Is Jesus The Only Way?

Recently I discussed some interactions during some radio interviews regarding Hell and homosexuality. In both of them I mentioned one of may favorite statements by Jesus. It is:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

This, of course, brings up a related question. It is a question that is implied in chapter one of a book I just started and plan to review called The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails. (It is a compilation of atheist and some agnostic viewpoints on why the Christian faith is not true.) This brings me to my point.

There is a tension in the words of Jesus.

How can he say he is the way? How can he say he is the only way?

That seems so exclusionary. It seems so elitist.

We object to the idea. I have objected to the idea. After all, every culture grows up with its own indigenous religion, so no one is right. Right? That’s so arrogant.

This is what I call the “Pygmy in Africa” scenario. It goes something like, “What happens to the Pygmy in Africa if they never hear about Jesus? How can they responsible for that.” We essentially think, “This doesn’t seem fair, so it must not be true.”

These are valid and good questions. But these are all the wrong questions.

The question we need to ask ourselves (if we are able to step back from our hesitations for a moment) is:

Can this be true?

We must realize that we are not the Pygmy (or whatever). We do not live in a hut in the Serengeti running from lions and tigers (or whatever). We have heard these words of Jesus.

That means, we must consider them (if we care to). Perhaps we can also trust God to be fair to the Pygmy, because he is God. Arguing about what seems fair to us can be a diversion when it comes to matters like this. Often we do not understand the full perspective and big picture when God is involved.

If the words of Jesus can in any way be true, then that changes everything. The quest has truly begun.

What to do now? I’ll leave that to you.

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