Religious Tolerance

The New Testament speaks of Jesus as the only way (John14:6), but that does not mean that people cannot come to God through Jesus without ever being able to name him. Jesus came to reconcile all things and all people to himself (Col. 1:20). Regardless, then, of whatever context within which reconciliation occurs, it must surely concern Jesus. Revelation of God and life-changing experiences has been made possible by the work of Jesus, the word made flesh (John 1:1). Jesus also defined his role as to reveal the Father, not to glorify himself (John 14:8). Wherever God is known then, it is the work of Jesus made manifest. Because God is found in other religions, Jesus is also there, silently and modestly doing his work of revelatin. 'All that is noble in the non-Christian systems of thought, or conduct, or worship is the work of Christ upon them and within them. By the word of God, that is to say by Jesus Christ - Isaiah and Plato, and Zoroaster and Buddha and Confucius conceived and uttered such truths as they declared. There is only only one divine light, and every[one] and [their] measure is enlightened by it' (Archbishop William Temple).

Temples way is a very Christian way of looking at things and it is not often well received by other faith communities. However, we need to be faithful also to our own tradition and beliefs, while developing an appreciation and tolerance of others. This is best done by understanding other faiths within the parameters of our own. We can push the boudaries of traditionally exclusive texts in order to underline the mutual inter-penetration of all true faith. We make God very small if we dismiss the possibility outright

Within the traditions of other faiths there is a similar minority tradition of tolerance. In the Qur'an, where the 'people of the book' refer to Jes and Christians, there are 3 texts that stand out:

-to you be your way and to me mine

-truth stands out from error, whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handfold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things

-of the people of the book are a portion that stand for the right...they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten in emulation of all good works; they are in the ranks of the righteous. Of the good they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for Allah knoweth well those that do right.

The Hindu tradition is much more open to this kind of possibility. The Bhagavadgita suggests that even those who in faith worship other gods, because of their love they worship me and also...for many are the paths of men, but they all in the end come to me. This is typical of Hindu inclusiveness.

Exclusivity makes God into a very small, petty and insecure being> The limitless God becomes limited and without unconditional love. The God of the Christian scriptures is a God of prodigal grace. Calvinists say that we are put right with God by God's own grace. Grace, then, can put others of different faiths right with God as well. Paul tells us that it is by grace we are saved and not by works (Eph. 2:8).


Adapted from A Deep but Dazzling Darkness: A Christian Theology in an Inter-faith Perspective, Timothy Kinahan