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here now is Josh McDowell talking to the Campus Crusade for Christ staff at
their headquarters in Orlando Florida
right here on Dr. James Dobson's family talk
we are going through this very moment we're sitting here, the fastest
cultural change
in the history of america and I would say 95 percent of believers
are missing that they're seen indications of it
but not what is really happening and I will address that issue because it's
becoming a whole foundation up having to speak out
and right from wrong and what I'm talking about is what has become the number
one virtue in America. The number one virtue in America has become the number
one threat
I want the top two or three threats to the cause of Christ
can anyone tell me what that number one virtue is used to be justice not anymore
justice is no longer the number one virtue it's been relegated way down the latter
what is the number one virtue that we face in America anyone?
tolerance tolerance
and here's the problem so many kids come home from school
their mom will say: what would you talk about today?
well now well we talked about tolerance all that's wonderful we need to be tolerant
no! it is not wonderful
and undermines everything that you believe it
now some you sitting I can just looking in your eyes say:
wait a minute Josh
you are off-base. no I'm not
you listen carefully the reason I'm say when i'm saying is this
is that we are singing of two different song sheets you see we're in a
transitional period
where there's two distinct definitions up tolerance
one by parents and people our age right here
the other by kids. and what has been ingrained and talk to our kids
is totally different then what is in your mind
as a parent and let me explain it
pretty much of you have been conditioned by what is referred to as
traditional tolerance
it is now referred to as negative tolerance
negative tolerance negative tolerance would be defined
by the Random House Unabridged Dictionary
was says tolerance is the recognized and respected
others beliefs practices without assuring them
or to bear put up with someone or something that especially
light that is how almost everyone in this room has been condition with tolerance
now that is referred to as negative tolerance
in our circles we would say and think we're very Godly for sake that very
righteous saying well you know you have to love the sinner but hate the sin
you say that in the most of universities classrooms in America
and you'll be leaving ,being labeled that a heretic, a bigot
and intolerant if you have that goal
to say well the most intolerant statements today that you are to love the sinner
but hate the sin and the reason is we're singing of a different song sheet
this is so critical that doctor would start a good goal
an article called the trouble with toleration says
toleration is the ultimate and only generally accepted the limitless test a morality
no other single category not justice not equality not
even freedom has one such wide
moral support in the Western world. We say things like
you know I love you but I don't believe in what you stand for
I love you but I don't believe in your lifestyle now
the way we pick condition that is righteous and intolerant
under the new song sheet that is so intolerant
it's pathetic now there's a new tolerance out on the new tolerance is called
positive tolerance over a guess what you been conditioned in negative tolerance
positive tolerance basically says this
every single individuals believes values
lifestyle in truth claims are equal
in other words there is no in the new buzzword is no hierarchy
in other words there's no truth greater than other truth
there is no belief greater than other belief. There's no value greater than other value or lifestyle
because a moment to say that
your lifestyle is better somebody else's life style that is hierarchy
and today that is labeled bigotry intolerance
because you're saying there's hierarchy or pyramidal
when it comes to values beliefs truth claims or lifestyle
all individuals believe values lifestyles in truth claims are equal
for example I make the state and I believe Jesus Christ is the son of God.
This young lady over here says no After seeing all the good
works and everything else helping children
I believe Ronald McDonald is the son of God
Though we laugh at that listen carefully
under the Constitution we both
have an equal right to hold it but under tolerance both are equal.
You see the difference?
the new definition for bigotry and phonetics exists
the phonetic bigot is no longer a person with excessive religious but across religious
and usually mistaken enthusiasm for certain system of beliefs
but one who chooses so form a hierarchy
is a bigot in other words you say
there's a lifestyle greater than another lifestyle
there's a truth greater than another truth
there's a value greater than another value
that's bigotry today and it's intolerance
fanaticism and heresy
Dr. Fredric W. Hill, school administrator at National Convention said
it is the mission a public schools not to tolerate intolerance
because if you tolerate intolerant you're being intolerant
and you're gonna see what I mean by that we look at people say what
you're so inconsistent you're not be intolerant what they're tolerant
if most people in culture is tolerant toward you with what you believe
and they're being intolerant I said to my son
I said Sean and they taught you to be tolerant of the intolerant?
he said no I said that's right son I said they taught you to be tolerant to
the tolerant and giving you permission to be intolerant of the intolerant
he said dad, that's right
best of my friends understand that I said that's right
and what he was saying that if we're not intolerant to the intolerant that we are
not being intolerant and we're bigots
all truth is relative to the individual under positive tolerance
all truth is equal because it's only individual expression opinion and belief
because an objective God has been removed from Western civilization thought
this is why today they say you don't have morality
you have opinions as another new buzzword opinions
now here's a basic difference between negative tolerance
and positive tolerance
under negative tolerance, the word was permission
whether the gays lesbians or what we want permission from society
to live our life style in peace and we say okay,you can't.
