The Tyranny of Tolerance
By Dr. Keith M. Waggoner
Tolerance has become one of the most dividing and destructive ideas in modern culture and in the church. The word sounds gentle, but the spirit behind it is corrosive.
We are all intolerant, just in selective ways. Everyone draws a line somewhere. We would never tolerate a convicted sex offender teaching in a daycare. We would not tolerate someone smoking in a cancer ward. We do not tolerate a drunk pilot flying a plane or a surgeon operating high. Yet when moral or spiritual boundaries are involved, many suddenly call intolerance “hate.”
Why? Because tolerance is easy to demand and hard to defend. It requires nothing but a cry of offense. Conviction requires knowledge, discipline, and courage.
The Real Nature of Tolerance
The Bible never praises tolerance. When Scripture mentions tolerance, it is always in the context of sin or corruption that was allowed to spread. Tolerance is a cheap counterfeit for love. It excuses what real love would confront.
The one who demands tolerance is rarely neutral. They are often in the very act of wrongdoing and need the cover of social approval to keep doing it. They call it “inclusivity,” but what they really seek is immunity from accountability.
We have replaced conviction with tolerance and courage with silence. The modern church would rather appear kind than be holy. It would rather be accepted by the world than approved by God.
The Psychology Behind It
At the psychological level, tolerance often begins as avoidance. A husband tolerates disrespect from his wife because he fears conflict. A leader tolerates rebellion in his ranks because he fears losing loyalty. A parent tolerates destructive behavior in a child because confrontation feels painful.
The tolerant person tells himself he is keeping the peace, but he is really avoiding the cost of leadership. Peace without truth is illusion.
Human nature resists confrontation. The brain is wired to avoid discomfort, to seek the least threatening path. So when faced with a difficult moral stance, many fold under the weight of possible rejection. They convince themselves that being tolerant is being loving. In truth, it is often cowardice covered in politeness.
The One Who Demands to Be Tolerated
The one who demands tolerance holds power through guilt. They need only cry victim to gain control. This is why the spirit of the age always mixes victimhood with violence.
The vigilante victim says, “You must accept me or you are evil.” They confuse disapproval with oppression. They punish conviction and reward compliance. Their goal is not coexistence but control.
This pattern has infected our culture. It shows up in politics, education, and even pulpits. Leaders fear being labeled judgmental, so they retreat from truth. The church becomes softer, more silent, and less sure of what it stands for.
The Cycle of Destruction
When tolerance takes hold, it divides and destroys. It divides families because truth becomes optional. It divides churches because conviction becomes offensive. It divides nations because moral clarity is traded for emotional comfort.
A society that tolerates everything loses its ability to stand for anything. A church that tolerates sin will eventually celebrate it.
I have seen this play out in homes, workplaces, and ministries. People who once stood firm begin to bend, thinking they are being merciful. They call it open-mindedness, but it is often moral surrender.
Why It Feels So Easy
Tolerance feels easier than truth because it requires nothing of us. To stand upon conviction demands strength. To hold to truth requires study, humility, and the willingness to be unpopular.
Tolerance costs nothing, at least at first. It only demands that you stop speaking, stop resisting, and stop discerning. Yet silence is never neutral. Every time we tolerate evil, we feed it.
Tolerance appeals to pride. It makes people feel morally superior without any real effort. It says, “I am better than you because I accept everyone.” But there is no virtue in accepting what destroys.
The Biblical Pattern
From Genesis to Revelation, tolerance leads to destruction. Adam tolerated the serpent’s conversation. Israel tolerated idols. The church in Thyatira tolerated Jezebel’s teaching. Every time tolerance replaced truth, judgment followed.
God calls His people to holiness, not tolerance. Holiness means separation from sin, not silence about it. Jesus loved sinners deeply, but He never excused sin. He confronted it with grace and authority. He healed the broken, yet always called them to repentance.
The Psychological War Within
I have counseled countless men who struggle between conviction and fear. They know what is right but fear the cost of standing for it. They worry about losing a relationship, a job, or a friend.
One man told me, “I just don’t want to judge.” But refusing to judge between good and evil is itself a form of judgment. It says, “I choose comfort over truth.”
The internal war between tolerance and conviction is spiritual and psychological. It tests a person’s character. Every man must decide whether to protect his peace or his principles.
The False Gospel of Niceness
Modern Christianity has confused love with agreement. It has replaced discipleship with diplomacy. Jesus was compassionate, but He was never passive. He confronted hypocrisy, drove out corruption, and warned of hell. His mercy never contradicted His message.
A church obsessed with being liked by the world will lose its salt and light. People will come for comfort and leave unchanged. The gospel demands transformation, not tolerance.
A Call to Courage
Conviction is not cruelty. It is clarity. The believer must stand upon something. The man of God must know where he draws his line.
We need courage to call sin what it is. Courage to protect what is sacred. Courage to love enough to confront.
Real love refuses to tolerate what destroys. It warns, protects, and restores. The tolerant spirit avoids those responsibilities because it fears rejection more than deception.
The Work That Must Be Done Within
Conviction cannot exist without knowledge. We cannot stand firm on principles we have never defined. The greatest problem for most people is not a lack of conviction, but a lack of clarity about what they actually believe.
To hold conviction, you must know what you stand for. To know, you must study, reflect, and wrestle with truth. This is the hard work of moral formation. It takes time, courage, and community.
The modern education system has failed to teach people how to think critically, reason clearly, or debate with depth. Most adults know slogans, not principles. They can argue opinions, but they cannot explain why they believe them. Many do not even know themselves.
If you want to grow in conviction, begin with disciplined learning.
Here is where to start:
-
Study Scripture deeply and regularly. Read it for understanding, not just comfort. Study the lives of men and women who stood firm in truth.
-
Write down your beliefs. Identify what you stand for, what you will defend, and what you will refuse to compromise.
-
Seek wisdom through mentors and discussion. Iron sharpens iron. You need people who will challenge you, not just agree with you.
-
Read books and articles that stretch your mind. Read works that teach discernment, psychology, theology, and leadership. Read my articles and essays at keithmwaggoner.com to strengthen your ability to think and live with clarity.
-
Join a strong church. Find one that preaches the whole counsel of God. A good church does not entertain. It equips.
-
Engage in brotherhood and community. Conviction grows when surrounded by others who also pursue truth. Avoid echo chambers that feed emotional comfort but starve moral strength.
-
Train your body and mind. Physical discipline breeds spiritual discipline. Wake early. Pray. Fast. Build habits that make you resilient.
-
Invest in coaching and accountability. Many need guidance and structure to rebuild conviction. Reach out for coaching, or attend one of my Undisputed Mastery events. These environments are designed to develop courage, clarity, and conviction in men.
You cannot stand firm if you do not know where you stand. Conviction grows from knowledge, reflection, and practice.
The Way Forward
We must reclaim the ancient virtues that tolerance replaced: truth, holiness, wisdom, and courage. We must train ourselves to discern right from wrong, not to blur them for convenience.
The next generation will not rise on tolerance. It will rise on truth. It will rise on fathers, pastors, and leaders who stop apologizing for righteousness.
If we keep tolerating what God condemns, we will raise children who cannot tell the difference between good and evil.
The Closing Word
Tolerance sounds peaceful, but it breeds chaos. Conviction sounds harsh, but it builds strength.
The world does not need more tolerance. It needs truth spoken in love, clarity without cruelty, and believers who fear God more than public opinion.
The church that tolerates everything will soon stand for nothing. The man who refuses to take a stand will fall for everything.
The time for polite silence has ended. The time for conviction has come.