Being a Christian in a Pluralist Age

Isaiah 2:1-4; Mark 9:38-41

A sermon by Kathy Toivanen at EMUC, 1/29/2006

When I grew up in Northern Ontario in the 60s, in the small mining town where I lived, mostly everyone had ancestral roots in Europe. The exception to this rule were the aboriginal peoples who lived in a nearby reserve, whom we saw occasionally, and the family of Chinese heritage who ran the local Chinese restaurant. We assumed that everyone was a Christian.

And when as a teenager, our family moved further south to North Bay, the demographics didn’t change much. Oh there were a few changes among my classmates and friends – a few more were of Asian heritage, a few were Jewish, but for the most part, we called ourselves “Christian” and most of us had our ancestral roots in Europe. The places of worship in town were all Christian churches.

Last fall, I attend my son’s convocation from Meadowvale Secondary School. What a contrast to my high school graduation! As the graduates paraded on stage to receive their diplomas, there were students with Indian, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Caribbean, African, West Indian, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern heritages.

When I walked or drove to church as a teenager, I only passed other Christian places of worship. Today as I drive around the Mississauga area I drive by a Hindu temple off Derry Road, a Buddhist Temple at Millcreek and Erin Mills Pkwy, a Jewish Synagogue off Folkway, and a Muslim Mosque just south of the QEW.

The peoples who call Canada their home represent far more heritages and religious backgrounds than when I was a youth.

The Canadian census figures tell their own story. According to the 2001 census, 7 out of every 10 Canadians call themselves either Roman Catholic or Protestant. Those who identified themselves as Muslim recorded the biggest increase, more than doubling their 1991 number to become 2% of the total Canadian population. Hindus increased 89%, those of the Sikh religion 89% as well and Buddhists increased 84% and each group now represents about 1% of the total population of Canada.

In Ontario, 61% of Muslims make their home here as do increasing numbers of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.

The statistics from USA, show similar trends with 6 million Muslims, 4 million Buddhists and 1 million Hindus.

At one time, Christians might have chosen to engage in interfaith dialogue and the study of other religions as a kind of intellectual curiosity, but now understanding and talking with people of different faiths is not just an intellectual pursuit, it is a practical endeavor. These people live among us, they are our neighbours and friends, they work with us, play with us, go to school with us, they contribute to the arts, to politics, to the social fabric of this country. Somehow, we all need to find ways to live together in peace and with goodwill.

But how do we, who call ourselves Christian, relate to people of other faiths?

In the United Church of Canada document, “Reconciling and Making New” four approaches to describing the relationship of Christianity to other faiths are described:

Exclusivist Approach
• The only path to God and salvation is an explicit confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord
• Jesus is the sole mediator between God and humanity
• Those who do not make an explicit confession of faith in Jesus Christ may be excluded from the love and ultimate purposes of God
• Texts such as John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 are cited

Inclusivist Approach
• The reconciliation of the world takes place uniquely through Jesus Christ
• The saving work of Christ is essential for peace with God
• There is room for salvation of those who make no explicit profession of faith in Christ
• Grace is experienced and Christ is present wherever people experience the goodness of God’s creative love and redemptive mercy
• Jesus Christ is the Wisdom/Word through which all things were made and through whom all things will be restored and perfected.
• John 1:1-5 and Colossians 1:15-20 are cited

Pluralist Approach
• There are many paths to God
• There is no absolute “court of appeal” by which to evaluate the different paths.
• Jesus is the way for Christians but not necessarily a path for all.
• No single religious tradition can speak with finality about God/spiritual truth/ultimate truth.
• Isaiah 55:8 and 1 Corinthians 13:12 are cited.

Transformationist Approach
• From its beginning Christianity has been a constantly evolving expression of faith.
• Respectful dialogue and mutual learning may lead to transformation for all participants.
• Christian faith may be transformed by such encounters in ways that we cannot imagine.
• Mark 7:24-30 and Acts 10:1-16 are cited.

