Yet I don't think this is what most people are implying when they call Christians "narrow minded" or "intolerant." Many professing Christians have shown themselves to be very hurtful, if not hateful, towards others. This is what critics are most likely talking about, when they say that Christians are intolerant or narrow minded.
Out of this reaction to "intolerance" has grown a philosophy that appears to be, on the surface at least, a more loving way; a more "tolerant" way. The questions that must be asked are whether this philosophy of tolerance has lived up to its claims, and, to the extent that it has, whether this is a more loving approach. I would say that it has not lived up to its claims, and I want to share my reasons for why I believe this.
When I have been out witnessing on the streets, or even during conversations that come up, I have noticed a tendency amongst those who preach most strongly about tolerance, to be even harsher in their criticisms than are the people they criticise. If we are to be tolerant of so many other things, why cannot this same tolerance be applied to others (e.g. religious people) who feel they have a better way? Such an approach should ultimately benefit even those who oppose it, especially if those preaching tolerance have first taken the time to hear the others out, and if they have given the various "evangelists" a chance to espouse their particular philosophy. What is so wrong about letting the "believers" express their various beliefs? In other words, isn't it just as intolerant to say that the people preaching about right and wrong are wrong, as it is for the preachers to say that you are wrong?
Another weakness in this version of tolerance is that it is often applied to things that don't seem to directly affect the tolerant person. In other words, it does not cost the tolerant person anything to tolerant what may be hurting someone else. Because of that, I question whether it is really more loving to take this position.
If I am not directly affected by the actions (or inactions) of someone else, then should it really be my place to say that others should be more tolerant of something I am not involved in? When people take this position, they are, in my opinion, hiding indifference behind a mask called tolerance. Where others are suffering, indifference is not the answer. Real love would require us to speak out both against the the source of their suffering and against the indifference (or "tolerance") that fails to reach out to their suffering.
A famous quote goes something like this: "All that it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing to stop it." How true this is, especially in a world that maintains a "to each his own" mentality, and then pretends that this is a higher spiritual level than campaigning for justice.
It's helpful to realize that we can only offer help to people who want it, and to not cram our beliefs down their throats if they have shown that they are not interested in what we have to say. But the problem arises when is happening is hurting others. It is selfish to say that as long as they are not bothering me, I'll let it go. We do need to be our brothers (and sisters) keepers, and sometimes showing them real love means holding them accountable, even if we are not personally being affected by whatever it is they are doing.
When people try to teach others how to be tolerant, it pays to hear what they think about the idea of actually living with those whom they want us to tolerate. It's easy to act like an expert on tolerance, but what about actually living with people who have very different worldviews than ourselves? If we live with others, our patience is going to be tested many times. This is what happens in marriages, so when you hear someone preaching tolerance, look for proof within their marriages. If we can only be tolerant by separating ourselves from those we disagree with, can that really be genuine tolerance?
The last point that I wanted to express was how often people rage against God and His way of expressing love to His creation. You can commonly hear people arguing that a loving God would not do such and such thing, and then they go on to express how THEY would promote a more loving solution to various problems in the world. Really?!! Are we to assume they have a better way to show love than what God has? Maybe we need to let go of OUR ideas about love for a while, and humbly question the motives behind such an arrogant attitude. God is our Creator, and however He chooses to do His will is up to Him, regardless of whether or not it conforms to our limited understanding.
Maybe we need to practice more "tolerance" towards God, in an effort to get the bigger picture that He is trying to teach us!