Can Christians Be Faithful and Not Harmful?

October 2, 2020

At the end of July, Beyoncé released her musical film and visual album, “Black is King”. It was a showcase of Black artistry and talent, highlighting the culture and heritage of Africa and the diaspora. Given the current and ongoing political/racial climate, it was an ode to and celebration of Blackness being revered and commemorated in film while racial tensions are erupting throughout the country. Among the plethora of online debates surrounding BiK, discussions about African spirituality and its alleged connection to witchcraft caught my eye. There were tons and tons of blogs and social media posts defending the legitimacy of African religions and spiritual practices. The information was intriguing to say the least, I mean, it was super interesting! But what really piqued my interest were those who self-identified as Christians criticizing other Christians who were vocal about their disappointment in the overt use of (and seemingly idolization) of other deities within the film. The criticism was rooted in the idea that Christians shouldn’t exclude other religions and deem them untruthful. I am not seeking to pick apart BiK in an effort to prove or disprove the display of other religious rituals and the legitimacy of those traditions. As aforementioned, there are videos, blogs, and op-eds galore that have done that work— this isn’t one of them, lol. What I am aiming to provoke is a dialogue surrounding the notion of Christianity’s theology being exclusive in nature and whether that exclusivism is problematic and harmful or not. 

The basis of the posts I mentioned above centered around how problematic it is for Christians to “demonize” other religions. These Christians (those who hold an exclusivist position) assert the view that Jesus is good and true and no other deity can possess truth. I started to think about my perspective and why I think about this topic the way that I do. I was raised in a Christian home, attended Christian schools during my K-8 years, and attended church on Sundays and midweek Bible study. I was the kid who heard my mother praying in the middle of the night and woke up with oil on my forehead — that’s the home I grew up in, lol. And while my mother’s devotion to raise me in and reinforcing Christian standards and values was paramount, what spoke volumes was her example. She was/is not perfect but she modeled a fidelity to Jesus that often left me perplexed. And with humility and an unwavering passion for Jesus, she would unpack my questions and explain why her allegiance to Him was so essential. Her dedication to God wasn’t a matter of obligation but her allegiance emerged from her relationship with Him. It was her commitment to God that began to shape how I viewed faith and how loyalty to Jesus would translate in my life.

Exclusivism essentially points to the necessity of Jesus for salvation, and this truth is restricted to one faith tradition. Additionally, exclusivists traditionally hold to the conviction that the Bible is the only God-inspired, inerrant ancient text. This camp does not explicitly speak to the legitimacy of other faiths, but if Jesus is the central figure who exclusively leads to salvation, it can be deduced that no other faith leads to redemption. Culturally, this viewpoint has been accused of being arrogant, narrow-minded, and intolerant. Inclusivism is pretty broad in nature, but generally, this worldview accepts Jesus as “a” supreme being but not “the” only supreme one. Jesus (and salvation) is accessible to every faith tradition because He manifests Himself differently within each religion. Pluralism is another broad worldview that approaches faith with a leaning towards diversity. Each religion holds separate views that may or may not overlap, but no faith tradition can claim the right to absolute truth. Within this worldview, followers of Jesus may subscribe to His teachings as customary for them, but this cannot be said for everyone universally. 

Christianity, by nature, is exclusive in its theology. Jesus alone is the Christ; he is the personification of truth (and subsequently the standard for truth), and He is the only way to God (John 14:6). If you follow and trust the Bible as the Word of God, it is difficult to extract from Scripture that there is room for other deities to share in Jesus’ divinity. I clearly do not hold the monopoly on Biblical interpretation, so I am very much open to hearing from those of you who disagree. Furthermore, when Jesus spent time teaching and establishing a proper understanding of his personhood, those statements were not solely devotional; they were also political. His declarations were saying that the other gods of that culture were not true and could not provide salvation. Similar to the culture we live in, the cultural landscape of the NT (New Testament) was extremely pluralistic. Jesus’ statements about His divinity were radical and completely counter-cultural. I would imagine they were extremely offensive, which was one of the motivating factors used to crucify Him. In light of these assertions, historically, I recognize how harmful the church has been in its rhetoric and weaponization of Scripture. The church has lacked empathy and has perpetuated cultural divides that permeate every aspect of our society. Christians with ill motives have sought to employ religion as a tool to oppress and marginalize. There are others who, with good intentions, still inflicted harm in an effort to remain loyal to what they believed. So, I pose the question, how can Christians remain faithful without being harmful?

These are conversations that need to be had, and we won’t walk away after 5-10 minutes of dialogue with a solid answer(s). I strongly believe the truth can be offensive at times, but as human beings, we can seek to share our perspectives with humility and respect. On the other side of the coin, we also have to resolve that disagreement does not equate to hatred. My fidelity to Jesus and the belief He is the only path to salvation does not mean I hate or am demonizing other religions. However, there needs to be intentionality placed on communicating that perspective with grace and meekness. What are your thoughts about the exclusive theology of Christianity? How can Christians’ commitment to an exclusive theology be lived out faithfully without being destructive? How do you remain faithful to your belief in Jesus without being harmful to individuals who follow another faith (or no religion at all)?