Challenges to Christian Faith in a World of Pluralism

Atty. Lal Varghese, MTC Farmers Branch, Dallas

What is Christian faith? Hebrews 11:1 says: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. It is basically God’s interference within us by His assurance and our response in the form of faith and conviction to God. The fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith is that salvation is possible only through the Jesus Christ. When confronted with open denials of the incarnation, uniqueness, finality, resurrection, and superiority of the Jesus Christ, many Christians remain silent. Unlike Paul, they are ashamed of the Gospel.

One of the most important phenomena at the dawn of the New Millennium is the revival of the major world religions. Prof. Heim remarked that religions such as Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus are not willing to relinquish its firm belief in the validity and uniqueness of their particular religious tradition. But at the same time various Christian pluralistic theologies are calling for unequivocal affirmation of the equal validity of all world religion’s faiths. Many Christians are no longer willing or able to defend the uniqueness of Christianity. They forget that in Christianity there is a God who is searching for man, and in all other religions it is the man who is searching for the God.

Christianity teaches that except on their own initiative it is impossible for any person to have a relationship with God and that the result of a lack of such a relationship is damnation. To avoid such a fact, Christianity teaches that Jesus was God, made flesh in a literal manner and that by accepting various beliefs about Jesus, God, and repenting, a person could have a meaningful relationship with God and avoid damnation, and earn eternal life in Heaven. Christians hold that the consequence of self-separation from the triune God, who is the ultimate source of all life is eternal death.

Religious pluralism on the other hand is the belief that one can overcome religious differences between different religions, and denominational conflicts within the same religion. For most religious traditions, religious pluralism is essentially based on a non-literal view of one’s religious traditions, hence allowing for respect to be engendered between different traditions on core principles rather than marginal issues. It is perhaps summarized as an attitude which rejects focus on immaterial differences, and instead gives respect to those beliefs held in common. If anyone fully accepts the concept of religious pluralism, it amounts to compromising one’s own faith in Jesus Christ.

The twentieth century has brought forth unparalleled challenges to the historic Christian faith. During this century, Christianity's relevance and ultimate validity have been questioned as never before. This assault on the central truth of Christianity has come from two distinct fronts: atheistic secularism and the religious pluralism. While secularism constitutes a significant threat, the issue of religious pluralism poses an even greater challenge. America in particular is a nation of diverse ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. Our nation is founded upon the principle of toleration, particularly in the area of religion. We are guaranteed the right of free exercise of religion. Equal toleration of religion has been taken to mean that each religion is equally valid (i.e., all religions lead to God). This is a fatal non sequitur.

People who argue that all religions are equally valid, which is metaphysical truth either know little about the various religions or have given up reasoning in a logical fashion. A study of the world religions reveals the fundamental and irreconcilable differences exist between religions. Some religions affirm monotheism (one God); others affirm polytheism (many Gods); still others affirm pantheism (all is God). According to the most basic laws of logic (e.g., the law of non-contradiction), these different views about God cannot be ultimately true at the same time and in the same respect. Logically, the three world views could all be wrong, but they could not all be correct.

Most people who believe that "all religions lead to God" are unaware of the insurmountable intellectual difficulties with this view. Therefore, the claim that one religion is exclusively true is often met with the charge that one is dogmatic, narrow-minded, or just plain arrogant. While people can act arrogantly and often do, to claim that one religion is exclusively true is not provincial or narrow-minded. As noted earlier, the only logical conclusion, in view of the multiple contradictions among the world's religions, is that one religious world view is true and the rest is false, or that all the religions are false. Additionally, if a person believes that one religion is exclusively true because of special revelation, then his reason for holding to it is that he believes it is God's way, not his own. For Christians, it is the way of Jesus that saves, not our way. We merely repeat the claim made by Jesus Himself: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Accepting and proclaiming God's way is therefore not arrogance, it is genuine humility, and affirming our faith.

The challenge and danger of pluralism is found in its subtle and tolerant claims. Secular humanism boldly claims that Christianity is untrue and misleading. Pluralism, on the other hand, states that while Christianity is true, it is not the truth. Pluralism's claim is not that Christianity is a false religion, but that it is a religion. This subtle teaching may be the church's greatest apologetic challenge to keep our faith in a pluralistic world. Another definition of religious pluralism involves accepting the beliefs taught by religions other than one’s own as valid.

All religions have some thing in common. Does this mean all religions are alike? Are all of them true? How can Christians claim superiority for their religion? Is Christianity the only true and right faith? Certainly the followers of Christ make the most astounding claims for Christianity. Though these assertions may not always be fully recognized by every member of the church, they are the essence of the faith. Christians do not say they have discovered or invented the genius of religion. Rather, they humbly confess that their unique claims are a gracious disclosure of God through the Holy Spirit to human beings. Their convictions were merely what they had received and experienced as true and real. Christians take no credit for themselves for the uniqueness of their religion. Notwithstanding, they accept and advocate the truth that Christianity is absolute in authority, contending for the control over the mind, consciences, actions, and relationships of mankind in all spheres of life.

Christianity is complete as a revelation of the person, work, and purpose of God, allowing no possibility for Him to be found in or through other religions.  Christianity is perfect, bringing wholeness to human hope, desire, potential, and need. Christianity is universal in scope and rule, taking the place of all other religions, making Jesus Christ the sole savior and sovereign Lord. It seems apparent, nevertheless, that the Bible leaves no alternative: Christians should be as closed as truth requires yet, at the same time, as faithful as the Scripture wants them to be. To believe, then, that all religions are alike, emanating from the same source and leading to the same destiny, is a serious mistake. It is neither historically nor biblically accurate. The revelation of God in the incarnate Christ, an eternal redemption through the vicarious suffering of Jesus, and the empty tomb are distinctly Christian. No matter how much of value, whether ethical precepts, social cohesion, or elements of truth, may be found or ascribed to non-Christian religions there is a significant otherness to the Gospel.  As such, Jesus Christ is the ultimate source, hope, purpose, meaning, and destiny of everything and everyone.

Jesus is Lord of all history. He is present in the development of every clan, caste, tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Nothing happens beyond or outside of his sphere of influence.  Since He is the Lord of all history, He is present everywhere. Everyone can find Him regardless of their religious affiliation, provided they have faith in Him as Savior and Lord. If a religious experience is related to "men of faith," it will only produce what human beings can do. If religious experience is connected with pagan gods, it can only result in what lifeless idols can give. If a religious experience flows from the Lord, it will result in what the sovereign God of the universe provides. Therefore, the Bible is insistent on affirming that having faith is in Jesus Christ alone, John 3: 16; Romans 1: 16. In other words, the object of faith becomes the decisive factor. In this the Christian rests with confidence. In this world of pluralism we should go forth to proclaim Him in faith as the Good News, the only Lord and Savior of all mankind.  For those of us who love the Lord and believe in the supreme and final authority of His sacred Word, we must repudiate the harmful influence of all pluralistic theologies. We need to deepen our study of the Bible and the classical works of Christian leaders of the last 2000 years. Above all, we must strengthen our efforts to defend and spread the Christian faith by every means throughout the entire world which is possible only through spreading the Good News, the Gospel.