Is Christianity Exclusive?

One of the most common challenges I hear from people who are critical of Christianity is the idea that it is "exclusive." While I have already written about Jesus being the "only way" to heaven, today I want to address a somewhat different angle of this challenge.

In addition to many people feeling as though it is arrogant to claim the Jesus is "the only way," I have also heard it said that not only is this claim arrogant, but that it is arrogant to claim that Christians actually have the truth in such matters.

What is the Gospel?

Ever since I became a Christian twelve years ago, there has been a phrase or saying that I have heard many times with regards to following the Great Commission. Over and over I have heard some form of the statement, "Just give them the Gospel."

I don't know about you, but I have wondered for years just what the heck that meant. As often as it was said, it was never clearly articulated what "the Gospel" actually is. Have you ever wondered about this? Has it driven you crazy like it has me?

Should Christians Use Evidence and Logic to Proclaim the Gospel?

For those of us in the subculture of Christian apologetics (that is, defending one's system of beliefs usually using logic, evidence, etc.) we are often looked down upon by some members of the Church. Much of this has to do with the perception that one should not rely on logical argumentation and evidence as this is seen to diminish the role of the Holy Spirit in a person's coming to faith in Christ.

The main problem with this line of thinking is that it is actually highly unbiblical. If you are one of the people who believe that apologetics diminishes the power of the Holy Spirit (and if you are, I'm a little surprised you're reading this to begin with, but please keep an open mind), that statement is probably going to sound somewhat offensive.

What is the Straw Man Fallacy?

Of all the logical fallacies in the world, this one is perhaps my favorite. More than any other fallacy, this seems to be the one people commit when critiquing the Christian world view. In fact, I cannot think of a single debate, discussion, blog post, article, interview or other interaction in which someone has accurately represented the view of any Christian I have heard of.

And that is the Strawman Fallacy. Misrepresenting the opposing view in order to easily defeat the view which said opponent does not actually have. It is often quite subtle. Mainly because to use an effective strawman, you need to make this "fake" view look very similar to the real view so that people will think you're defeating the real thing.