Edgework

In Part Nine of A New Kind of Christianity, McLaren tackles the difficult and sensitive topic of how Christians should relate to people of other religions. Since, in the modern context, many Christians have the opportunity to meet people of other faiths, this question has taken on greater urgency than in earlier generations. It is becoming more difficult for thoughtful Christians to simply accept the “us/them” mindset inherited from their parents. At the same time, most are not prepared to accept the “Whatever you believe is fine” mentality either. So how do we proceed?

McLaren begins by calling for repentance because, “Christianity has a nauseating, infuriating, depressing record when it comes to encountering people of other religions (and a not much better record when encountering people of other brands of Christianity)” (208). The way the “Christian” world treated aboriginal peoples in North and South America and Australia makes many of us blush, as does the long legacy of slavery in the USA.  And we really would like to forget about the Crusades in which thousands of Muslims were slaughtered in the name of Christ. On another front, history is full of stories of Christians fighting each other. How well I remember being indoctrinated with a very exclusive attitude toward others unlike myself and “my Christian group”.

It comes as a surprise to many that there is a strong thread of biblical teaching affirming that God, in fact, is active in the whole world. When we draw texts together that say this we cannot help but see the larger picture. Abraham’s descendants will bless all peoples of the earth (Genesis 12:3). Israelites are the same to God as the Cushites (Amos 9:7). After declaring an intention to welcome many nations, God declares, “For my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). And much more could be written about God’s expressed favor toward those outside of the Jewish revelatory process such as Melchizedek, Jethro, Rahab, Ruth and Uriah.

In the New Testament, we find pagan astrologers coming from the East to worship the new-born Christ and being assisted by an angel (Matthew 2). Jesus regularly reached beyond Jewish religious lines to touch people in other faith traditions like the Samaritan woman, the Roman centurion and the Syrophonecian woman. Jesus is portrayed as “The true light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9). At one point Jesus declared, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). Paul argues that the many who were affected by Adam’s sin will be restored by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:12-21). And “…that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19). These are only a few examples.

But as though to negate all such passages, says McLaren, many use John 14:6 as proof that nothing good exists in other religions and even as an excuse to abuse or kill their adherents. After all, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” However, McLaren argues that these words of Jesus are not found in a context in which the fate of the heathen is being discussed. Rather Jesus is addressing the fears and confusion of his disciples after he has told them that he will be leaving them for a while. The larger passage surrounding this text affirms that there will be a place for all of his disciples in his “Father’s house” in the future, by which he means the church following the resurrection. And indeed, this did happen. So this is not an exclusive text restricting access to the Father. Rather it is an inclusive comfort to all those who sincerely want to follow Christ.

This revised interpretation of John 14:6 will be difficult for many to accept. For many generations it has simply been accepted that “my Father’s house” refers to heaven. McLaren takes pains to affirm that there is hope for believers beyond the grave, but that this particular text cannot be used to negate the good one may find in other religions. I have reread this passage many times since listening to McLaren, and I must say I think his interpretation has some merit. But we need further scholarly advice on this point.

If, as the biblical text asserts, God is active beyond the bounds of my own church or Christian understanding, how then should I relate to people of other religions or faith perspectives? It is clear that many of the early church fathers had a less restrictive mentality on this subject than most Christians do today. In his book, A Wideness in God’s Mercy, Clark Pinnock notes that men like Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Origen and others “…do not seem obsessed by the fate of the majority of the pagans among whom they lived, yet on the other hand they still engaged in vigorous mission activity among them” (37). He notes that with Augustine in the fourth century, “…Christian attitudes toward outsiders begin to harden, and a pessimism of salvation takes over. The spirit of Cyprian’s famous slogan, ‘outside the church, there is no salvation’, replaces the more generous approach in the Western church…Now it is not so much the passion to include as many as possible, but keep the standards of entry into salvation high” (37).

The pluralism issue will continue to be a source of tension in conservative Christian circles for some time to come. McLaren’s one chapter can simply not do justice to the questions that surface around this topic. But, in the meantime, I recommend McLaren’s idea that when relating to people not like us we should follow the Golden Rule: Treat others like you want to be treated. “When you are kind and respectful to followers of other religions, you are not being unfaithful to Jesus; you are being faithful to him” (212).

For On-going Dialogue:

1. What is your default position in relation to other religions? What about Christians in other traditions than your own? How did you arrive at this position?
2. In your opinion, are the biblical texts affirming faith in other religions enough reason to think that God might be active in non-Christian religions today? Why or why not?
3. What do you make of McLaren’s interpretation of John 14:6? What do you think Jesus had in mind when using the term “my Father’s house” in John 14:2?
4. How comfortable are you with Augustine’s “pessimism of salvation” which became standard church teaching beginning in the fourth century?