Coexist?

This “Coexist” bumper sticker really caught my attention the other day; it so perfectly depicts the belief that there are many ways to God, called pluralism. But as I considered the ambiguity of pluralism, I wonder if it is not a stepping stone to a secular society that despises religious reference or affiliation.

The Pew Research Center says one in five Americans is thoroughly secularized, with no religious affiliation at all. Last year when I wrote about the movie “Life of Pi,” I claimed that the essence of the film's philosophy was captured in the words of Pi’s father who challenged the pluralistic beliefs of his son, saying, “believing in everything is the same thing as not believing anything at all.”

Previously, I saw that pluralism is really polytheism. Now I’m seeing it is a precursor to a secular society, based on humanism. No wonder Jesus asked, “Will I find faith on the earth when I return?” (Luke 18:8)

Who Gets to Define Reality?

Facebook, Twitter, news feeds, and mobile apps are all information sources that didn’t exist just a few years ago. And not only do they affect the way people get news and information, but more importantly, how they form opinions. With the swipe of a finger or click of a mouse, opinions are set, and values altered.

 
Without any universally accepted moral standards, determining what is ‘real’ in our amorphous culture is getting exponentially harder. For a biblically-ignorant, culturally-adaptive, and socially-sensitive population, it is getting almost impossible to find a place for Scripture’s strict morality and “one-way” exclusivity—Even in the church. How else can you explain why half of young evangelicals are now accepting the inevitability of abortion, the moral ambiguity of gay marriage, and a pluralistic world view?
 

Incongruously, the “information” age is disseminating a lot of “misinformation.” And at a time when the church should be exalting a biblical worldview, it is bowing down to the spirit of the age by bowing out of its role of defining reality. For the remnant of the church still holding fast, this may be its last chance to influence the reality-seeking ‘Millennial’ and ‘Z’ generations. 

“Life of Pi”—Faith is a House with Many Rooms

Knowing nothing more about it than what we saw on the trailers (and its PG rating), Altha and I saw the movie “Life of Pi” this weekend. It turned out to be a vehicle for postmodern theology. As the title character battles to survive on a life raft from India to Mexico, he also struggles to believe in God in the midst of his suffering.

The story begins in India where Pi develops a zeal for religion. Declaring that “faith is a house with many rooms,” Pi integrates Allah and the Christ easily into his Hindu faith, even thanking Krishna and Vishnu for bringing Christ into his life.  When he cries out to God in desperation, “I give myself to you,” it is not clear to which god he is praying. To most god seekers in our universalistic culture, it wont matter. Whom you have faith in is less important than that you have ‘it’.

Ironically, Pi's atheistic father captures the error of this thinking when he tells the young Pi that believing in everything is “the same thing as not believing anything at all.” And that statement may be the only ‘truth’ you’ll find in the “Life of Pi.”

Beware of the Spirit of Omnitheism

Yesterday USA Today reported the findings of a recent Pew survey that shows one in four Americans blend their Christian beliefs with New Age and Eastern ideas such as pantheism, reincarnation and yoga. There is a name for people who embrace all religions as having value and legitimacy: they are called “omnitheists.” Omnitheism stands in opposition to dogmatism, advocating there is no such thing as absolute truth.

This Pew survey would seem to indicate omnitheism is on the rise. And we should take note there is a corresponding escalating criticism of evangelical Christians for their lack of "religious tolerance.” The “I am the way/narrow-gate” message of salvation (Jn. 14:6; Mat. 7:13-14) stands in mounting contrast to the swelling movement of omnitheism. What is especially noteworthy is that nearly one-fourth of Americans who call themselves “Christian” now advocate the acceptance of all religions.

And what is more surprising are the people who are, however inadvertently, promoting it. A few years ago, President George Bush, an evangelical Christian said: “I believe all religions, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, pray to the same God.” This year in his inaugural address, President Obama, more than any president before him, declared our Nation (formerly often referred to as a Christian nation) to be religiously pluralistic. Even one of America’s most well known evangelical preachers, Joel Osteen, affirmed “omnitheism,” however unintentionally, when he was asked by Larry King whether Hindus will go to heaven if they don’t believe in Jesus. Joel Osteen’s alarming response: “I don’t know about judging other people [Hindus and other religions]; I just know they love God.”

Paul warns that in the last days, many will be enticed by this spirit of omnitheism: “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1 Tim. 4:1).