Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Eerdmans (2013), Edition: Reprint, 196 pages
Description
Tolerance currently occupies a very high place in Western societies: it is considered gauche, even boorish, to question it. In The Intolerance of Tolerance, however, questioning tolerance -- or, at least, contemporary understandings of tolerance -- is exactly what D. A . Carson does. Carson traces the subtle but enormous shift in the way we have come to understand tolerance over recent years -- from defending the rights of those who hold different beliefs to affirming all beliefs as equally valid and correct. He looks back at the history of this shift and discusses its implications for culture today, especially its bearing on democracy, discussions about good and evil, and Christian truth claims. Using real-life examples that will sometimes arouse laughter and sometimes make the blood boil, Carson argues not only that the "new tolerance" is socially dangerous and intellectually debilitating but also that it actually leads to genuine intolerance of all who struggle to hold fast to their beliefs.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
In this persuasive book, D. A. Carson argues that Western culture as a whole has come to define tolerance quite differently from its original meaning. In the original definition of tolerance, people believed that there was absolute truth that could be known. You would tolerate people whose views
The implications for our world are staggering when one considers the rise of the new tolerance and its inherent inconsistencies and contradictions. Carson cites well-documented case after case of the way that the new tolerance suppresses freedom of speech in the name of toleration. College professors have been fired for stating viewpoints that their universities did not agree with. Homeschooling parents have been ordered to stop teaching their children at home because they are passing their beliefs (deemed "intolerant") on to their children. Prison ministries have been sued for partnering with state institutions to reduce recidivism (with excellent results) through Bible study and prayer. In the new tolerance, the only crime is intolerance and therefore intolerance is the only suitable response to those deemed intolerant.
Central to the new tolerance is the assumption that secularism is a neutral position, but nothing could be further from the truth. Secularism by its very nature denies the absolute truth claims of the world's religions—thereby making a claim to absolute truth itself. It's as laughable and ridiculous as that line in George Lucas's latest Star Wars film, "only a Sith deals in absolutes." How the writers failed to see that that statement is, in itself, an absolute is indicative of the utter lack of self-examination and self-awareness displayed by the majority of the new tolerance's proponents.
What is a Christian to do with all this? It looks pretty bleak out there, as secularism and the new definition of tolerance continue to gain ground in our cultural assumptions. I appreciate how Carson wraps up his book with a chapter on where to go from here. Basically, we must continue to point out the inconsistencies, hypocrisy, and moral bankruptcy of the new tolerance. We must evangelize, keeping the gospel central to all we do. We must be tolerant (according to the old definition!) of those with whom we disagree.
And we must prepare to suffer. It won't be a sudden persecution, police rounding up all Christians to be incarcerated or something. Instead, the suffering we face is the encroaching kind. Christians will be fined for speaking truths out of alignment with the culture's dominant belief system of intolerant tolerance. Or we'll be barred from certain professions, or prevented from entering universities, or any number of quiet persecutions that will seem not only necessary, but morally praiseworthy to those who hold to the new tolerance.
This is an eye-opening, much-needed, and somewhat disturbing book. The whole current of Western culture is drifting further and further away from Christianity; I don't know the numbers, but it certainly feels like we're already the minority. The new tolerance is winning. It can be tempting to fear what is coming to us and our children. I'm so thankful that my hope does not lie in the culture coming back to its senses, but in Christ.
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were in opposition to your own, and you were free to engage in open, vigorous debate. You could tell someone that he/she was wrong and still treat that person with respect and dignity. The new definition of tolerance, strongly influenced by postmodernism, holds that there is no absolute truth and therefore telling a person that he/she is wrong is intolerant. And such "intolerance" should not be tolerated. It should be obvious, but apparently isn't, that the new tolerance is itself intolerant. The implications for our world are staggering when one considers the rise of the new tolerance and its inherent inconsistencies and contradictions. Carson cites well-documented case after case of the way that the new tolerance suppresses freedom of speech in the name of toleration. College professors have been fired for stating viewpoints that their universities did not agree with. Homeschooling parents have been ordered to stop teaching their children at home because they are passing their beliefs (deemed "intolerant") on to their children. Prison ministries have been sued for partnering with state institutions to reduce recidivism (with excellent results) through Bible study and prayer. In the new tolerance, the only crime is intolerance and therefore intolerance is the only suitable response to those deemed intolerant.
