Saturday nights are inevitably a time for me to hone my sermon preparation… usually by jettisoning lots of good stuff that I either don’t have time to say or that doesn’t fit the “flow” I’ve settled on. Sometimes the blog is a good place for that stuff to land.
This weekend we’re tackling the objection of exclusivity. I am contending that Christianity is actually one of the most inclusive world views. Yes, there are obnoxious Christians who see it as their moral duty to pick fights with everyone who doesn’t agree with them. (Usually they were the weird kids with the Star Trek lunchbox and the stonewashed jeans who got beat up a lot in elementary school, and this is their way of getting even with the world.) However, a true, robust view of the gospel leads to a very inclusive spirit. One way of demonstrating this is by looking at the biblical storyline:
Creation: Every human being is made in God’s image, with inherent dignity, value, and worth (Genesis 1:27). Therefore Christians affirm humanity, and we value whatever truth human beings happen to discover. All truth is God’s truth, so we embrace it wherever we find it – even when those who hold it violently oppose the God who created it.
Fall: Humanity is bent toward sin and selfishness (Isaiah 53:6). Therefore Christians have a healthy skepticism toward human nature. We question the motives of politicians, CEO’s, pastors, and publicans. Most importantly, we have a healthy realism about ourselves. The Fall teaches us to expect that Christians will not always live up to their ideals, and that non-Christians will in many ways demonstrate superior virtue. We are not under the delusion that being a follower of Jesus makes one morally superior to others. Jesus doesn’t save good Christians who do the right thing; he saves undeserving sinners by his free grace.
Redemption: Jesus is the Savior of all men (1 Timothy 4:10). He is out to bring redemption to every culture, judging the elements of sin within it while redeeming every vestige of beauty and truth and meaning. This means that while the content of the Christian gospel remains unchanged from culture to culture, the forms it takes are incredibly diverse and inclusive. Christian worship in South America is distinctly South American; Christian worship in China is distinctly Chinese; Christian worship in Africa is distinctly African; and yet Christian worship everywhere is distinctly Christian. Compare this, for instance, with the cultural straitjacket imposed by Islam: Islamic converts tend to lose their distinctive cultural identity as they don a hijab, start learning Arabic, and enroll their kids in the local madrasah. The cultural adaptability of Christianity is evidence of its dramatically inclusive nature.
Restoration: God is out to renew this material world (Revelation 21:1). Therefore, Christians fight for justice and work to make the world a better place – for everyone, not just for those who share our worldview. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
