By LARRY TIMM

Gracepoint Church, Peabody

Tolerance: it’s a buzzword that means different things to different people. Some say it means people should be able to agree to disagree in a calm manner. Others say it means you never even hint to anyone that others are wrong about something.

When human history is swallowed up in eternity, we will discover that God had been telling the truth all along. There really was only one way to heaven — Jesus Christ. There really was such a thing as truth and error, light and darkness, heaven and hell. And He informed us of those things, not to hurt our feelings, but to warn us of the consequences of bad belief, and to give us time and insight on how to get right with Him.

God — and those who claim to be His children — is often accused of being intolerant. If that means we believe that there is such a thing as right and wrong, then the church should be guilty of that charge. We are called to speak the truth in all circumstances, and to do so in a loving manner.