tolerance

I need to be careful that I do not copy all of Michael Wittmer's Don't Stop Believing here - you should go buy a copy yourself, it is excellent - but I cannot resist. Here is an interesting analogy regarding how much tolerance is the right amount.

When mechanics tighten the nut on a wheel bearing, they back off the nut a quarter turn to allow grease to lubricate the bearing. The mechanic who forgets to back off the nut and allow for a grease tolerance is like some conservative Christians. They insist that every belief is important and do not give others room to breathe, to differ even on minor issues. Lacking sufficient grace to lubricate their lives, metal grinds on meal until their wheels overheat and eventually seize up, crippling their faith. ...

If conservatives sometimes lack enough tolerance, some postmodern Christians seem like the mechanic who backs off the wheel nut too far. These postmodern innovators seem so tolerant that what they are driving no longer resembles historic Christianity. They permit so much play that their wheels wobble from the beginning and, when they hit a pothole, may quickly fall off and disable their faith.