Inclusive Christianity

In this era of religious pluralism, the question often arises:

Is it possible to be Christian and still honor all paths to God?

Doesn’t it have to be one way or the other?
 
If you follow the teachings of Jesus, rather than the teachings about Jesus, the answer appears to be yes. If you study what Jesus taught and did, you see that he was, in the words of Bible scholar Marcus Borg, “radically inclusive.” He said to love one another, and he exemplified that by honoring and caring about people of all backgrounds.    
 
Spiritual leaders through the ages have asserted that Jesus was not just the example and advocate for Christians, but for everyone. Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu, once said: “Jesus gave humanity the magnificent purpose and the single objective toward which we all ought to aspire. I believe that he belongs not solely to Christianity, but to the entire world, to all lands and races.” (Gandhi also said, “If Jesus came to earth again, he would disown many things that are being done in the name of Christianity.”)

We know Jesus as loving and kind, but he was also a passionate advocate for change.

History indicates he was a witty philosopher and a bold reformer. He is perhaps best known for reaching out to the disenfranchised—the women, the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the lepers, the tax collectors. Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of God—the here-and-now possibility of perfection on earth—was for everyone.

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time

In his book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg writes: “Jesus saw the divinity in all people, and he challenged all men to see the good, the God-self, in all people with whom they associated.”
 
Indeed, Jesus purposefully rebelled against prejudice and discrimination. Writes Borg: “One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ teachings was his pointed attacks on the purity system. This was the dominant theme in the Jewish social world during his time, and it was focused on creating a world with sharp social boundaries: between pure and impure, righteous and sinner, whole and not whole, male and female, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile. Jesus deliberately replaced the core value of purity with compassion.”
 
Jesus’ compassion was notably evident in his habitual participation in an open and inclusive table. Sharing a meal with someone in those days signified mutual acceptance. Jesus ate with the outcasts, the downtrodden—anyone who was considered “impure.”

In so doing, he out-pictured a vision of an inclusive community.

Through his actions, Jesus demonstrated that all people are welcome at the table of God’s kingdom—and all means all. Jesus was a champion of the oppressed—the living example of unconditional love—and he vehemently opposed exclusionary practices.

Although discrimination in his day may have centered around gender, health, social status and religious practices, it could just as easily have been discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, race and sexual preference, as we see today.  

We can equally expect that Jesus honored and respected people of other faith traditions.

In his best-selling book Discover the Power Within You, the late Unity minister Eric Butterworth wrote:

I have often speculated on what Jesus would have done if he had been seated around a table with a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim and a Shintoist—discussing ultimate Truth. I just can’t believe that Jesus would have said, ‘You must all forsake your beliefs and come and follow me.’ I think he might have pointed out that the differences were chiefly a matter of semantics, and that there is an underlying principle similar to the Christ idea in every religion. I think he would have stressed the basic unity within the diversity of religions, pointing out that the greatest need of all persons is to find that indwelling unity with God, which is found in the principle of divine Sonship, that we call the Christ.

 As far as we know, Jesus did not say anything negative about other religions. He did, however, sharply criticize his own.

The Good Samaritan

Marcus Borg offers a good example of how Jesus related to other religions in his analysis of the story of the Good Samaritan told in Luke 10:25-37.

On the surface, it appears to be a pleasant tale about a kind-hearted humanitarian. A traveler on the way to Jericho falls among thieves and is robbed and severely beaten. Two people pass by and decline to get involved. A third arrives and takes pity on the man. He bandages up his wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care. The teaching seems to be about practicing kindness to strangers.
 
But in actuality, Borg emphasizes, this is a radical and subversive story. Because when the traveler—who we assume was a Jew—is robbed and beaten, the two people who pass him by are Jewish (a priest and a Levite) and the rescuer is a non-Jew—a Samaritan. To Jews at that time, the Samaritans were the despised people. They were considered untouchables who could do no good. Thus in this simple story, Jesus is forcing the question: “Do you really know what’s good and what’s bad? Who are the righteous and who are the not righteous?”
 
Says Cynthia Bourgeault in her book The Wisdom Jesus, “It’s a direct challenge to that binary operator in the mind, which is so quick to judge, to feel self-meritorious.” 
 

Imagine the impact of the Good Samaritan story today if it were told about a traditional Christian whose brethren pass him by, but who is then generously brought back to health and safety by a Muslim stranger. The message is clear: Don’t judge by appearances and, even better, don’t judge at all.
 

A movement is now afoot to return to the inclusive teachings and philosophies of Jesus. There are Facebook pages (for example, “Christians Tired of Being Misrepresented,” “The Christian Left” and others), blogs, podcasts and more. There are breakthrough books based on new biblical scholarship aimed at recapturing the essence of what Jesus taught.

Don't judge by appearances and, even better, don't judge at all.

All of these voices, these “believers in exile,” as former Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong calls them, are “trying to find their way back to a feint voice from the past. It’s the voice of a young Jewish carpenter who invited us to discover the Truth for ourselves, and who pointed us in the direction of God.”
 
The heart of Jesus’ message of inclusiveness is perhaps best summarized in Matthew 22:37-40: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
 
Jesus put no qualifiers on his admonition to love one another. Through his teaching and example, we see that to live with an open and inclusive heart is to know the meaning of heaven on earth. It is to know that truly, we are one.