In my travels as of late I have seen, heard, read and experienced the new tolerence in our world.

In the book "The Intolerance of Tolerance," by D.A. Carson, he writes, "Any viewpoint must be accepted - unless it rejects other viewpoints." In other words poorly defined, tolerance drifts ironically toward true intolerance.

Carson examines how the definition of tolerance has changed. It now has less to do with recognizing the right of another to disagree with us, and more to do with not saying that others are wrong. So the word 'tolerance' has almost become an absolute good, and 'intolerance' an absolute bad. Tolerance and intolerance have become merely rhetorical terms of approval and disapproval.

This new tolerence has changed the religious face of America in case anyone hasn't noticed.

Newsweek reported that America is not a Christian nation any longer.

We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). Of course, we are not a Hindu—or Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan—nation, either. A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth.

The new tolerence I have found is directionless, dangerous, and potentially eternally fatal. A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Qur'an is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other; all are equal in our world today.

But can we all be right? Is there one truth, one God, one purpose for each of our lives? You get a lifetime to figure it out or you gete a lifetime to just live, and die, and take whatever greets you at the end of it all.

The most traditional, conservative Christians have not been taught to think like this. They learn in Sunday school that their religion is true, and others are false. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."

Americans are no longer buying it. And what I have discovered while I have been away from Mindsay is, they aren't buying much of anything. Is that sad or a good thing?

According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of us believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life"—including 37 percent of white evangelicals, the group most likely to believe that salvation is theirs alone. Also, the number of people who seek spiritual truth outside church is growing. Thirty percent of Americans call themselves "spiritual, not religious." 

Stephen Prothero, religion professor at Boston University, says. "It isn't about orthodoxy. It's about whatever works. If going to yoga works, great—and if going to Catholic mass works, great. And if going to Catholic mass plus the yoga plus the Buddhist retreat works, that's great, too."

Decisions, decisions....

Chaps