Sharing the Gospel with an Inclusive World

by   Keith Manuel                                                                                                                                      Vol. XXII, No. 1, January 2009

The inclusive nature of our society should open the door for people to hear the Gospel. The world should say, "We want to hear from you:' Unfortunately, just the opposite has happened. Instead, there has been a closed ear to the spiritual contributions of biblical Christianity.

From television talk shows to gossip rags on supermarket shelves, articles about the spiritual and supernatural scream their messages at viewers. If a biblical Christian speaks up and says, "No, I believe Jesus is the only way" then a flood of insults are hurled at the believer. Words like dogmatic, exclusive, and narrow-minded are a few that come to mind.

What is wrong with this picture and how is a biblical Christian to respond?

There is a fundamental problem with the inclusive crowd's view. They fail their own test of inclusivity. Frankly, they exclude the biblical Christian's view as unworthy of a hearing based on their own intolerance.

The second problem with the reasoning of the inclusive crowd is the redefining of the word "truth:' Something that is true doesn't change based on one's opinion. If something is true, it is true whether I believe it or not.

I met a young man recently who said, "Aren't all religions really the same? Don't they all teach basically the same things?" My answer is an unequivocal, "No." Most religions teach something about being a good person but they definitely do not teach the same thing.

Islam never offers the assurance of salvation even to the staunchest adherent. In Hinduism, a woman suffers in this life for something she did in a previous life. She must endure suffering in this life so the next life won't be so bad. Judaism denies the deity of Jesus Christ, thereby excluding Him as the way to heaven or even a way. Wiccans vary in their beliefs, the gods and goddesses vary, the sacred books vary, what is or is not acceptable in lifestyle varies.

Then you have to take into account Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Atheists, Buddhists, Shinto ... It is impossible to say all of these religions are true when they are so diametrically opposed in beliefs. Someone has to be wrong.

Actually, this is not a new debate. Paul had the same discussion in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). He was reasoning with Jews, Epicureans, and Stoics. When he shared his belief in Jesus as the only Savior for the world, his opponents resorted to calling him names (Acts 17:18). The names in Greek are literally "seed-picker" and "preacher of demons."

The unintelligent name-calling didn't faze Paul. Instead, he praised their religious nature and used it as a springboard to proclaim the Gospel. Not all who heard Paul believed, but some did.

Paul's example provides several tips for biblical Christians encountering an exclusive world. One tip is don't enter into a name-calling contest. Paul didn't let personal attacks get him off-message. Second, don't take rejection personally. When many of Paul's hearers didn't believe his message, he kept on sharing. Third, the key to our message is resurrection. The act of resurrection is God's proof that He is going to judge the world in righteousness by His appointed One

To an intolerant world, this is our message. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. Do not reject us because we share the love of Christ with you. We are not forcing you to believe. We are only engaging you intellectually and spiritually.

On the contrary, if we, as followers of Jesus, do not proclaim the exclusive claims of Christ, we prove our lack of sensitivity to you and to the Lord we love

[Keith Manuel is the Evangelism Associate for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. The article reprinted from the Sep/Oct/Nov 2008 issue of LBCLive, magazine of the Louisiana Baptist Convention.]