance) as follows:
Tolerance says, “You must approve of what I do.” Love responds, “I must do something harder: I will love you, even when your behaviour offends me.”
Tolerance says, “You must agree with me.” Love responds, “I must do something harder: I will tell you the truth, because I am convinced ‘the truth will set you free.’”
Tolerance says, “You must allow me to have my way.” Love responds, “I must do something harder: I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk.”
Tolerance seeks to be inoffensive; love takes risks. Tolerance glorifies division; love seeks unity. Tolerance costs nothing; love costs everything.
Christian or otherwise, being tolerant is not to acquiesce and accept everyone and every opinion under the sun. Loving tolerance requires us to be clear of our own faith stance (morals and values) without condemning others for theirs, in disagreement and saddened with their choices though we may be.
[1] Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn; The Portland Declaration; https://phillysoc.org/collections/tributes/tributes-to-erik-ritter-von-kuehnelt-leddihn/the-portland-declaration/ (29 August 2025)
Rev. Daniel Tong is currently Vicar of Saint Andrew’s Community Chapel and a graduate of Trinity Theological College.