The question is often asked: “How can we assert that Christianity is the one true religion?”
The question is unclear. Some people hear the question and wonder if we’re asserting it’s the only religion that brings value to life, or helps one live more successfully, or answers all of life’s burning questions. If that’s what is meant, the answer is that Christianity is NOT the only ‘true’ religion. Virtually every other religion offers meaning to life and helps one live more “successfully.” I would argue (not in this post, however) that Christianity does it more successfully, if I can defend the greater claim below.
If, however, the question is one of exclusiveness, that is a different story. This is the issue I was dealing with on Sunday. This is the question people object to.
First, let’s just note that, historically, it has NOT been a major issue. It’s one that is a major issue today because many believe that religion is a “subjective” thing without any objective truth value. There’s no evidence for THAT position. However, if Christianity asserts that there is such a thing as evil and Buddhism doesn’t, one is clearly wrong. They both can’t be right.
Christianity doesn’t assert itself to be a merely helpful guide to life. It claims to be the one way to God. If it can’t show that to be true, then the whole belief structure of Christianity is thrown in doubt. That much is fair! So what needs to be done is to defend Christianity, without resorting to using the Bible to defend the Bible. While this topic is far bigger than a single blog post, let me just proceed as follows:
The first question is: Is there a God? If there is, we can move to the second question. If you disagree, this first point needs defending (although there are plenty of other resources out there that can help the honest seeker). I recommend starting with any number of different thinkers like Alvin Platinga, William Alston, Norman Geisler, etc. Or the (formerly) world’s most renowned philosophical atheist, Antony Flew. Assuming the existence of a god, let’s move to the second point.
The second question: Has he revealed himself? And if so, is the Bible the source of that revelation (The Bible asserts that it is – John 1). Without resorting to using Scripture to defend Scripture, we can use external sources to validate those claims. Both archaeology and philosophy. For some summary information on the archaeological reliability of the Old Testament, see R.K. Harrison’s Introduction. However …
It really comes down to the New Testament – more specifically, the resurrection. Larry King (of CNN fame) was asked “who is the one person you’d most like to interview?” His answer: Jesus Christ. If he really rose from the dead, all of history is redefined around his claims.
Here’s the crux: If Jesus really did raise from the dead, then Christianity’s claims to being the one “true” religion (and by true we mean that the facts are trustworthy, that he is indeed the one true way to God – John 14:6) must be taken seriously and given due weight. We further mean that while other religions are useful, they are not ultimately “true” ways of getting to God. And where they contradict the Bible, they are false.
This is the question that bears your time and attention. It’s worth researching. If it’s true, then our claims to being exclusive have merit; if it’s false, we’re all wasting our time. Here are some outstanding resources: William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, Ben Witherington, Gary Habermas, Stephen Davis, Lee Strobel, et al.
So the answer to the question about whether Christianity is the one “true” religion comes down to narrowing the definition to an agreed-upon one, and evaluating the evidence for its truth claims. Hopefully the above has helped the honest seeker.
Martin Schlomer and Mike Hellum
