Is God tolerant?
Gay rights activists across the country plan to descend upon Chick-fil-A this evening in response to Wednesday’s "Appreciation Day." Here will be a real-life test of tolerance for many professing Christians . Now, as political and newsy as it may seem, the main thing to understand about tolerance is this: It is profoundly theological. Yes, tolerance is defensible on the basis of mere reason, and no, you don't have to be a Christian to practice it — or even a theist. But the firmest ground for why we would bother being tolerant goes back to God . We look to the one who has revealed himself ultimately in Jesus Christ and authoritatively in the Bible . God is the most tolerant being ever. Not in terms of the "new tolerance," but as Don Carson points out, according to the truest and best notions of tolerance. Think about God's patience and forbearance. Carson explains that God has ordained a world in which "conflict, idolatry, confrontatio