Central to the new tolerance is the assumption that secularism is a neutral position, but nothing could be further from the truth. Secularism by its very nature denies the absolute truth claims of the world's religions—thereby making a claim to absolute truth itself. It's as laughable and ridiculous as that line in George Lucas's latest Star Wars film, "only a Sith deals in absolutes." How the writers failed to see that that statement is, in itself, an absolute is indicative of the utter lack of self-examination and self-awareness displayed by the majority of the new tolerance's proponents.
What is a Christian to do with all this? It looks pretty bleak out there, as secularism and the new definition of tolerance continue to gain ground in our cultural assumptions. I appreciate how Carson wraps up his book with a chapter on where to go from here. Basically, we must continue to point out the inconsistencies, hypocrisy, and moral bankruptcy of the new tolerance. We must evangelize, keeping the gospel central to all we do. We must be tolerant (according to the old definition!) of those with whom we disagree.
And we must prepare to suffer. It won't be a sudden persecution, police rounding up all Christians to be incarcerated or something. Instead, the suffering we face is the encroaching kind. Christians will be fined for speaking truths out of alignment with the culture's dominant belief system of intolerant tolerance. Or we'll be barred from certain professions, or prevented from entering universities, or any number of quiet persecutions that will seem not only necessary, but morally praiseworthy to those who hold to the new tolerance.
This is an eye-opening, much-needed, and somewhat disturbing book. The whole current of Western culture is drifting further and further away from Christianity; I don't know the numbers, but it certainly feels like we're already the minority. The new tolerance is winning. It can be tempting to fear what is coming to us and our children. I'm so thankful that my hope does not lie in the culture coming back to its senses, but in Christ.
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LibraryThing member johnbotkin
I enjoyed listening to D. A. Carson gives two talks on "The Intolerance of Tolerance" awhile back and was pleased to see this information in print form. The basic premise of the book is to show how the definition of the word "tolerance" has shifted over the years. In the process, he shows how this
Essentially, the old definition said, "Under the modernist paradigm, tolerance looked something like this: I may disagree with you, but I insist on your right to articulate your opinion, however stupid and ignorant I think it is. That’s tolerance. In other words, this means there is tolerance for the individual to say things with which I disagree. The tolerance is directed toward individuals. But, there is robust debate at the level of content and substance." So, truth is something to be sought after, discussed, and obtained. In contrast, the new definition says, "you must not say anybody is wrong. That’s the one wrong thing to say. Under this view of tolerance, you are tolerant, not of individuals, you are tolerant of all positions. The tolerance is now directed toward all views that are articulated because you are not in a position to say that any view is wrong. The one thing that is not tolerated is the view that this view of tolerance is wrong. And thus you have the intolerance of tolerance." The implication is that truth is abstract, arbitrary, and ultimately, unimportant.
Carson dismantles this view from a philosophical/theological standpoint, showing how such a view doesn't actually work. Furthermore, it is essentially totalitarian in nature and thus morally repugnant.
In the process of advancing his argument, Carson pulls in many real world examples that not only makes the book more interesting, but serves to highlight it's relevance to modern day. In fact, Carson's work shows how so much of the divisiveness in the world today--especially in the United States--really comes down to this differing view of truth and tolerance.
Overall, "The Intolerance of Tolerance" is a quick, helpful book that should receive a wide audience.
*Note: I received this book through LibraryThing's early reviewers program, though that did not affect the content of my review.
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new definition is nothing short of the opposite of its predecessor and makes no sense for our culture. Essentially, the old definition said, "Under the modernist paradigm, tolerance looked something like this: I may disagree with you, but I insist on your right to articulate your opinion, however stupid and ignorant I think it is. That’s tolerance. In other words, this means there is tolerance for the individual to say things with which I disagree. The tolerance is directed toward individuals. But, there is robust debate at the level of content and substance." So, truth is something to be sought after, discussed, and obtained. In contrast, the new definition says, "you must not say anybody is wrong. That’s the one wrong thing to say. Under this view of tolerance, you are tolerant, not of individuals, you are tolerant of all positions. The tolerance is now directed toward all views that are articulated because you are not in a position to say that any view is wrong. The one thing that is not tolerated is the view that this view of tolerance is wrong. And thus you have the intolerance of tolerance." The implication is that truth is abstract, arbitrary, and ultimately, unimportant.
