Series: Navigating Religious Pluralism
Scripture Focus: Act 4:12
I was stopped at a red light in Austin when I saw it. A simple bumper sticker, the kind you have seen a hundred times. Different religious symbols arranged to spell the word “Coexist.” The message was clear. Believe what you want. Let others believe what they want. Peace comes from refusing to take truth too seriously.
At the surface level, the idea sounds beautiful. Who does not want peace? Who does not want unity? Who does not want a world where people stop fighting over religion? But something about that sticker always makes me pause. It asks a question modern culture rarely considers. If the symbols represent truth claims that contradict one another, can coexistence be built on pretending those contradictions are not real?
The light turned green, and traffic moved forward, but the question stayed with me.
Is coexistence a moral imperative or a philosophical illusion?
And how does the Gospel speak into a world that tries to harmonize what God has revealed as distinct?
Selah.
The Myth That All Religions Teach the Same Thing
Pluralism thrives on a simple idea. All religions are different paths up the same mountain. Christians emphasize grace. Muslims emphasize submission. Hindus emphasize enlightenment. Buddhists emphasize detachment. But in the end, we are told, everyone is reaching for the same God.
It sounds kind. It sounds inclusive. But it is not true.
Stephen Prothero, a religious studies scholar who is not writing from a Christian perspective, writes bluntly: “Religions are not all the same. They never have been and never will be.” He points out that every major religion diagnoses the human problem differently. They offer different goals, different paths, different deities, and different views of reality.
Islam teaches strict monotheism and denies the deity of Christ.
Hinduism embraces millions of gods and cycles of rebirth.
Buddhism acknowledges no personal deity at all.
Judaism rejects the New Testament claims about Jesus as Messiah.
Atheism denies the existence of God altogether.
They cannot all be true.
They can all be false.
But they cannot all be equally true.
Pluralism tries to harmonize contradictions by ignoring them. Scripture calls us to clarity. The truth is not honored by being blended into beliefs that oppose it.
The Early Church Faced Pluralism Before We Did
When Peter declared, “There is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12), he was not speaking into a monolithic religious world. He was standing in Jerusalem, surrounded by Roman political power, Jewish religious leadership, and a cultural environment overflowing with competing gods and philosophies.
Rome had perfected pluralism. They welcomed any god at the table as long as you did not claim yours was the only one who mattered. Their motto was simple. Worship anything. Believe anything. Just do not disrupt the peace.
Peter disrupted the peace.
He spoke a word that sounded as offensive in the first century as it does now. Not all gods are the same. Not all paths converge. Not all saviors save. There is one name. One Lord. One mediator. One Gospel. This was not arrogance. It was obedience to revelation.
The early church did not try to soften this claim to blend in. They proclaimed it publicly, courageously, and lovingly. They faced imprisonment, rejection, and persecution because they believed one truth clearly: if Christ is risen, every rival claim must be evaluated in light of Him.
True coexistence requires honesty.
Not pretending we agree when we do not.
Not pretending contradictions are compatibility.
Not pretending peace can be built on confusion.
Why Pluralism Sounds Kind but Cannot Hold Together
Pluralism often grows out of a sincere desire to avoid conflict. It treats differences as decoration rather than definition. It assumes that disagreement about God is no more consequential than disagreement about which restaurant to visit.
But Scripture teaches that truth corresponds to reality. Christianity does not offer generic spirituality. It offers revelation. God has made Himself known through His Word, His covenants, His prophets, and ultimately through His Son.
When Jesus said, “I am the way,” He was not offering another religious opinion. He was making a claim that either must be received or rejected. If true, it cannot be blended. If false, it should be discarded entirely.
Pluralism tries to keep the comfort of spirituality without the demands of truth. It offers affirmation without clarity. It asks us to treat incompatible beliefs as equally valid. But this is not generosity. It is confusion.
Imagine a doctor who knows a patient has a life-threatening condition but chooses not to tell them because honesty might upset them. That is not kindness. It is cruelty disguised as compassion.
If salvation is found only in Christ, then clarity is the most loving thing we can offer.
Coexistence Is Not the Same as Agreement
Here is the irony. Christians can coexist with anyone. We can love neighbors of every background. We can defend religious liberty for all. We can pursue peace, serve communities, and show hospitality regardless of worldview.
Coexistence is not the issue.
The issue is agreement.
Pluralism demands that we treat all truth claims as equal. Christianity demands that we treat God’s revelation as supreme. These two cannot be reconciled.
