Religious Pluralism & Universalism – Part V

  • Last week we began looking at some apologetic responses to the popular claim that, “All roads lead to God and one path is as good as another.”
  • We noted that statements like this are only true if God is impersonal, but if God is a personal being, then it really matters how we engage Him, especially if He’s told us how we might do so.
  • A helpful observation to share with the religious pluralist on this point is this, if someone “in the know” gives you directions that will lead you safely to your destination, it only makes sense to follow their guidance.
  • For example, consider the helicopter traffic reporter. When the helicopter traffic reporter comes on the radio and diagnoses the reason for why you’re stuck in rush hour traffic, and then shares with you a route that will get you home safely and on time, the logical choice is to accept their guidance gladly. Why? Because they’re a mile up in the sky! They see and know things that you cannot from your vantage point.
  • The same holds true with our Heavenly Father. God is our “Heavenly traffic reporter”. From His eternal vantage point He sees our problem (sin), and He knows all the competing religious options available to us, but He’s told us very clearly, “There’s only one way that leads to life and that is through a relationship with my Son, Jesus Christ.”
  • Just as it would be foolish to ignore the helicopter traffic reporter in the sky, so too is it foolish to disregard the guidance that our Heavenly Father has given us for how we can have a right relationship with Him (John 3:16).

For more helpful apologetic responses to Religious Pluralism and Universalism, please check out the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.