Carson dismantles this view from a philosophical/theological standpoint, showing how such a view doesn't actually work. Furthermore, it is essentially totalitarian in nature and thus morally repugnant.
In the process of advancing his argument, Carson pulls in many real world examples that not only makes the book more interesting, but serves to highlight it's relevance to modern day. In fact, Carson's work shows how so much of the divisiveness in the world today--especially in the United States--really comes down to this differing view of truth and tolerance.
Overall, "The Intolerance of Tolerance" is a quick, helpful book that should receive a wide audience.
*Note: I received this book through LibraryThing's early reviewers program, though that did not affect the content of my review.
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LibraryThing member moses917
I have always been a reader of almost anything D. A. Carson writes and his newest book “The Intolerance of Tolerance” does not disappoint in the least. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity who is the author or coauthor of over 45 books including the Gold
Right off the bat Carson spends time contrasting the “old tolerance” and “new tolerance.” He explains how the new tolerance calls for the acceptance of another’s position believing that the position to be true or at least as true as your own position. This is a shift from allowing contrary opinions in the marketplace of ideas to the outright acceptance of all opinions now. Carson then continues the pursuit of unpacking the slide from the “old” to the “new” tolerance from the historical past to how it now presents itself in our present culture..
D. A. Carson then challenges the empty intellectualism and exposes the hypocritical inconsistently of the new tolerances view points. This book needed to be written for the sake of the theological integrity of the church and the culture at large. He provides a long list of a variety of examples how this philosophy has leaked into all areas of life such as religious, political, news and academic environments.
In conclusion the author explains how the Christ follower must adhere to the objective truth found in the scriptures despite living in a climate where religious relativism is the accepted norm. The book is just completely outstanding and a well volume worth adding to one’s reading list for this year the first 30 pages can be previewed here. I found it stimulating intellectually, very readable, well researched and apologetically engaging. Here are some MP3s part 1 and part 2 where Dr. Carson speaks on the intolerance of tolerance as dated March 2004. Also here is a recent interview with John Starke where Carson explains the difference between the “old tolerance” and the “new tolerance”. Enjoy!
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Medallion Award-winning book “The Gagging of God”.Right off the bat Carson spends time contrasting the “old tolerance” and “new tolerance.” He explains how the new tolerance calls for the acceptance of another’s position believing that the position to be true or at least as true as your own position. This is a shift from allowing contrary opinions in the marketplace of ideas to the outright acceptance of all opinions now. Carson then continues the pursuit of unpacking the slide from the “old” to the “new” tolerance from the historical past to how it now presents itself in our present culture..
D. A. Carson then challenges the empty intellectualism and exposes the hypocritical inconsistently of the new tolerances view points. This book needed to be written for the sake of the theological integrity of the church and the culture at large. He provides a long list of a variety of examples how this philosophy has leaked into all areas of life such as religious, political, news and academic environments.
In conclusion the author explains how the Christ follower must adhere to the objective truth found in the scriptures despite living in a climate where religious relativism is the accepted norm. The book is just completely outstanding and a well volume worth adding to one’s reading list for this year the first 30 pages can be previewed here. I found it stimulating intellectually, very readable, well researched and apologetically engaging. Here are some MP3s part 1 and part 2 where Dr. Carson speaks on the intolerance of tolerance as dated March 2004. Also here is a recent interview with John Starke where Carson explains the difference between the “old tolerance” and the “new tolerance”. Enjoy!
