Churches of Christ -- Sermons; Sermons, American -- 20th century
1. My brethren and I should be the first to preach against the use of
unfair methods in opposing those who are thought to be in error. We have
suffered more at the hands of such intolerance than we have ever caused
others to suffer. In a certain town the members of a denomination
threatened to boycott one of their own group if he sold a building lot
to members of the church of Christ who were establishing a congregation
there, and thus caused him to back out on a trade he had already made.
Such prejudiced and unfair opposition was both undemocratic and sinful.
To have exercised freedom of speech in a public discussion of religious
differences would have been honorable and democratic, but this the
denominationalists would not do. They were too “broadminded” and
“tolerant.” It is strange that in politics people understand freedom of
speech to mean that one may publicly criticize his opponent, while in
religion they pretend that it means something entirely different.
2. Sometimes our young people are treated with sinful intolerance at
school because they refuse to engage in dances. Sometimes they are
treated with intolerance when they fail to take part in the gambling
games, games of chance, which are played in some of the schools. Very
often when they refuse to go to picture shows they are laughed at and
made fun of. It is not a question of somebody’s attempting with love and
sincerity to persuade them to change their convictions; too often it is
simply a matter of ridicule.
I could give some instances and call names of Christian young people who
have been persecuted in public schools because they had a standard of
morality and conduct which was different from that of the majority in
the school. That is intolerance of a sinful sort. It is the wrong sort
of opposition. Endeavoring to teach in love and kindness what one
believes, even mistakingly, to be the truth is legitimate; but opposing
contrary beliefs and ideals with ridicule and fun-making is wrong.
3. We saw an example of this at the panel discussion last Tuesday night.
The chairman of the meeting was inclined to poke fun at some in the
audience who arose to ask questions, apparently asking the questions in
all sincerity. He would encourage the audience to give them the “horse
laugh.” The meeting which was called to promote tolerance manifested
intolerance of an ugly sort.
It was said that this meeting was being called to advocate the doctrine
that we should discriminate against no one because of his color, his
creed, or his race. These three words don’t belong together. Color,
creed, and race do not come in the same category. A man is not
responsible for his color. He had no choice in it. A man is not
responsible for the race to which he belongs. He had no choice in it. He
was born that way. But a man does have a choice in reference to his
creed. He chooses his creed. He can believe what he wants to believe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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