"All Truth is God's Truth."

Here's a short definition of Inclusivism from Wikipedia, in order to set the stage:

"Inclusivism, one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between religions, asserts that while one set of beliefs is absolutely true, other sets of beliefs are at least partially true. It stands in contrast to exclusivism, which asserts that only one way is true and all others are in error, and as a particular form of religious pluralism, though that term may also assert that all beliefs are equally valid within a believer's particular context."


I believe, and know, from the Holy Scripture, which is the Word of God, which is truth, that Christ, and His death and resurrection, is the only salvation set before sinners, who will otherwise be judged and condemned for their sin. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness for sin. There is only One Mediator between a Holy Righteous God, and sinners like me and you, the Man, Jesus Christ. This is the truth of the Bible without a doubt. And so I would adhere to this truth, and so I suppose I would be called an exclusivist.

There are others who teach Universalism, which says that Christ died for every sinner in the world, and all sinners are forgiven, and all mankind has been granted salvation, no matter what they believe. And that's not Inclusivism.

The way I see inclusivism is two ways. One way says that God saves people in other religions by sending His Spirit to these persons, and because the person is seeking the true God through their religious activities, God will save them, and account this as faith in Christ, though they know nothing of Christ.

For example, Billy Graham said: "..from all the Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I think that everybody that loves or knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not, they are members of the body of Christ. ...He [God] is calling people out of the world for his name, whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ because they have been called by God. They may not know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something they do not have, and they turn to the only light they have, and I think that they are saved and they are going to be with us in heaven." -Billy Graham interview with Robert Schuller, 31 May 1997

And Brian McLaren says: "Given the chance, would Christianity eradicate every vestige of the world's other religions? ...No. The Christian faith, I am proposing, should become (in the name of Jesus Christ) a welcome friend to other religions of the world, not a threat. We should be seen as a protector of their heritages, a defender against common enemies, not one of the enemies. ...I don't believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts. This will be hard, you say, and I agree. But frankly, it's not at all easy to be a follower of Jesus in many "Christian" religious contexts, either."

There's much I could say about Billy Graham, and the incredible way the Lord used this man for the Gospel. He loves the Gospel, and He loves the Lord. And I think he loves people, so much, that he couldn't see the other side of God's fury against sinners as clear as he needed to. The way he loved sinners, and showed compassion was extraordinary. His rewards are great in heaven. But near the end of his years he seemed to become less truth focused, and more love focused.
There's a balance in "speaking the truth" of the Gospel in love. Too much love ruins it. And too much truth ruins it. We can either be afraid of offending others, and so our hearts see the truth as not so important. Or we can not care what others think, and in our pride, force the truth on others, which Jesus never did. Though He did rebuke the religious elite with righteous anger, but always in love, and even while weeping.

Well that's enough for this post. I will continue next time. I hope this isn't too confusing. I'm not a teacher, and I'm not very educated on these things. I will say I believe people need to hear the Gospel (Romans 10:14-15), in order to become a Christian. And the Christian faith is big time different then all other religions. For it is about Christ, who was God, who is the Mediator between God and all sinners who come to trust and love Jesus of Nazareth.