In his blog, Albert Mohler called it the “next step along a leftward progression set decades ago” and away from the exclusive claims of the Christian faith.
Bob WeathersLast month the Claremont School of Theology in California, a graduate school affiliated with the United Methodist Church, announced that its Fall 2010 semester would offer a new “approach” to training ministers. They will “cross-train” Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religious leaders.
Why? According to USA Today, this “experimental approach” is intended to “create U.S. religious leaders who not only preach tolerance in an era of religious strife, but who have lived it themselves by rubbing shoulders with those in other Abrahamic faiths.” The school’s website expands that description to include Buddhist and Hindu clerics in the vision of education in this new “University Project.”
Anticipating disapproval, the website also defends the uniquely Christian perspective of the school of theology, but says the primary purpose of the program is to educate leaders of these different faiths together so that they can live and work together as “peacemakers” in the global religious environment. The website happily declares that the “exclusivity” of some adherents in these religions should not hinder the program. Jerry Campbell, president of the School of Theology, told USA Today, “There are a variety of beliefs regarding exclusivity in each of the traditions,” but, he reminded detractors, “not all Christians, Jews and Muslims believe that their way is the only way.”
And that is, indeed, the issue. Christ is either the only way, or he is not. If he is not, then we can be comfortable in a classroom of cushy tolerance with people whose religions teach vastly different doctrines regarding Christ. Godlike, but not God. Ethical teacher, but not Savior. Dead heretic, but not resurrected Redeemer.
But if he is exclusively the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), our message is abrasively intolerant and our world view cannot be blended with others. And the more tolerance is preached, the more the exclusive claims of biblical Christianity will not be tolerated. Because the most exclusive claim among all religions is this: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).