To date, the UCC has formally engaged in interfaith conversation with those of the Jewish faith and those of the Muslim faith. The two documents that reflect these conversations are Reconciling and Making New reflecting Jewish Christian relations and That We May Know Each Other, reflecting Christian Muslim relations. The documents reflect the Inclusivist, Pluralistic approaches to interfaith relations, recognizing that any one approach has its limitations.

But for those of us who call ourselves Christian, the question still remains. How can we on the one hand, say that Jesus Christ is the way or the truth or the life for us and on the other hand affirm the truth or light or life in other faith traditions? Aren’t we being unfaithful or aren’t we diluting or minimizing the central place of Jesus Christ?

In my readings of late and in my personal experience of talking with and working with people of other faith traditions, I have uncovered some thoughtful responses to that question.

Let’s look for example at a quote in the UCC document That We May Know Each Other:

“Jesus defines God’s Spirit but does not confine it. Jesus is God’s self-revelation ‘once and for all’ but not ‘once and that’s all.’ To believe in Jesus the Christ is not to insist that God’s activity in the world is limited to one time and place; to confess belief in God as Spirit is to insist that the divine love that came into perfect expression in Jesus is also to be found elsewhere. Therefore, we fully expect to find God’s Spirit at work in other faiths. We do not, however, expect to find the workings of God’s Spirit in other places and faiths to be fundamentally inconsistent with what we have experienced in Jesus Christ.” - p. 36 in That We May Know Each Other

Marcus Borg, in his book The Heart of Christianity, emphasizes that statements such as those found in John 14:6 or Acts 4:12 that speak of Jesus as being the way, the truth and the life, or of Jesus being the way of salvation are statements of devotion. He compares them to the words we would say to someone we love dearly. Words such as “you are the best person in the world”, “you are the only one for me”, “you are the most thoughtful and loving person ever!” When we, in scripture and in hymns, speak of Jesus with similar words of deep devotion, we are expressing the truth of our hearts, but we are not necessarily making a doctrinal statement. When we make these words of love and devotion into doctrines then we do run the risk of excluding the truth of God that is reflected in other faiths.

Over the last 17 years, I have very much appreciated the ongoing conversations, friendships and partnerships that I have been able to deepen through relationships with Larry Englander and Arlene Botnick, the rabbi and the religious educator, respectively with Solel Synagogue.

And more recently, over the past year and a half, that relationship has expanded through the creation of a group of leaders of a variety of faiths who gather monthly to share a meal, to deepen our understanding of each other and to deepen our connections with one another.

In eating together, we have learned about sacred rituals that are important in each of our traditions. We have found common threads in our compassionate response to those in need and those in pain. We have all affirmed the central value that our faiths place on living in peace on this earth. We have enjoyed foods from our various holy days and holidays, and we have learned why certain traditions bring so much meaning to the lives of our neighbour. Are any of us, as a result of this group planning to leave our own faith tradition and convert to another? No! We would all identify with the wisdom that the Dalai Lama offered to a Christian when she asked him if she should become a Buddhist. The Dalai Lama responded that she should become more deeply Christian, that she should live more deeply into her own tradition. That is what I am experiencing with this group. By engaging in respectful, probing, even challenging conversation, each one of us is living more deeply into our own faith traditions.

Last June, at the opening of the new Peel Regional Cancer Centre and Ambulatory Care Centre at Credit Valley Hospital, this group of interfaith leaders was invited to offer a blessing. Representing Buddhist, Baha’i, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Unitarian, and Protestant and Roman Catholic Christian religions, we sang the blessing “May this be a place of healing and hope” in our representative languages. Today, we will show the DVD clip of that blessing – and for those of you who know me, it will be one of the few times you will hear me sing a duet in front of a crowd!

Being a Christian in a Pluralist Age - Is Jesus the Only Way?

Handout/Worksheet to accompany the sermon of January 29, 2006.

