TOLERANCE AND TRUTH
written by the Team Rector, Revd. Gary Cregeen
continued from page 9
really means. He was scoffed at as
the 'friend of sinners' by many in
the religious community but Jesus
received this name as a badge of
honour. He did not just refuse to
condemn the woman caught in
adultery, He became her friend,
stood up for her, rescued her from
death and gave her back her life,
commanding her to “sin no more”. It
was only when she encountered His
grace was she faced with His truth.
Surely this is what John meant when
he described Jesus as being "full of
grace and truth."
Prophetic and Pastoral
Looking at modern day examples,
who is showing genuine tolerance:
the church leader who argues that
the Bible allows homosexuals to
marry or the one who
fundamentally disagrees but seeks
to work with and support
homosexuals however they choose
to live? Being tolerant means being
both prophetic and pastoral,
declaring with grace and humility
what we believe to be right and
equally demonstrating Christ's
compassion to those who fall far
short of those ideals. Who is truly
tolerant, is it the person who
encourages a teenager to have an
abortion or the one who offers the
opportunity to look at all the
alternatives respecting her decision
whilst caring for her and her family,
whatever she chooses? This latter
position, is, I believe, the truly
tolerant one.
The Kansas Prayer
When the Rev Joe Wright was asked
to open the new session of the
Kansas Senate, everyone was
expecting the usual politically
correct generalities. But, what they
heard instead was a prayer
delivered with grace yet full of truth.
The response was immediate; on
the one hand a number of
legislators walked out during the
prayer, but on the other thousands
of people telephoned to express
their support:
"Heavenly Father we ask Your
forgiveness. We know Your
Word says, 'Woe on those who
call evil good,' but that's exactly
what we have done and we