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But don't all religions lead to God?Greenhouses and stonesBUT DON'T ALL RELIGIONS LEAD TO GOD? This new book from Michael Green is a flawed piece of craftsmanship. In many ways it does an excellent job of navigating us through the maze of our multi-faith society. However, at the end, instead of sticking to Scripture, Green decides to bang his own drum about the nature of eternal punishment. He declares: 'Christians should reject the idea of conscious unending torment as firmly as they reject universalism'. This, in effect, turns all Christians who believe in the traditional view of hell into heretics. Green may be allowed his point of view, but why push it in what is meant to be an evangelistic book? Furthermore, the basis on which he makes this statement is completely wrong. He says: 'There is indeed one passage in the New Testament that speaks about a lake of fire - but it is not prepared for people, but for all principles of evil.' Actually, he is referring to Revelation 19.20 but in the next chapter we read: 'The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire' (Revelation 20.15). How we interpret the second death may be the heart of the discussion, but it is clear from this verse that it is not just principles but people who face this destiny. It made this (heretical) reader wonder what kind of spirit prompted the author to seemingly be more keen to attack other Christians than to simply present the gospel. Sadly, this is not the only problem. Michael Green is also wedded to the idea of salvation through 'the anonymous Christ'. That is, that believers in other religions can be saved without ever hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we understand the loving heart which longs to see people saved, this is contrary to Romans 10.14. JEBJohn Benton© Evangelicals Now - February 2003 |