Customer Reviews

The New Tolerance

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This is a tremendous book describing our society and antichristian culture in the U.S. and the world today. It provides biblical methods for true Christians to cope with our society and be true to our God. A GREAT BOOK THAT EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD READ!!!

In a world full of obfuscation and political posturing, Josh McDowell is a voice of clear reason. It has been a belief of political elitists for years that by using words like "tolerance" people would embrace, and even promote, policies that most would disdain were they more accurately described - and, sadly, they have been correct. McDowell pierces these lies with clear logic and precise examples. I fear he will be largely "preaching to the choir", as the point of the book is apparent from the beginning. Most of the book is useful primarily for the marshalling of arguments that a reader might use afterwards. Our public discourse would be greatly improved, and more rational, if this book becomes widely read.

McDowell represents an opportunistic strain in contemporary fundamentalist Christian thought. They are correct about one thing: tolerance for everything is unsustainable and, yes, immoral and unethical.

However, that does not justify the intolerance of fundamentalist dogma, which promotes intolerance for everything that opposes their narrow view of people and the world. Sustainable tolerance is premised on respect for all people, and an honoring of everyone's worth and dignity.

McDowell and his ilk are correct that not everything is tolerable. One thing that is not is the intolerance promoted by this latest under-the-table apologetic.

I've admired Josh McDowell for a number of years, but in The New Tolerance, he misses the point. He doesn't "get" postmodernism, and so reacts to it. Postmodernism isn't, evil, a plot from the devil, or a conspiracy to compromise our children's values. It is no more contrary to Christianity than modernism was, or premodernism was. It's simply the dominant cultural world view of this generation. The days are evil- not postmodernism. There is a lot of good that can result from a more pluralistic, diverse and tolerant way of seeing things. Josh misses all of them, or at least conspicuously leaves them out. I recommend James Folwer's Faithful Change for a more scholarly look at how to remain "in Christ" in a postmodern world.