The intolerance of tolerance was a phrase I first heard from renowned theologian and seminary professor D.A. Carson. His book by the same name discusses the shift from defending the rights of those who hold different beliefs to affirming all beliefs as equally valid and correspondingly the lack of tolerance for any position that dares to suggest some positions are invalid or wrong.

Chris Broussard found himself embroiled in such intolerant blowback when he took to ESPN and upheld orthodox Christian views of homosexuality and sexual sin in general. He did so after being prompted by the interviewer to discuss the Christian perspective on another Christian, Jason Collins, coming out as a gay man.

See the offending comments below.

Predictably, the media reacted strongly. Think Progress immediately accused Broussard of gay bashing, ESPN issued a non-apology apology and Slate called him unkind. Additionally, coverage of this story has cropped up everywhere. Deadspin, Detroit Free Press and the Washington Post are just a handful of the media outlets that have spilled ink on this topic.

As I’ve written before, this is not about gay marriage, it is about no longer allowing people, Christians in particular, to hold traditional biblical views of homosexuality as sin. Gay marriage is being decided state to state and in the courts. The government’s evaluation of what is and is not marriage is totally separate from the media storms that surround any who dare suggest that homosexuality is sinful. It is not a stretch to suggest that similar attacks will soon be aimed at pastors who hold to orthodoxy, indeed, Louie Giglio and now Greg Laurie are facing that already. How much longer until less notable pastors are openly slammed for such beliefs? How long until preaching a sermon on homosexuality as sin becomes ‘hate speech?’

Broussard also said “true tolerance and acceptance is being able to handle [differing lifestyle beliefs] as mature adults and not criticize each other and call each other names.” Yet that is exactly what gay advocates are unable to do.

What strikes me as so odd about all of this is why would gay advocates be so militantly opposed to a Christian representing Christian views? If you don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then why would you care at all about what he had to say about sex?

If you believe that those of us who hold to orthodox views on homosexuality as sin are misinterpreting scripture (quite the exegetical trick considering Romans 1:26 amongst other passages) then why not chalk it up to interpretational differences and move on? There is something strangely aggressive about being unable to allow people to even think differently about the issue of homosexuality.

So the media and gay rights advocates now demand that we must tolerate every and all lifestyles, except that ones that stand in contradistinction to what’s popular right now, for that, we can have no tolerance.