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6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, NRSVue)

This verse has been one of the most comforting and infuriating of the last few hundred years. For Christians who believe in Christian exclusivism, this verse is a soothing balm. If you think you are only saved from your sins and an eternity destined for hell because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, then you are a Christian exclusivist.

The exclusivist believes there's only one way to a relationship with God, and it comes by way of the death and resurrection of Jesus. For everyone who has not said a prayer of repentance and faith, responded to an alter call, or in some way recanted of their sin and turned to Jesus, you are doomed to hell, at least according to exclusivists.

For everyone else that does not hold to this view, John 14:6 is often infuriating. The passage is infuriating because, at best, it is weaponized as a passive-aggressive threat to get the non-Christian to join the team. At worst, it's used pretentiously to show how those who don't accept Jesus are left as the 'out-group,' and those who believe in Jesus are God's 'in-group.'

Not only is John 14:6 leveraged to argue for Christian exclusivism, but it is also a prime motivator in convincing its adherents to give generously of their finances to save souls perishing without Christ. According to Mission Frontiers, Christians give $52 BILLION annually to 'missions.'

Here's a fun fact about that $52 billion: For every $100,000, only about $1.70 reaches unreached people.

Before moving on, let's pause briefly and consider a few questions. First, assuming John 14:6 is actually a direct quote from Jesus's lips (highly likely that it's not), would he have said this with the thought that he is the only path to God? Second, with globalization and religious pluralism at an all-time high, do you really believe every Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Religious None, Atheist, etc., that co-worker, friend, and neighbor is going to hell? I'm not talking about tribes living deep in the Amazon. I'm talking about Noor at the local coffee shop that makes your mocha with oat milk 3x a week.

Why I Believe in Religious Pluralism as a Christian

For almost two decades, I would have said, 'Yes, Noor makes an amazing latte, and unless she believes in Jesus, she's going to hell.' At the peak of my time as an evangelical, I could make that statement without blinking twice because I somehow convinced myself Noor going to hell put God's justice and righteousness (aka holiness) on display.

Over the last few years of my faith, I have been going through the wash cycle of deconstructing, reconstructing, abandoning, returning, deconstructing, and reconstructing again, etc. I'm at a place where I love and follow Jesus, and I believe he's not the only way to a relationship with God. Here are my top three reasons that led me from being a Christian exclusivist to a non-exclusivist.

Common Sense

Recently, a Medium member named Robert Sockett left the following comment on one of my posts,

They are ever seeing but never perceiving. I would read something in the Bible like God will be “All in All” and have an elder explain it to me, and they would “explain it away.” I always wondered why evangelicals believe all the verses that say people will roast in hell but don’t believe the many verses that say God will save everyone.

I resonated deeply when I initially read the comment. It resonated because so much of what evangelicals are taught as "the truth" requires them to leave their common sense at the door.

Stop and think about the implications of God only creating one way to a relationship with them for all time and history. This is a peculiar notion. Does it make sense that the Creator of the universe would choose to be known through a single religious tradition that came about at a random place in the world?

Furthermore, isn't it ostentatious and a bit egotistical to also believe that it just so happens you (assuming you're a Christian) and I are part of said religious tradition God revealed themself through?

I won't go down too big of the church history rabbit hole, but the Catholic church used to have a phrase in Latin, Extra ecclesiam nulla salus est, "Outside of the church, there is no salvation." After the Reformation, the Roman Catholics doubled down to make sure Protestants were included with non-Christians as those 'outside of the church.' Of course, Protestants reciprocated by holding all one needed was Jesus for salvation. Quite conveniently, the Protestants believed they had a monopoly on Jesus, so in their eyes, the Catholics were on the outside of salvation.

The point I'm making with this church history detour is that it's part of an ancient past-time for Christians throughout church history to constantly bicker and split hairs over who is in and who is out with God. History has yet to show the Christian who was convinced the other group had a monopoly on God.

The hubris that comes with Christian exclusivist thinking is not only the opposite of the humility Jesus perfectly embodied, but it also makes way too little of God's grace.

The Grace and Love of God

God's radical grace means God's unconditional acceptance of us all. As soon as you add anything to that grace, it ceases to be grace.

To tone down God's grace makes salvation about requirements and tries to make God into something small and comfortable. We have a word for reimagining God in our image; it's called idolatry. God's radical love is so great that no single culture, period, or religion can begin to capture its magnitude fully.

I agree with Pope Francis when he says,

I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is.

If there is someplace somewhere in another galaxy, dimension, or spiritual realm called hell, I believe God's grace and love are too big to allow anyone to go there. Practically, I'm not saying our actions don't matter or that there is no justice. Instead, I'm saying no matter how bad someone may be in this lifetime or how staunchly they reject God, the love and grace of God will continue to pursue them beyond this life. I believe God is so big that God will never give up on pursuing any of us out of God's deep love.

The Commonality of Ancient Faiths

As someone who walks within the Christian tradition and comes from Mexican and Jewish heritage, religious pluralism has been a part of me since birth. I've learned so much about the context, history, and beliefs of Jesus from my Jewish grandmother, who was a devout Jew. I've tremendously benefited from the kindness, hospitality, and devotion to prayer experienced in the Muslim community. My mental health and ability to be present and intentional in slowing down and enjoying every day have grown deep and wide because of Buddhism.

In many ways, I understand Jesus's commitment to rising before the sun came up to pray by watching Muslims' faithfulness to pray five times a day. I more deeply grasp Jesus's teaching on not worrying about tomorrow because Buddhists like Thich Nhat Hanh have taught me to be more in tune with my affections through mindfulness.

If you're interested, here is my article on 5 Ways Buddhism is Helping Me Rebuild My Christian Faith. I'm unashamed to say I am a better Christian who loves Jesus in new and more profound ways because of the influence of other religions.

A Non-Exclusivist Perspective of John 14:6

I can already see my emails and comments flooding with messages from Christians. Some will be well-intentioned, and others will be trolls. Both will passionately tell me how I'm wrong, and the 'clear and plain' meaning of John 14:6 teaches Christian exclusivism.

Let me preemptively offer a non-exclusivist perspective on the passage. According to the author of this gospel, John, he is saying Jesus is the way. We have to ask, "According to John, what is the way that Jesus is?" We get the answer to this question back in John 1. John believes Jesus is the incarnation of the word of God (in Judaism, this phrase often refers to the wisdom of God). Jesus embodies the way, which is the path of death and resurrection.

No one comes to God apart from dying to an old way of being and being born into a new, selfless, compassionate, and nonviolent way of being. In this sense, Jesus is the embodiment of the way.

I love the insight given in this passage by a Hindu professor:

*This verse is absolutely true. Jesus is the only way, and that way is known in every religion of the world." (*Days of Awe and Wonder p. 221)