All religions are not the same. All religions do not point to God. All religions do not say that all religions are the same. At the heart of every religion is an uncompromising commitment to a particular way of defining who God is or is not and accordingly, of defining life’s purpose. Anyone who claims that all religions are the same betrays not only an ignorance of all religions but also a caricatured view of even the best-known ones. Every religion at its core is exclusive. – Ravi Zacharias (from, Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message)So why are church members so reluctant to embrace the inherent exclusivity of the Christian message?
Related: "Survey: Doctrine remains a struggle in churches"
A LifeWay Research study on "Doctrinal Positions," released April 5, shows 81 percent of churchgoers agree, in regard to salvation, that "When you die, you will go to heaven because you have confessed your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior."
Yet 26 percent of church-goers concurrently believe that "If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity," while 57 percent disagree.
"Consumers in America are accustomed to having endless combinations of choices for every want in life," said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research. "Biblical truth is radical because it teaches that eternal life is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ alone."This was a survey done in Southern Baptist churches, which generally adhere to doctrinal clarity in their teaching and preaching somewhat more firmly than mainline Protestant churches. The latter do indeed have clear doctrinal standards, but they usually are interpreted more, um, flexibly than Baptists'.
