Ignoring serious disagreements only means that a price will have to be paid some time in the future. And if I didn't think the Episcopal Church's current disagreement would ever force St. Thomas' to pay a huge price in the future - in fact, the price of its very survival - I'd step away from this podium this very moment and simply walk away with the happiness of this gathering to warm me.

Tolerance Can Become Too Stretched

One of the pet words of this age is 'tolerance.' It is a good word, but we have tried to stretch it over too great an area of life. We have applied it, too often, where it does not belong. The word 'tolerant' means 'liberal,' 'broad-minded,' 'willing to put up with beliefs opposed to one's convictions' and 'the allowance of something not wholly approved.'

It is a powerful set of presuppositions, whose effects may be read in the work of politicians and columnists and public intellectuals across Europe and North America.

The debate over Robinson was eye-opening. The more conservative congregants were so upset over the election of a gay man as bishop that they set up an e-mail forum to discuss next steps.

I joined it to understand their concerns. I learned that you can't have a disagreement with an evangelical Christian, especially on religious issues. Their interpretation of the Bible is too rigorous.