Begging to Differ on Column About Intolerance
Rev. William Aulenbach’s On Faith commentary of Sept. 4 (“Intolerance by Christians Is Intolerable”) communicated a shocking level of ignorance about the basic tenets of Christian faith.
Mr. Aulenbach begins by referring to a quote from a tract he received, the passage in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Mr. Aulenbach is offended by the tract writer’s insinuation that non-Christians will automatically go to hell because he doesn’t believe in hell and because his God is a God of love who is inclusive, not exclusive, meaning He loves non-Christians as much as Christians.
Well, of course God loves all people! John 3:16 makes it very clear that He sent his only son to die for the Jew, the Muslim, the Buddhist and others. The problem is, non-Christians have rejected that love and thus rejected God--not the other way around.
If Mr. Aulenbach has decided to create his own religion that arbitrarily tosses out scriptures and ideas that he finds uncomfortable, and changes the attributes of God that are clearly stated in the Bible (Holy, Jealous, A Righteous Judge) for ones he finds more palatable (liberal, nonjudgmental, laid-back), he is of course free to do so. But as a Christian, I take my directions from the God of the Bible, not some Laguna Beach-based deity Mr. Aulenbach has conjured up for his own personal comfort. If we are going to discuss Christian behavior, let’s leave your God out of it.
As Christians we are called to obey the teachings of Jesus--that’s why we call him “Lord.” Jesus said in Matthew 10:34 that he did not come to bring peace, explaining that His gospel would divide families and households between those who believe and those who do not.
You cannot be a Christian and believe it is OK for someone else to reject Christ. The very foundation of the Christian religion is based on the belief that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God. As we enter a new millennium, Christians can no longer tolerate attempts to dilute their faith and make the message of the Gospel ineffective.
As a believer called to love others as I love myself, I have nothing but compassion for those of other religions. But I have no tolerance for those who claim to be Christian and then throw out every basic principle of the faith they claim to profess.
A Christian is not synonymous with “nice person” or “someone who lives a Christian life.” A Christian is one who confesses Jesus as Lord and savior and encourages others to do the same. To believe otherwise is ignorance, and that is truly intolerable.