One More Way To God Than I Deserve
May. 15 2008
How many ways to God are there?
One of the truths of Christianity that bothers the world the most is the belief that Jesus is the only way to God. This is what Jesus himself taught: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), as did his earliest followers: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Those who disagree with this are called pluralists (meaning they believe that there are many, or a plurality of, ways to God). Those who belief there is only one way to God and that salvation is only found through believing in Jesus are called exclusivists (or particularists).
(In the Christian camp, there is another position, which I think is quite mistaken, called inclusivism. Inclusivists argue that some who have never heard of Christ respond to God and are saved through general revelation but still on the basis of Jesus’ work. Responding to that view is outside the bounds of this blog post, but the best book to read in response to this teaching is Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism. As the editors rightly say, “The best way to help the unevangelized is not to become more optimistic about their eternal destiny apart from the gospel. Rather, it is to allow our understanding of God and his Word to generate a greater burden for the unevangelized and to pray, give, and go to make sure that they hear the gospel,” p. 253.)
Instead of an in-depth theological explanation of exclusivism (which would be very valuable), I’m going to suggest some ways of engaging the issue with those who challenge your Christian beliefs with the pluralist objection. To see a winsome and insightful example of how to address the objection, please make sure to continue to the end where I’ve included a powerful video clip.
Be Prepared
I think many of us have a hidden assumption—though we might not express it this way—that genuine, meaningful dialogue only happens when our thinking and wording are spontaneous. It may be due to a misappropriation of Luke 12:11–12 (“do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say”). Of course we should never let anxieties remain on our heart but instead should cast them on God (as the former fisherman put it in 1 Pet. 5:7). But at the same time, it’s biblical to “always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15).
How are you doing on your defense preparations? If you could grow in your role of being a winsome and effective ambassador for Christ, are you working at it? Have you ever role-played a dialogue with a Christian friend, interacting together as one of you plays the devil’s advocate? Have you ever gone to a coffee shop with a Bible, pen, and a journal to think through a tough question that you know non-Christians will ask? Christians by and large (to our shame) are not known for excelling in careful, critical thinking. By thinking hard about God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:7) we can love God with our mind and can love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27).
Ask Questions
A lot of times Christians end up on the defense, faced with a barrage of questions. But the Christian is not the only one with a worldview, making claims that need defense. The pluralist is not the privileged prosecutor whose views can simply be assumed without argument. Both the pluralist and the excluvist are making claims based upon their worldviews, and both should be willing to offer arguments for their position. So (like Jesus) it’s appropriate to ask simple, probing questions. Doing so affords you the opportunity to shift the burden of proof and to respectfully engage and listen to your friend, showing that you care and that you want to learn more about what lies behind his or her answer.
A three-step process of questions includes: (1) “What do you mean by that?” (2) “Why do you believe that?” (3) “Have you ever considered that . . . .” Step 1 seeks for clarity; step 2 asks for arguments; step 3 detects a flaw in their reasoning and presents counter-arguments. (For more on this approach, the book to get is Greg Koukl’s Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, coming in September 2008 from Zondervan.)
All Religions Are True (or False)
It’s true that all religions contain some truth; but to claim that “all religions are true” leads to some obvious contradictions. Some religions claim there is only one personal God, some claim there are many, and some claim there are none—only one of those options can be true! Furthermore, Christianity claims that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ—so the idea that there are many ways to God would actually mean that Christianity is false. In other words, the claim “all religions are true paths to God” means that Christianity (which claims that “Jesus is the only way to God”) is false—which then would contradict the claim that all religions are true!
Exclusivism Is Arrogant (Or Perfectly Reasonable)
In the dialogues I’ve had about pluralism vs. excluvisim it’s usually not long before someone brings up the story of the six blind men and the elephant. A lot of people think it’s a helpful illustration of the idea that there are many ways to describe and get to God.
One ancient version goes like this: Each blind man touches a different part of the elephant and concludes he has the answer. The guy with his arms around the elephant’s leg says it’s like a pillar. The one with the tail in his hand thinks it’s like a rope. One touches the elephant’s trunk and thinks it’s like a great tree branch; another pressing his hands against the side of the elephant’s belly thinks it’s like a great wall, and the one who feels the tusk thinks it’s like a solid pipe. Thankfully, a wise man comes along who can see, and patiently explains that each of them is right. Those who “see” some of the truth and think that it’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth are mistaken and arrogant.
(Before reading on—don’t worry, I’ll wait—think through it just a bit: What’s the point of the illustration? Who do the blind men and the wise man represent? How would you respond?)
Back? Okay. It’s pretty clear that (for our purposes) each of the blind men would represent a different religious tradition that claims to have the whole truth. But who exactly does the wise man—the one with eyes to see—represent? Why, it’s your friend who is telling you the illustration! Once you see that, the charge of arrogance becomes quite softened—for your friend is implying that the whole world is blind except for him, and that only he is enlightened enough to see reality for what it is and that everyone else is blind and mistaken!
The Heart of the Matter
There are other questions/objections you will want to think through. (For example, “exclusivism is intolerant.” Regarding an answer, here’s a hint: you can only practice true tolerance if you disagree with something.)
But at the end of the day, all of these responses are essentially attempts to rebut objections. What we need to do—by God’s grace and through prayer and through winsome communication—is to seek to show that the ultimate response to the question, “How can there be only one way to God?” is “How could the only wise and righteous God be so kind and merciful and gracious to provide a way for me to know him?” In other words, the correct answer to the question, “How many ways are there to God?” is: One more than I deserve.
In closing, I would strongly encourage you to take seven minutes to watch this insightful and moving video of R.C. Sproul explaining how Jesus can be the only way:
Recommended Resources
_David K. Clark, “Religious Pluralism and Christian Exclusivism,” in To Everyone an Answer: The Case for the Christian Worldview, ed. Beckwith, Craig, and Moreland
_Tim Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in God in an Age of Skepticism, chapter 1 (“There Can’t Just Be One True Religion”). [After composing the blog post above I discovered that Keller has a similar response to the blind-men-and-the-elephant objection.]
_Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson, eds., Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism,
_Ronald H. Nash, Is Jesus the Only Savior?
_Harold A. Netland, Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith and Mission.
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