we don't agree with you but you have permission to do it
under positive tolerance
its added a word now it's not only permission but praise
in the new phrase is permission and praise
in other words we not only want your permission we demand your praise
and if you do not give us praise
and you're intolerant and you're bigot
this is why Dr. RM Hare philosopher put it this way
he said tolerance is a readiness to respect other people's ideas as
if they were your own
and under positive tolerance if you do not give praise to another person's
beliefs, values, lifestyle,and truth claims as you do your own
Then you are intolerant and a bigot
you see it's totally opposite of most of us condition with
but when our kids come home and say we talked about tolerance
in almost every situation it's positive tolerance
but we responding as parents we have been condition with negative tolerance
we say:oh that's wonderful
when undermines every thing that we believe
is like Steven Kahn said in liberalism and the idea of tolerance
he said they also desired to be a steamed in this choice by the community
and take even win the applause against the will
so to speak up of the fails
what he's saying is this if we do not applaud other people's lifestyles, beliefs
values and truth claims as we do our own
and you're a bigot and you're intolerant
and then is Kenneth stern Dr. stern writing an article called battling bigotry on the campus
In writing to the University presidency said we must make the University call
comfortable for all its members
in other words no matter what the lifestyle or what
we must not only get permission we must get praise
and they must feel comfortable that what they're doing our
lifestyle or belief their value their truth claim
is equal in value to anyone else in the campus
That's called positive tolerance
Chuck Colson, his novel called Gideon's Torch hit up
Chuck is one a few people that really understand
what's happening in culture and can read it
Emily Gineen is a new attorney general nominee in the story
And a conservative Senator and the committee is grilling her
truth surrogate east set her eyes sparkling
not only offensive is when a government sees to it that every individual can enjoy
his or her full and equal opportunity
when every man and woman following the dictates of conscience
is not just tolerated but respected in their lifestyle choices
win bigotry that is saying one lifestyles is great than another, one values is great than another
when bigotry is banished from our common life
every single individuals beliefs values truth claims and lifestyles are equal
that's called positive tolerance
this is not a conspiracy, please understand that
It's not a group but evil men and women getting together
and say we're gonna destroy evangelical Christianity in the Mormons in the Muslims and everyone else
No, this is not. And everybody likes to find a conspiracy. It's not a conspiracy. No!
There's a lot of people taking advantage of it I don't blame them.
There's many people taking advantage of what's happened historically
I think there's several basic reasons there's many but several basic ones
about how we got the positive tolerance
one is a natural progression of history to where we are today not a conspiracy
going all the way back to the 13th century in Italy you have a video here
save the world of history
God the Creator God Western civilizations at the top created man is at the bottom
along came the Renaissance
in a Renaissance elevated man about a quarter the way
and brought God down about a quarter the way
and the Renaissance probably woulnd't have that great of an impact
if there hadn't been followed by the enlightenment the age of reason
man is the master of his soul
man to reasoning can solve all the problems understand life,everything
And with the enlightenment man was elevated up to about half way
and God was elevated down in western thought
then later on and in many other factors playing here
but thinking of all things in Industrial Revolution
and Industrial Revolution said we don't really need God
look at the great as plays look at the great things man can do
and when the industrial revolution philosophically in everything
man was elevated another quarter up to three quarter in
God was elevated down to a corner from the bottom
and then came Darwinism
they said look we don't even need God
to determine the origin of man or the universe
and in Western thought God fell off the screen
and man was elevated to the position the creator
and all sudden philosophically in universities around the everything
it caught up with us
and also and say wait a minute
there is no objective God which is always been the basis of truth
there's only me and so therefore all truth is relative
there's no objective truth to appeal to in a full truth is relative in truth
is an opinion of men therefore all truth is equal
and whatever they determine is morality is just different opinions of men
because there is no objective basis for truth
which you need for morality
and to me much of this is a progression of history
over the years now given over 22,000 talks
the cause to a thousand universities in 83 countries including Texas
and so I have a little background to make some of these statements
up until four or five years ago
an university. At first, let me ask you who is the number one heretic in universities today
who's a number one bigot? anyone?
Christian who? evangelical or evangelist
say the street evangelist work for that the street evangelist
someone like myself coming up
about 4,5 years ago up, until then this is the way you were heckled
I don't believe that proved to me that Jesus is son of the God I don't believe Christ
raising the daed
I don't think God exists substance
you know your heckled today?
the moment you say Jesus is a way the truth and life
they won't say: I don't believe that
I don't think Jesus is son of God, they'll say who have the right to say that you are bigot
you have no right to say that
you are intolerant the issue of the statement is not the key
the truthfulness of it the issue is style
what right do you have to say it
you're saying there's one truth and lifestyle higher than another, yes
you're a bigot, you are intolerant
salvation is found in no one else, what right do you have to say that?
see? seven eight nine years ago you won't hear that, the issue is
would then would have been why don't believe that? what about Buddha
now is who have the right to say that? you are intolerant
has been a complete epistemological mean a shift in the source of truth
epistemological shift in Western thought
and it's now just being fleshed out you may remember what I'm talking
about here is that something is going to happen
it has all ready happened
always say you know all the old workings of it
there has been a complete shift
and I talked to so many Christian leaders not talk to people within
crusade even
but oh Josh you are getting upset over nothing look I have faith in America
I had one leaders say what
look at all the republicans that were elected ,*** look at them
America won't stand with us they'll rise up
I see you're forgetting one thing as far as I know in the history of America
it's the first time we've had its sociological
anthropological change based upon a epistemological shift
of truth this never happened before in America, as far as I know
and I cannot find any time in history where the epistemological shift was
ever reversed
rationalism humanism enlightenment
darwinism no
And God tell us enough in a number of years you will look back to tolerance the
same way
people look back to humanism rationalism
enlightenment Darwinism everything it'll be equal to all that
so we better wake up we are facing something we have never faced before in the
history of American Western world
and that is a cultural change based upon a epistemological shift
of truth
and that makes it a whole different bogging
well I think you can see why we so strongly urge you to stay with us today
for this edition
up doctor james dobson's Family Talk hearing from our guest Josh McDowell
that is a rather sobering message but doctor dobson he does not end there
there's a whole lot more content to present and we'll be hearing the balance
over next time