Stephanie Samuel of the Christian Post reviewed the work of David Campbell that shows us that most evangelicals believe that most people are heaven-bound with or without Jesus. She writes, "The majority of Protestants and evangelicals believe that good people and people of other religions can go to heaven, according to author David Campbell.
"Campbell, who co-wrote American Grace, How Religion Divides and Unites Us, contends that surveys of 3,000 Americans, used to write the book, show that American people of faith, though devout, are very tolerant. So much so that most believers also believe that good people, despite their religious affiliation, can go to heaven.
"Among the faiths, 83 percent of evangelical Protestants agreed that good people of other religions can go to heaven. Ninety percent of black Protestants also believe good people can go to heaven.
"When prodded further, more than half – 54 percent – of evangelical Protestants said yes, people of religions other than Christianity can go to heaven. Sixty-two percent of black Protestants agreed with the statement.
"Campbell, an expert of religion, politics and public policy, explained at a Thursday discussion of his book that the numbers can be explained with the 'Aunt Susan' theory. Aunt Susan, he said, is the nice family member who is well-loved and is an all around do-gooder.
“'You know that if anyone is destined to go to heaven, it’s Aunt Susan,' described Campbell.
"However, Aunt Susan is of another religion. Rather than condemn that person to a lost eternity, Campbell said, most American believers choose instead to believe that that person is heaven-bound."
Read the rest of the article here.
These kinds of stats have been a great concern to me.
This year we did a series called "Coexist: Jesus among other gods" where we sought to lift up the uniqueness of Jesus compared to Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and Jehovah Witness "faiths." In the series, we talked about the 5 solas of the Reformation, one of which is solus Christus: only Christ!
When we worked our way through I John in the "I know that I know" series this summer, we preached several times about the necessity of passing the "belief" test - believing that Jesus alone is God who has come in the flesh. Chad Allen, for example, spoke of the difference between the gospel of Jesus and the "gospel" of other modern day so-called prophets like Oprah and Deepak Choprah.
Last year in our WHY series, we used John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 as the main texts in a message and played a video of Joel Osteen waffling on this issue in order to make the point that many churches are not clear on this issue and that CVC stands firmly on the point that Jesus is the one and only way.
This coming year, we are planning a series to attack the prevalent belief in many churches that some are calling "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." This belief system basically believes that being good, "using" God to help oneself heal, and giving token homage to "the man upstairs" is what Christianity is all about. It is a Christless "Christianity." So, we want to hit this false belief head on.
We also are planning a series on evangelism. One can't have a passion for evangelism without being convinced that people without Jesus are lost.
Perhaps we need to take a look at promoting some small group training for children, teens, YAs, and CGs that deals with the uniqueness of Christ. Maybe your small group can choose a study this year dealing with the fact that trusting Jesus is the only way to be saved.
This is a very, very sobering issue for the church at large and, therefore, for CVC. Our teens are especially susceptible to the idea that people of many faiths can and will make it to heaven. They have been raised in a culture that prompts "tolerance" as a supreme virtue.
What will you do to take a stand on the truths of John 14:6. That's where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me."
Do you believe that? Will you take a stand for Jesus. The one and only way?
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