Prepared by Kathy Toivanen

Jump to:
Books and resources
Approaches: Exclusivist; Inclusivist; Pluralist; Transformationist
Quotes
Homework

Books/Resources for further reading:

• The Heart of Christianity - Marcus J. Borg
• Reconciling and Making New - The United Church of Canada.
• That We May Know Each Other - The United Church of Canada (on the website)
• Multifaith Information Manual - Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care

• The only path to God and salvation is an explicit confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord
• Jesus is the sole mediator between God and humanity
• Those who do not make an explicit confession of faith in Jesus Christ may be excluded from the love and ultimate purposes of God
• Texts such as John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 are cited

• The reconciliation of the world takes place uniquely through Jesus Christ
• The saving work of Christ is essential for peace with God
• There is room for salvation of those who make no explicit profession of faith in Christ
• Grace is experienced and Christ is present wherever people experience the goodness of God's creative love and redemptive mercy
• Jesus Christ is the Wisdom/Word through which all things were made and through whom all things will be restored and perfected.
• John 1:1-5 and Colossians 1:15-20 are cited

• There are many paths to God
• There is no absolute "court of appeal" by which to evaluate the different paths.
• Jesus is the way for Christians but not necessarily a path for all.
• No single religious tradition can speak with finality about God/spiritual truth/ultimate truth.
• Isaiah 55:8 and 1 Corinthians 13:12 are cited.

• From its beginning Christianity has been a constantly evolving expression of faith.
• Respectful dialogue and mutual learning may lead to transformation for all participants.
• Christian faith may be transformed by such encounters in ways that we cannot imagine.
• Mark 7:24-30 and Acts 10:1-16 are cited.

"Jesus defines God's Spirit but does not confine it. Jesus is God's self-revelation 'once and for all' but not 'once and that's all.' To believe in Jesus the Christ is not to insist that God's activity in the world is limited to one time and place; to confess belief in God as Spirit is to insist that the divine love that came into perfect expression in Jesus is also to be found elsewhere. Therefore, we fully expect to find God's Spirit at work in other faiths. We do not, however, expect to find the workings of God's Spirit in other places and faiths to be fundamentally inconsistent with what we have experienced in Jesus Christ." - p. 36, That We May Know Each Other

Once, in Lebanon at a Christian-Muslim dialogue, I had breakfast with a young Muslim from Pakistan who asked me if Christians worshipped God or Jesus. Spilling my orange juice, I tried to explain how we understand the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and found that in his presence I understood that doctrine better than ever before. I knew as we talked that he had a window too, through which, from a different angle, God's light streamed. There was a glow on his face that was the imprint of something holy; he was not what used to be called a "heathen". As we compared our points of viewing God became clearer to both of us. Clearer than if we'd been viewing alone, or with people who agreed with us. Not that we abandoned our windows; but we shared our looking and that day both were blessing by light. - Right Reverend Bruce McLeod, former moderator of the UCC, p. 37, That We May Know Each Other

Hospitality as the welcome of strangers has deep roots in biblical tradition; it was understood by the early church to be a fundamental Christian practice…For Christians, hospitality takes on additional significance in the words of Jesus, who says that in welcoming a stranger we are in fact welcoming him (Matthew 25:31-46) We are hospitable as we welcome those who we perceive to be strangers into our homes, churches and communities. To do is to reflect the generous hospitable love of God and follow the example of Jesus Christ. p. 58, The Heart of Christianity

When a Christian asked the Dalai Lama whether she should become a Buddhist, his response was, "No, become more deeply Christian; live more deeply into your own tradition."

• Imagine you are having a conversation with someone of another faith. What would you like to say to this person that would help them to understand why you choose to be a Christian.
• Do some research on the internet or at the library to find out what various faiths have to say about peace or love or forgiveness. Note the points of commonality and the points of difference.
• Write a paragraph or a poem that answers the question: I am at home in Christianity because…
• What action might you take to "become more deeply Christian; to live more deeply into your own tradition"
• Visit one of the centres of worship of another faith, and/or talk with a colleague, friend or neighbour of a different faith as a way to explore more deeply their traditions, values, and perspective on life.