Survey Says: Many Religions Can Lead to Eternal Life
This evening during dinner, I had the ABC Evening News on in the other room. I wasn’t paying too much attention to it, but once I heard something similar to “70% of Americans believe many religions can lead to eternal life”, my attention was engaged. Fortunately, with the power of Tivo I could rewind to the beginning.
It turns out that the opening news story was on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Protestants (66%) and Catholics (79%) have evidently determined that Jesus Christ is not the only way to heaven. The Protestant category is broken down further to: Evangelical (57%), Mainline (83%), historically black churched (59%). An Episcopalian said “I believe in every religion. It’s hard for me to be just nailed down to Christianity.” The Catholic interviewee focused on “living a good life and being a good person.”
Frankly, I am saddened when I hear that a Christian believes that Jesus Christ is not the only way to eternal life. What options are there? Christ (Gospel) or Self (Law)? Humanity is stuck in the mire of sin and we cannot free ourselves from its grasp — nor do we by nature want to be free from it. Jesus came to fulfill the law we could not meet and reconcile us to God through His death and resurrection.
Ever since Issues Etc. was abruptly canceled due to business . . . err. . . . stewardship reasons, I’ve been listening to the White Horse Inn. A few weeks back they had an intriguing episode entitled “Assuming the Gospel” (6/8/08). The topic was more or less was what should people be hearing from the pulpit. In good news fashion, they went out and asked the random pastor at an evangelical pastor’s conference what should be preached. Based on the responses they played, it took them awhile to find someone that said Christ should be preached.
These are pastors — who have been to seminary — who don’t even seem to get the fundamental message of the Gospel. What gives? What are people hearing from the pulpits? Oh yeah . . . pulpits are so last century! I want to be drenched in the blood of Christ each week. Is that too much to expect? Unfortunately, even I sometimes only get a drop or two of Christ when the sermon only mentions Christ in passing. Grrr. Pop psychology or Christ? Hmm. Evidently Christ must be so last century as well.
So my plea is that pastor’s give their people Christ. Please pour it on. Wrap our sin sick selves in the forgiveness of sins. Proclaim to us the great gifts of God. We need pastors who will faithfully preach the Word and administer the sacraments.
As I look back on this blog post, I see that it has meandered from religious pluralism to pastors and preaching. The question I’m thinking about now is: Does the church change the culture or does the culture change the church?
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It’s interesting to skim through the whole study. It gives statistics broken down by individual denominations, including the LCMS.
15% of the 588 participants who identified themeselves as LCMS believe the Scripture is not the Wor of God.
78% (!!!) of the LCMS participants believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life.”
What’s going on in our churches?
Thanks Ben. I hadn’t delved that deep into the report yet. I was sure your note about 78% of LCMS respondents believing that “many religions can lead to eternal life” had to be a typo. You were right and were right again — What IS going on in our churches?