“No totalitarian authority or authoritarian state can tolerate those who have an absolute by which to judge that state and its actions (Schaeffer, 26).”
The net result of a government that decides to dictate what it’s people are to say or believe is intolerance of those peoples words, values and faith. Real Christians have always had an absolute in God’s revelation. The scriptures are an absolute authority for all maters of faith and practice. So today when we judge our society for its actions and words we can do so on the basis of the inerrant Word of God. Mans word and our societies traditions are not on the same level as God’s Word. Further, when a government says that some people can have freedom to speak and have actions they desire, but other people are not allowed to speak in opposition to those, then that itself becomes intolerant. Faith in God’s word and translating into actions in our lives is not intolerant. If I have a choice between believing in the sovereign God of scripture or obedience to the constituted authority I will obey God every time.
Real freedom always has limitations, but those limitations need to be based on what God says in the Bible and not what we want to be able to do.
[...] Heringer is still reading Francis Schaeffer and speaking somewhat obliquely about totalitarianism. “Further, when a [...]