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Christianity and other religions
By Bill Bouknight

The Rev. Jerry Falwell ignited a firestorm recently when he accused Islam’s prophet Muhammad of having been a terrorist. On October 12, Falwell apologized, saying that he meant no disrespect to “any sincere, law-abiding Muslim.” The apology was needed. A Christian can never win someone to Christ from another religion by insulting that person’s current religion. When St. Paul spoke to the people of Athens, he did not insult the gods they worshipped; he just introduced them to Jesus as their “UKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17).

In response to Falwell’s statement, Ayatollah Mohsen Mujitahed Shabestari of Iran accused Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Franklin Graham of being “Israeli mercenaries.” He said, “in our opinion, to kill these three is necessary.” Why is no one calling on the Ayatollah to apologize.

Tolerance is a beautiful virtue if it means respecting someone’s right to disagree or to be different. But for many, tolerance means something very untrue—that all values, beliefs, lifestyles, and claims to truth are equally valid.

The Bible, believed by Christians to be the word of God, does not talk about versions of truth, degrees of truth, or shades of truth. It talks about The Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). One of the most scandalous tenets of Christianity is its claim to represent absolute truth.

We Christians do not begrudge other religions their right to disagree with our claim. We insist on the rights of even an atheist to deny God’s existence. But we will not back off one inch from our belief that God acted uniquely when he took the form of a human being named Jesus and lived in Palestine for 33 years. He died on a cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all believers. When Jesus was crucified, he did not threaten his executioners or call them infidels. Instead, he prayed for them. Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. He will return someday to inaugurate his kingdom in all its fullness.

Some people believe that all religions teach the same message and indeed are just different roads leading to the same place. But that is not the testimony of the Bible. In his book Reason to Believe, theologian R.C. Sproul explains the uniqueness of Christianity as follows: “The Christian claim is that in the person of Jesus of Nazareth we meet God incarnate. Buddha never claimed to be anything more than a man. Muhammad claimed nothing more than to be a prophet. Moses and Confucius were mortals. If Christ was in fact God incarnate, then it is a travesty of justice to ascribe equal honor to him and to the others.”

Every Christian is under a mandate to share the good news about Jesus Christ with anybody who is not in a saving, personal relationship with Christ, but always respectfully and with the permission of those persons. If one truly believes that abundant and eternal life come only through Christ, it would be unloving not to share the gospel with anyone willing to hear it. The Bible clearly states: “Salvation is found in no one else (but Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Christians must never vilify or falsely accuse practitioners of other religious faiths. However, Christians must speak the truth, even when it violates political correctness. Today, Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. Most of that persecution is happening in countries dominated by Islam. Christians should protest that persecution. In every country where there is a Christian majority, there is freedom of religion. In most countries dominated by Islam, freedom of religion is denied. Christians should also protest the treatment of women in most Muslim countries.

Several years ago at an international Christian conference, a speaker made the following statement: “Christianity is just one of several world religions. We must not presume that Christianity is better or more distinctive than the rest.”

Seated in that assembly was a Protestant church leader from a country where, even today, Christians are often imprisoned or killed for their faith. When the speaker had finished, this leader stood and asked to speak. He said, “If the speaker we just heard is correct, I must leave this conference at once and return to my country and inform my people that it is no longer necessary for them to die for the name of Jesus.”

There was silence in that great auditorium as delegates remembered the thousands of saints, including most of the original disciples, who gave their lives rather than deny that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life.”

People of all faiths should be free to witness to their beliefs in the unfettered marketplace of ideas. There is no need to water down the major religions to their lowest common denominator. To do so would be to distort all of them. Let each person of faith witness to his or her faith, while respecting those who differ. Truth will triumph.

Bill Bouknight is the pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.



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