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Carson has tackled the topic of tolerance and how its definition has changed over the years. Whereas many Christians would not be accused of intolerance under the older definition, they are being called intolerant because of their strict adherence to their religious beliefs under the new
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definition. Carson also shows inconsistencies in the application of the new definition of tolerance. There were a few grammatical issues in the opening chapter with mixing of tenses and with beginning sentences with words like "And" or "But." These issues seem to not be present in the later chapters, making one wonder why the first chapter was not polished as the remainder of the book. The sentence structure is more geared toward an academic audience with fairly lengthy and complex sentences, rather than shorter, less-complex sentences found in books designed for popular audiences. The book itself is a book that is going to lend itself well to discussions in many religiously-affiliated colleges and universities, but possibly also in many other publicly and privately funded universities. The book will also be embraced by other readers with an interest in the topic, particularly well-educated Christian leaders. Show Less
LibraryThing member dougstephens
In our current culture, tolerance is a bat used to beat opponents. It becomes more obvious every day that no one is more intolerant than the tolerant. They are tolerant as long as no one disagrees with them. When disagreement comes, instead of responding logically, the "tolerant" one immediately
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starts with epithets like bigot, hater, etc. D.A. Carson has done a fine job of explaining why this is so. He discusses how the meaning of tolerance has changed over the years and how these two completely different meanings result in so much frustration. Carson's book is a fine introduction to the subject and my only criticism is that he is too nice. Show Less
LibraryThing member amramey
D. A. Carson. The Intolerance of Tolerance. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012. 176 pp. $24.00.
Dr. Carson is the author of dozens of popular books and thus is a well-known professor from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Deerfield, Illinois.
Tolerance is considered a virtue by most Americans.
Dr. Carson is the author of dozens of popular books and thus is a well-known professor from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Deerfield, Illinois.
Tolerance is considered a virtue by most Americans.
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However, as pointed out in this thought-provoking work, tolerance is defined differently now than it was in generations past. Dr. Carson writes in a winsome and persuasive style and has good research to support his claims. This book is sure to enrich for years to come. Show Less
LibraryThing member spbooks
The author makes a good point - the new value of tolerance in society is quite different from the old one. The old one allowed for divergent views to be expressed whatever they were. The new tolerance is tolerant of anything but what intolerance of things that people disagree. Carson believes that
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Christianity, in particular, is suffering intolerance from those who demand tolerance. While the point is often valid, I found the book to be making the same point over and over again so didn't finish reading it. Show Less
LibraryThing member cjsdg
Carson helpfully distinguishes between tolerance as recognizing the existence of other views, and not seeking to remove them by force or legislation, and tolerance as accepting other views. He points out how pluralism and postmodernism have helped us slide from the first definition to the second,
He fills the book with examples of the second form of tolerance run amok, with the practical outworking of such tolerance being manifest intolerance.
He closes the book with a call to return to the first definition, with ten words on how Christians especially can seek to do so.
Carson leans heavily on evangelical sources, which will weaken the effect of the book for some, but I found this volume to be clarifying and helpful.
I received an advance copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.
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with the result being that rather than that which protects other virtues, tolerance is the supreme virtue, and a failure to embrace tolerance as acceptance is now seen as intolerance, and this a social and culture menace.He fills the book with examples of the second form of tolerance run amok, with the practical outworking of such tolerance being manifest intolerance.
He closes the book with a call to return to the first definition, with ten words on how Christians especially can seek to do so.
Carson leans heavily on evangelical sources, which will weaken the effect of the book for some, but I found this volume to be clarifying and helpful.
I received an advance copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.
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LibraryThing member L.A.Markham
This book is a treatment on tolerance and how it has changed for the worse from an evangelical Christian perspective.
It is brilliant; I read this almost entirely during my lunch break and despite often having a fried head from work, this book remained completely immersing and gripping.
The
Carson is exceedingly well-read and seems to demonstrate significant capability in theology, history, politics, law and philosophy here.
It is littered with contemporary examples to illustrate his points which keeps it fresh and engaging amongst the theory which would still be interesting without it.
Easy read, but not entertaining in the usual sense - just fascinating.
In one word: Magisterial.
It is brilliant; I read this almost entirely during my lunch break and despite often having a fried head from work, this book remained completely immersing and gripping.
The
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discussion of the history of tolerance was fascinating and served as an excellent example of good research and scholarly reading. The section about the semantic changes was enlightening, thought-provoking and enjoyable. Carson is exceedingly well-read and seems to demonstrate significant capability in theology, history, politics, law and philosophy here.
It is littered with contemporary examples to illustrate his points which keeps it fresh and engaging amongst the theory which would still be interesting without it.
Easy read, but not entertaining in the usual sense - just fascinating.
In one word: Magisterial.
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
196 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
0802869408 / 9780802869401