The Architecture of Truth: Why Tolerance Has Limits, Alvin Barnes of Jackson, Mississippi.

By Alvin Barnes of Jackson, Mississippi

We live in a world that celebrates tolerance. It is held up as one of the highest virtues of modern society, a safeguard against hatred and a doorway to peace. And rightly so, for tolerance is a powerful form of patience, an attitude of restraint that keeps us from reacting with anger or seeking vengeance.

But tolerance, like every virtue, has its proper place. Fulton J. Sheen once warned that tolerance applies only to persons, never to truth. This distinction matters more now than ever.

When we speak of tolerance, we often blur the line between respecting people and bending principles. True tolerance means forbearance toward those who err, not approval of the error itself. Just as an architect would never build a skyscraper on sand, and a doctor would never permit germs to thrive unchecked in a lab, we cannot afford to be tolerant of falsehoods and still expect to stand firm.

And when evil happens to us, when we are wronged, slandered, or hurt, our first instinct is often to lash back. But Scripture teaches us patience. It is hard, sometimes unbearably so, but we are reminded that the Lord is our vindicator. His justice is absolute, and His truth is final.

“Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19, Catholic Standard Version).

To be tolerant of people, even those who wound us, is to trust God’s timing. To refuse tolerance of error is to hold fast to His unchanging truth.

There is a paradox here. We are called to embrace those who are weak, to walk patiently with those who are wrong, to show compassion to those who wound us. Yet, we are also called to hold fast to the truth, to refuse compromise on the foundations of justice, faith, and moral order.

This is the kind of intolerance Sheen pleaded for, not a harsh or cruel rigidity, but a firm refusal to betray the principles that anchor us. Without such intolerance of error, tolerance itself becomes meaningless, because it no longer stands on solid ground.

So, the question for us becomes,

Where do we draw the line? We draw it at truth.

We love the sinner, but not the sin. We walk patiently with those who differ, but we do not dilute the truth to make it more palatable. We extend compassion without sacrificing conviction.

That balance, tolerance for persons and intolerance for error, is the foundation of real stability. It keeps our compassion from becoming sentimental weakness and our principles from becoming self-righteous cruelty.

As Sheen so sharply put it, “Tolerance of this kind is the foundation of all stability.”

Tolerance of the person who does evil is hard. Standing for truth and tolerating the person who violates the truth is hard. But it’s not impossible. Think of a mother’s love; does she shun her child for evil? Does she not love her child any longer when they do wrong? No, she scolds, yells, and reprimands, but she never withholds her love.

Food for thought, with peace and love,

Alvin Barnes of Jackson, Mississippi.

Alvin Barnes of Jackson, Mississippi