One of the many common accusations against Christians is that we are arrogant in believing that we, exclusively, have come to know the objective truth about something such as our eternal destiny. With all the other religions, anti-religions and everything else out there, how arrogant it is for us to claim that our way is the right way and everyone who doesn't believe what we do is just wrong!In one sense, I suppose I can understand how someone could feel this way. On the other hand, it seems to me that people who do so fail to understand that almost any particular world-view is held by individuals to the exclusivity of other world views. When it comes right down to it, just about everybody who holds to a world view of any sort is actually in the same boat. So, when making this charge against Christians, the detractor is essentially jack-hammering the very foundation that they, themselves, are standing on.
Regardless of whether or not this is a universal issue, however, I'd like to address the idea of whether or not holding exclusively to the Christian world view is, in fact, arrogant. It is my observation that the Christian world view is perhaps the least arrogant of the various world views with which I have come into contact.
Rather than get into certain particulars, I'd like to keep this at a fairly high level. If we start with non-Christian religious views, or even quasi-Christian (or "Cultural Christian") views, there seems to be one concept that permeates them all. That is, the individual person has to do, earn, perform, achieve or somehow work for the ultimate reward, whatever that may be for a given religious belief system. Buddhists have to follow the four spiritual laws and walk the eight-fold path, etc. Jehovah's Witnesses have to perform their ministry of knocking on doors and talking with people about Jehovah. Muslims have to follow the 5 pillars of Islam. It goes on and on.
The common theme of all of these systems, and those that I didn't mention, is "works." In other words, to some degree, your "salvation" (as is understood by the given religion) is dependent upon the individual. This is something that is common to every single religious system save one....Christianity.
Of all the faiths and religious teachings around the world, only Christianity is the one that does not rely upon the individual to any degree. This is the primary reason why I would argue that Christianity is the least arrogant. Because we have essentially nothing to do with it! According to the Christian world view, it is God who determines who will be saved. It is God who draws us to a belief in Him. It is God who paid the penalty for the initial sin which caused a separation between Him and us. On the Christian view, God does it all. We are simply the "lucky" benefactors of His grace.
How is it that none of these other religions, ones who rely on a person's own ability to comply with certain rules or achieve certain things, are indicted as being arrogant, but Christianity, which claims that we didn't do anything to deserve God's grace, is? That seems a bit backward to me. If anything, it seems to me that the Christian perspective is the most humble perspective.
It is reminiscent of the parable Jesus taught of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. Christians (and by that I am excluding the people who claim to be Christian but functionally are atheists as far as how they carry out their lives....and no, this is not the "No True Scotsman Fallacy") are the ones in the back of the room, crying out to God and begging for mercy. Yup. I can see how that would seem arrogant. Unlike the other systems which claim that I can be the guy and I can earn my own way and I don't need to rely on anyone or anything else. I can see why these systems don't get called out as being arrogant.
For more resources:
- No Other Name - Part 1 - Greg Koukl
- No Other Name - Part 2 - Greg Koukl
- Jesus, The Only Way to God - John Piper
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