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Religious Pluralism

In Bible Study, Blog, John on
September 11, 2023

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Many people in today’s world will argue that there is more than one way to get to God. They take a more universalist approach, saying that whether you call God Yahweh, Allah, or Vishnu, it’s really the same God and whatever you do in this life will end up with you in the same afterlife. To suggest anything otherwise would be viewed as bigoted and intolerant. After all, who are we to criticize someone’s religious convictions and suggest that their personally held beliefs will send them to hell?

Although there a myriad of differences and contradictions between the world religions of today that we could analyze and focus on, we, as Christians, ought to aim our primary focus on what God and His Word have to say about this debate. Throughout the Old Testament, we can see that God does not tolerate other religious practices or forms of worship, and He lays down harsh punishments against those who stray from His Law (even when it’s His own people). In the New Testament, we find that the early church communities are repeatedly warned not to be conformed to the world around them and are rebuked when they are found to be doing so. However, there is one particular passage in the Gospel of John that leaves absolutely no room for debate, clearly stating that there is, in fact, only one way to God: Jesus.

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In Blog, Common Questions, Theology on
July 3, 2023

Is Religious Belief Personal or Objective?

We live in a culture that prioritizes “my truth.” People are encouraged to “live your truth” and believe that “what’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for me.” To the society at large, “truth” is a subjective concept. There is no right and wrong answer or belief system. There is no “objective truth.” You can believe whatever you want to believe with virtually no consequences.

Though this idea is certainly in vogue these days, it’s actually rather ridiculous. It is simply not logical to say truth can be whatever you want it to be. Truth is truth. Period. In her aptly named book, Live Your Truth (and Other Lies), author and apologist Alisa Childers wrote,

“Truth is a thought, statement, or opinion that lines up with reality. That’s it…Truth is true for all people in all places and times.”[1]

Perhaps you read those three sentences and balked. Well, that’s just one person’s opinion, one person’s truth. Many people, including some Christians, don’t like to say that a person’s belief system is right or wrong, especially since religious beliefs tend to be very personal. But instead of listening to our feelings or cultural mores, we, as Christians, ought to take our cues on this issue from our supreme source of truth, the Word of our sovereign and omniscient God.

So, what does the Bible have to say about this? Is religious belief personal or objective?

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In Blog, Common Questions, Theology on
July 20, 2020

Does God Accept All Religions?

“Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon.”[1]

You’ve probably heard something similar to this before. This quote was written by the Buddhist monk Ikkyu, and it basically means that you can reach God and salvation through whatever religion you choose to practice. Our culture today loves and embraces this idea. They preach that you should be able to believe and practice whatever you want to believe and practice and that what’s true for you may not be true for somebody else. In fact, the Ligonier State of Theology Survey found in 2018 that sixty-five percent of American adults agree with the statement that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”[2] But can this really be true? Does this statement agree with the truth we find in the Word of God?

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