Today's Sign of the Apocalypse

This just in from Al Mohler's blog - according to Charles Kimball, chairman of the department of religion at Wake Forest University, the time has come for Christianity to modify (read - "surrender") its truth claims. Mohler says:

In the age of world terror--and with the reality of conflict never far from sight--many secularists are convinced that religious truth claims are the root of the problem. Following this logic, peace and stability cannot be achieved until all truth claims are relativized and the potential for religious conflict is removed.

Enter Charles Kimball. Per Mohler:

A position of "rigid exclusivism" that holds Christianity to be the only message of salvation is, according to Kimball, "the foundation for a tribalism that will not serve us in the twenty-first century." Accordingly, he instructs Christians to make exclusivist truth claims in a way that they are no longer absolutely exclusive.

For example:

Kimball also acknowledges that the New Testament includes passages "that appear on the surface to [be] exclusivist." As an example, he cites John 14:6 ["Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the light; no man comes to the Father but through Me.'"] Christians err, Kimball instructs, when we take such verses "literally." This approach, according to Kimball, is simply self-evidently wrong. "Christians who say they take the Bible literally are either ignorant or self-deluded." Well, at least we know where we stand.

Kimball dismisses an exclusivist interpretation of John 14:6 by suggesting that the statement is a mere metaphor. Though the passage appears to state that people who reject Jesus are lost, "That isn't what it says," according to Kimball. Of course, it's hard to imagine what Kimball thinks the text does say.

Describing an exchange that he had with Kimball on the Alan Colmes show, Mohler says:

Colmes then turned and asked, "Dr. Kimball, you do believe that, don't you, that the way of salvation is through the Lord Jesus Christ?" Kimball responded: "My experience of God has come primarily mediated through my experience as a Christian, but a large part of my own family is Jewish, and I am quite sure that my experience of God does not exhaust all the possibilities."

Later, Kimball rejected the idea that belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation and the gift of heaven. "I believe that God is the God of all creation and that God's way far exceed my ways and my experience," Kimball responded. He continued: "In fact, I write quite extensively in my book, When Religion Becomes Evil, that indeed there are many paths and we would do well to be the best Christians, to be the best Jews, to be the very best Muslims. . . ."

There you have it folks - Christianity must bend to the spirit of the age - the God of tolerance.

But, without exclusivity there is no Christianity. We can never back down from that.

However, I wish we could somehow get across the point that the Christian worldview provides the greatest foundation for tolerance. Our doctrines of the image of God in man and love for neighbor provide the greatest foundation for peace and harmony on the earth. The doctrine that says man was created in God's image assumes the dignity of everyone, even those who don't embrace the Christian faith. True, we can never back down on our claims that Jesus is the only way, but neither can we despise anyone. Our doctrine of love for neighbor describes our outward face to the world. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Again, this forbids us to despise or mistreat anyone.

Let us not tear asunder what God has joined together. The Christian faith enjoins exclusive truth claims and love for neighbor. He who denies or disconnects the two does so against the will of Christ, not in obedience to it.

Comments

[Mike]

"However, I wish we could somehow get across the point that the Christian worldview provides the greatest foundation for tolerance."

That it does, David. My fear is, however, that we will only start to get this point across when we start to live it. Most Christians do not reflect the Christian worldview.

[Sofi]

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