In his 3rd session on Sunday, Dr Chamberlain considers the issue of 'tolerance'.
Some of the questions he poses are:
Can I live out Christian morals without being seen as intolerant?
Is intolerance always bad?
and Why are people sometimes called intolerant?
Like many words in the English language, the word tolerate or tolerant has taken on a new meaning. Rather than putting up with someone or their opinion, it has become expected, that if we 'tolerate' that person or their ideas, we must accept them or even adopt them as our own.
However, as Dr Chamberlain points out, to truly tolerate cannot mean to agree with someone or their opinion, because by implication, if tolerate means to accept or embrace an idea, then you would not be expected to do anything else if you already embrace or accept it. Why would a person need to tolerate something or someone with whom they already agree?