The world has a big problem with Christian exclusivism—the belief that there is one God uniquely revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the one way, truth, and life for all people at all times. Theologians and apologists have defended exclusivism’s truth since time out of mind, but never so much as in these pluralistic and relativistic times. Recently I’ve come to wonder, though, whether we’re addressing the wrong question; for I am hearing less and less that exclusivism is false, and much more often that it is immoral. The difference is crucial. … It used to be they said, “You believe that Jesus is the one way, but that’s not true.” Now more often they say, “You believe that Jesus is the one way, and there’s something wrong about you—evil, even—for thinking that.” -First Things
This is an absolutely true description of the condition of the world, and the state of evangelism. For instance, take a look at the video posted here this morning, of a Christian preacher being harassed by a group of Muslims. It’s not so much that they don’t believe what he’s saying, it’s that they find it offensive —offensive to the point of coming together in a mob and driving him from the street. There is no free speech when speech that’s considered “offensive,” is simply shouted down in the streets.
What lies at the heart of the thinking that Christian exclusivism is immoral is a total disconnect between the concept of morality and the concept of reality. In our modern thinking, morality needn’t follow the rules of reality. It doesn’t matter whether or not something is true, what matters is whether or not we want it to be true, or whether or not we think it’s “right.” If we don’t think it should be true, then we consider it offensive, and simply shut down the speaker.
For example, look at the heart of the argument at hand. Christian exclusivism is immoral because I find all exclusivism immoral (except Muslim exclusivism, of course, but let’s leave that to the side for the moment). On what do I base my disdain for exclusivism? On a set of moral standards that state any exclusive system must be… excluded. The stand against exclusivism is, itself, grounded in an exclusive moral system.
Reality says that a thing cannot be both wrong and right at the same time —the law of non-contradiction intercedes. Our modern moral system says we cannot accept exclusive beliefs about salvation, so the law of non-contradiction, reality itself, must be discarded. We must hold to a self contradictory set of beliefs in order to be moral, and we must discard the connection between morality and reality.
There is, of course, a Biblical principle at hand.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. … Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. -Romans 1:18, 22-23
Because we don’t like the truth, we suppress it. And in suppressing it, we become fools, unable to think clearly beyond saying, “I find that offensive.”
How can the Christian counter this sort of argument? In a sense, you can’t. Disconnecting morality from reality is, in effect, the ultimate trump card. The only real paths forward are to connect the two, or to let the disconnect play itself out in destruction —for this is always where the disconnect between reality and morality leads.
You can try to argue, of course, that considering exclusivity immoral is an exclusive system, and therefore it is no more moral or immoral than Christian exclusivism. But most of the time, this won’t work, simply because the person you’re arguing against doesn’t want to understand that line of thinking. They have discarded reality because they don’t like it. They aren’t likely to come back to reality until pain drives them back —and possibly not even then.
You can plant the seeds, of course, of the disconnect, and perhaps they will bear fruit at some later time. But you won’t every argue someone out of believing red is blue and blue is green.
