A Fresh Perspective - 01/11/08
A credible, compassionate Christianity must navigate between two extremes. At one end is the rigid exclusivism which says that only Christians can know God. At the other end is the irrational "all religions are the same" approach that blurs the distinctives of Christian faith (as well as the distinctives of other religious traditions). One way forward is to allow the tensions within the biblical text to inform and shape our approach.
In Peter's sermon before the Jewish Sanhedrin in Acts 4, Peter announces that God raised Jesus from the dead, declaring: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given by which we must be saved." The "we" he identifies with are his fellow Jews. Peter is proclaiming Jesus to be Israel's Messiah; he is saying that God's redemptive plan finds its fulfillment in Jesus. At this point in time the Jesus movement is a Jewish reform movement. Peter is not making an exclusive claim that persons who do not know Jesus cannot be accepted before God, as is demonstrated in a later text in Acts that stands in tension with this one.
In Acts 10 Peter receives a vision in which he is instructed to eat meat prohibited in the Levitical code. Peter, a good Jew, objects: "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice responds: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
Peter finds himself in the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, a Gentile. Cornelius, too, has had a vision and when Peter hears it he is given a new insight. Peter concludes: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right." This is an extremely inclusive position that Peter comes to, not by rationalization, but by revelation. Peter's eyes have been opened. He now has a much bigger God.
Peter does not leave it there, however. He goes on to share the particulars of the Christian faith - the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Then Cornelius and his household are baptized. Even while Peter was presenting the good news of Christ, the Spirit came upon all gathered in that place, which was evidenced in the gift of tongues.
This scripture text suggests that Christians can share the unique aspects of Christian faith within a context of religious inclusivism. This passage affirms that all who "fear (which in this context means, "respect, trust, revere") God and do what is right" are accepted by God. Christian particularism and religious inclusivism are not incompatible.
The compassionate Christian approach today seeks to nurture common respect, friendship and understanding among Christians and people of other faiths. Mutual dialogue is the key. This means that as equal partners we must love and listen to others with deep attentiveness, admiration and appreciation for their lives and insights before we share our deepest convictions about Christ.
Chuck Queen is Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort (CBF affiliated). You can access his sermons and past articles at www.ibcfrankfort.com. He welcomes your comments at cqueen@fewpb.net