Paul lived among philosophers. Daniel lived among pagans. Joseph lived among Egyptians. None compromised their allegiance to Yahweh. None pretended all gods were one in the end. They lived with integrity among those who disagreed while holding firmly to the God who revealed Himself.
The Christian posture is never hostility. It is hospitality with clarity. We speak truth in love, not truth in anger or silence in fear.
Why “Coexist” Falls Apart Under Examination
The bumper sticker is not wrong to desire peace. Scripture commands believers to live at peace with all, so far as it depends on us. But the idea behind the sticker runs into three major problems.
1. It assumes all religions are basically the same.
They are not. Their claims contradict. Their gods contradict. Their visions of salvation contradict.
2. It assumes contradiction can be resolved by intention.
Two incompatible claims cannot both be true simply because we wish them to be.
3. It assumes truth is irrelevant to peace.
History teaches the opposite. Peace built on deception collapses.
Nancy Pearcey often says, “Ideas have consequences.” Pluralism’s consequence is confusion, not harmony.
Christianity is not against coexistence. It is against false claims about God. Those are not the same thing.
The Christian Alternative: Compassion Without Compromise
The call of the church is not to domination. It is not to withdrawal. It is not to cultural warfare. The call is to faithful presence.
Faithful presence means:
We live with integrity.
We speak with clarity.
We love with sincerity.
We serve with humility.
We stand with courage.
We do not demand that the culture agree with us. We proclaim the truth God has revealed and trust Him with the results.
This is where the SLG Formation Flow becomes practical. Doctrine leads to devotion. Devotion leads to daily obedience. Daily obedience becomes a witness. And witness becomes the means through which God awakens hearts.
The Logic of Contradiction and the Mercy of Clarity
Pluralism collapses not because Christianity is harsh, but because truth is real. Contradiction cannot be harmonized. Islam says Jesus did not die on the cross. Christianity says He did. They cannot both be true. Atheism says no God exists. Hinduism says thousands exist. They cannot both describe reality accurately.
Clarity is not cruelty. Clarity is mercy.
When Peter stood before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, he was not trying to win an argument. He was offering a lifeline. “There is salvation in no one else.” This is not exclusion for exclusion’s sake. It is rescue for rescue’s sake.
Pluralism obscures the problem.
The Gospel reveals the cure.
Pluralism says sincerity saves.
Christianity says Christ saves.
Pluralism says all roads rise to the same summit.
Christianity says the summit is reached only by the One who descended for us.
The Peace That Pluralism Cannot Produce
Pluralism promises peace by flattening truth. Christianity offers peace through reconciliation with God. These are fundamentally different visions of peace.
Pluralism’s peace is horizontal and fragile. It depends on everyone ignoring foundational differences. The moment someone speaks with conviction, the peace breaks.
Christianity’s peace is vertical first. It flows from being reconciled to God through Christ. From that peace comes the ability to love neighbors, forgive enemies, serve communities, and live with humility.
Pluralism tries to build peace without God.
Christianity builds peace rooted in God.
Only one foundation can bear the weight of the human soul.
The Story Behind the Symbols
As I watched that bumper sticker fade into traffic, I wondered what story the driver believed. Maybe she longed for unity. Maybe she was weary of religious division. Maybe she wanted to affirm everyone’s dignity. These desires are not wrong. They are profoundly human.
But they require a foundation that can carry them.
Unity requires truth.
Dignity requires creation.
Peace requires reconciliation.
Hope requires resurrection.
No pluralistic system can provide these. Only Christ can.
The Call to Clarity in a Confused Age
We do not engage pluralism with arrogance. We engage it with humility and courage. We speak clearly because God has spoken clearly. We stand firm because Christ is risen. We love deeply because every person we meet bears His image.
You will meet people who say all religions lead to God. You will meet others who think belief itself is outdated. You will meet many who simply prefer the comfort of ambiguity to the commitment of truth.
Your task is not to force agreement. Your task is to offer clarity wrapped in compassion.
Stand firm in a world of many gods.
Speak truth in a world of many opinions.
Love well in a world of many wounds.
Guard your heart in a world of many distractions.
And remember, you follow the One whose name is above every name.
Walking It Out
Look for opportunities this week to gently expose the myths of pluralism. Ask questions. Listen well. Share your hope without defensiveness. Encourage conversations rather than arguments. Let your clarity be kind and your kindness be clear.
The world does not need believers who hide the truth for the sake of peace. The world needs believers who offer peace by pointing to the truth.
One name saves.
One Gospel stands.
One Lord reigns.
Live it out. Share the truth. Walk with courage.
