“Our advocacy specialist has reviewed your ad,” said the Star Tribune, “and 2 of the copy lines would need to be removed: the second that references limiting sexual activity to Christian marriage, and the 3rd referencing 2000 years of Christian faith and moral teaching.”

The Wall Street Journal ran our ad. So did the Los Angeles Times, the Atlanta Journal/Constitution and the Houston Chronicle. But the Minneapolis Star Tribune said no. There’ll be no room for you unless you conform your ad to suit our censors.

It’s not that the people of the Twin Cities are uninterested in the issues raised. Nor that the region lacks a Presbyterian presence. Minneapolis was the city in which the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly adopted an amendment to remove the sexual behavior standards from its Book of Order. The Star Tribune celebrated when the Twin Cities presbytery cast the deciding vote for its ratification. But they won’t run material advocating another position.

“Our advocacy specialist has reviewed your ad,” said the Star Tribune, “and 2 of the copy lines would need to be removed: the second that references limiting sexual activity to Christian marriage, and the 3rd referencing 2000 years of Christian faith and moral teaching.”

Ironically, this is a paper that prides itself in its “tolerance.” The Star Tribune vaunts the First Amendment as its guiding light and tolerance as its north star. A recent editorial finds it “disappointing” that Minnesota lawmakers are even considering a marriage amendment, which, according to the editor, “would wrongly enshrine bigotry and discrimination in the state Constitution.” Nothing, the Star Tribune asserts, should be allowed to wound the message of tolerance.

So, tolerance has now become unashamedly intolerant.