The Strength of the Tolerant Christian

Being tolerant is defined as being able to tolerate the beliefs, actions and opinions of others; to be permissive. It seems to me that being a tolerant Christian shows a great deal of personal strength. Not a physical strength, but a mental and spiritual strength. To be able to wish the best for everyone regardless of their actions and love our neighbors despite our differences of opinion takes a huge amount of strength and restraint.

I am sure that having a varied religious background like mine has helped me in my tolerance with other religions and people of other faiths, but tolerance is something we can all achieve. The derogatory label "holy rollers" has been used to describe those of the Pentecostal religion because of the emotional nature of their services. And I imagine if you were a Southern Baptist who just happened to wander into a service where people were speaking in tongues or walking up the aisles, hands raised, you might just feel a bit out of sorts. Whereas I have childhood memories of services with robust praise and worship that lasted so far into the night that we laid down under the pews to catch some shut-eye.

Reverse the scenario and someone of the Pentecostal religion may find a Baptist sermon to be somewhat uptight and boring. You may get an "amen" out of the crowd from time to time, but not much else seems to be going on. The whole crowd seems kind of prim and proper and "well put together".

I absolutely love the blend of religious experiences I have been able to collect. It has allowed me to see that while we are all different in our practices and approaches, we are all heading in the same direction. We are all worshiping in the way we feel is right for us.

It is in the ability to hold our tongues regarding others' practices that makes us a tolerant Christian. Unfortunately we all probably know at least one person who condemns your choice of religion or church. They are religious and call themselves a Christian, yet they are very vocal about the fact that they don't think you are going about it right. You are in the wrong church, wrong religion, don't go to church enough, go to church too much; there will always be something that sets their way apart from yours. If you are going to speak as to your beliefs, do so with gentleness and not harshness.

The ironic thing is; if you are going to be a tolerant Christian, you have to be tolerant of their right to an opinion that is intolerant of your spiritual life. Wrap your head around that one for a bit.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
1 Peter 15-16

Resources
Day 91 - Softening Your Heart Through Prayer And Practice

The Free Dictionary - Tolerant Definition

About.com - Pentecost