pluralism and Jesus
My friend was telling me about her tour of historic churches in New England. These buildings housed congregations that once proclaimed the gospel but had long ago turned to unorthodox views. In one church, the tour guide explained that wooden shutters concealed a beautiful stained-glass window of Jesus. “We only open these shutters on Easter,” she explained, “because we don’t want to privilege any one religion over another.”
speak the truth
Today, most of us live in a highly pluralistic society. Our next-door neighbor could well be Chinese, Ethiopian, or European. And, in the name of harmony, we’re told to respect differing views and opinions.
But when voices of culture state that homosexuality, abortion, and cohabitation are acceptable lifestyle choices, what should believers in Jesus do? When God’s truth is replaced…
subversive Christians
The ancient Romans were really nice people. Sure, their responsibilities demanded a certain demonstration of power, but given the large territory they governed, it was in their best interest to keep everyone happy.
One way they did this was to honor the gods of everyone in their kingdom. Rome built the Pantheon, which literally means “all the gods,” so that…
the guardian of truth
A December 2008 report released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life listed this startling finding: Fifty-two percent of Christians in the US who attend churches that believe Jesus is the only way of salvation accept this idea: “Some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life.” In an earlier 2008 survey, only 39 percent of the Christian respondents…
