As the world grows smaller through faster communication and transportation the ideas and beliefs that bombard an individual each day expand proportionately. The diversity of cultures, races, and ethnicities can have great value in showing us how creative our God is, and how remarkably vast He created mankind to be. However, these realities also have the potential for greater confusion and misleading ideas.

With this increase in the diversity of ideas and beliefs, Christians are continually being told to be more tolerant, more accepting of different ideas, beliefs, and behaviors. From evolution as the origin of life to homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle, many of these ideas run counter to our own beliefs and values, and the world paints us as intolerant and narrow-minded. The desires Christians have to see the Christmas tree called by its real name, divorce to only take place when fault is present, and homosexuality not to be an accepted lifestyle are only a few of the views the world sees as intolerant, not to mention just the claim that Jesus Christ is the only way to a relationship with God.

Are we as Christians narrow-minded? Should we be more tolerant of different ideas? How should Christians respond to this growing pressure to be tolerant? These are important questions to ask as just last January the first Muslim was elected to Congress to represent a district in Minnesota, and instead of placing his hand upon the Christian Bible to take his oath of office, he placed it upon the Koran. A more recent example happened a couple of weeks ago, when the United States Senate, for the first time in its history, allowed the opening prayer to be a Hindu prayer. On that day a chaplin from Nevada prayed a prayer of his polytheistic and pagan religion to open the floor debate.

Obviously, the intolerance Christians often display toward certain beliefs and behaviors is not always bad. When one believes that right and wrong are absolute, that there is a standard by which we should live, and that despite our fallen nature a person should try to live morally and righteously, it is good that we are intolerant toward behavior below that standard and outside of righteousness.

However, when it comes to thoughts and beliefs, Christians understand the importance of allowing people the freedom to choose. We understand people cannot be forced into a relationship with God, just as they cannot be forced to sever such a relationship. When our country’s founders instituted the ideals that would govern this country, they understood the importance freedom of religion held because they had seen religion tear apart Europe. For this reason the United States is one of the most tolerant nations in the world. In many other countries people are persecuted for their beliefs when they differ from the government’s. So we should continue to uphold the intolerant standard of righteousness, but still allow for the freedom of religion.

The problem today is one of “the pot calling the kettle black.” As you well know, the great irony is that the ones who call for more tolerance, especially from Christians, are really the intolerant ones. Many critics who say Christianity is intolerant do not want Intelligent Design taught in the public schools let alone creation, the Ten Commandments posted in courtrooms, or chaplains allowed to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Christians, on the other hand, are not afraid of freedom for others in those areas because we know that what we believe is true, and the truth will speak for itself.

This still leaves us with the question of how Christians should respond to the pressure that we should be more tolerant and to these assaults on the Christian traditions in the public arena. As much as I would love to see our chaplains continue to pray to the one true God and our Congressmen place their hand on the Bible when they take their oaths of office, we cannot force them to do so through the law, but on the other hand, it should never be illegal for them to do just that! That is why as Christians we need to continue to do exactly what we are called to do: boldly stand as a witness to the Truth, spreading the Gospel throughout our families, communities, and eventually the entire country in the hopes that the citizenry will turn back to Christianity, thus bringing the government back as well.

What we can also do is to work to elect more Christians to public office, as well as stay involved with our elected representatives and express our opinions on their actions, positively and negatively. We should also become more active in the social and political arena around us. Our voices speaking up in the public square make a powerful difference. While we must speak and stand firmly, we must also show true Christian charity. We must show in word and deed that while we are absolutely intolerant of sin and unrighteousness, we are extremely tolerant of and loving towards those Christ died to redeem. In doing so, I am confident our appropriate tolerance will highlight the true intolerance.

For Wisconsin Family Council, I’m Julaine Appling reminding you the Prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”