Some things deserve no debate. The great C.S. Lewis alludes
to this as he rather bluntly declares, “An open mind, in questions that are not
ultimate, is useful. But an open mind about the ultimate foundations either of
Theoretical or of Practical Reason is idiocy.” More plainly put, one would have
to be an idiot not to recognize that certain things are settled for all time.
Such a conclusion is in direct contradiction to what has
become the supreme virtue with far too many in our culture: “tolerance.” As the
United Nations’
Declaration
of Principles on Tolerance instructs, “Tolerance … involves the rejection
of dogmatism and absolutism.” Of course, such a declaration reveals how the
definition of tolerance has changed. Today “tolerance” no longer simply means
“to recognize and respect others’ beliefs and practices without sharing them.” Today’s
“tolerance” is little more than a self-refuting system of thought that attempts
to impose liberal values onto any culture unable or unwilling to recognize the
fallacy.
The United Nations description of “tolerance” above
illustrates well such fallacy, as “Tolerance … involves the rejection of
dogmatism and absolutism” is itself a dogmatic and absolute statement. Today’s
liberalism is full of such nonsense.
On “tolerance,” G.K. Chesterton, who greatly influenced the
life and writings of C.S. Lewis, noted that “Tolerance is a virtue of a man
without convictions.” What better describes a modern liberal than a “man
without convictions?” When a person lacks convictions it becomes very easy to
align himself with whatever worldview provides the most benefits in this world—or
at least allows you to have the most “fun.”
A case in point is the debauchery on display at
Dartmouth College.
According to Linda Chavez, a few weeks ago, student protestors gathered at the office
of the
Dartmouth
president “and demanded more ‘womyn or people of color’ faculty, coverage of
sex-change operations on the student health plan, and ‘gender-neutral
bathrooms,’ among other things.”
Sounding like Dean
Vernon Wormer, Dartmouth’s
president, Philip Hanlon, harshly addressed the student body culture that, in
the 1970’s was the inspiration for the film Animal House. Hanlon declared, “Dartmouth’s promise is
being hijacked by extreme behavior, masked by its perpetrators as acceptable
fun.” He addressed sexual assaults, dangerous drinking, partying, hazing, and
“a general disregard for human dignity.”
Hanlon also noted “a grave disconnect between our culture in
the classroom and the behaviors outside of it — behaviors which too often seek
not to elevate the human spirit, but debase it.” Hanlon, evidently, has not
been visiting Dartmouth’s
classrooms very often, because the debasing behaviors occurring outside the
classrooms directly reflect the culture of “tolerance” that exists inside them.
In other words, Dartmouth
is only reaping what it has sown. Hanlon and his cohorts should not be
surprised that young people who have been taught that it is okay to kill their
unborn children, that they can have sex with whomever they wish without any
consequences, and that they can “marry” whomever they desire, will also eagerly
embrace “sexual assaults, dangerous drinking, partying, hazing” and the like.
Dartmouth,
he added, cannot “be held back by the few who wrongly hide harmful behaviors
behind the illusion of youthful exuberance. Routinized excessive drinking,
sexual misconduct and blatant disregard of social norms have no place at Dartmouth. Enough is
enough.”
To what “social norms” is Hanlon referring? It sounds like
he is appealing to some “absolute”
moral
standard. How “intolerant” of him! For decades now, our colleges and
universities have led the way in preaching “tolerance,” in place of moral
absolutes, as the supreme virtue in our culture. Impressionable young minds
have taken this message to heart and today the
U.S. contains tens-of-millions of
Americans who have abandoned any notion of sound (biblical) morality. They have
eagerly adopted the
pagan
philosophy of “Do as Thou Wilt.”
More tragically, the scourge of “tolerance” has also invaded
our churches. My own church’s association,
Vineyard USA, like many other
American churches, has recently experienced dissension on the issue of
homosexuality and marriage. Ken Wilson, senior pastor of Vineyard Church of Ann
Arbor, has recently
made
headlines over his decision to “come out” in support of homosexuality.
According to USA Today, “Experts say it might be the first time the pastor of a large evangelical
Christian congregation in Michigan, and maybe
the U.S.,
has come out so openly in favor of gay people and same-sex marriage.”
Wilson
said his decision was “about welcoming previously excluded groups.” On the
issues of homosexuality and same-sex marriage, Wilson has also said “we should
all ‘agree to disagree’ [which is certainly
not the
attitude of those leading the homosexual agenda]: Maintain our different
convictions, but not judge each other over them, not insist on excluding each
other over such matters, and continue to work together in the name of Jesus to
do things like alleviate suffering for orphans in abject poverty.”
“Agree to disagree” is simply another way of framing today’s
“tolerance.” Of course,
Wilson’s
position would ignore
the
suffering that results from homosexual behavior. As is typical with so many
who preach “tolerance,” his argument is rooted in multiple
straw
men (evangelicals generally are “judgmental” and “excluding” when it comes
to homosexuals) that make his position seem more “loving.”
What we are really dealing with here is competing views of
truth. Those peddling “tolerance” generally reject the notion of absolute
truth. As noted apologist William Lane Craig
puts
it when writing about the Christian perspective on homosexuality, “
Today so many people think of
right and wrong, not as matters of fact, but as matters of taste.”
And if taste determines truth, then we’re all at the mercy of whoever’s in
charge, because, ultimately we’re all intolerant. It’s simply a matter of who’s
right. 
