Teaching Youth About the Exclusivity of Christ
In this series, How to Teach Difficult Doctrines, we’ll be offering reflections about how youth workers can teach and talk about difficult doctrines and issues. Some are challenging because they’re confusing, others because they’re controversial, and some because they’re simply difficult for youth to accept.
I’m not very good at making decisions when there are too many options. For a guy who grew up with only three television channels, deciding what to watch out of the seemingly limitless choices from Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+ does not come easy. I probably spend at least 15 minutes going from one streaming platform to the next before I make a decision. The same thing happens when I look over a menu with too many items, or when I walk down the cereal aisle at the grocery store (it was so easy when my choices were Corn-Flakes or Frosted Flakes!). Me and choices don´t mix very well, and yet, I continually find myself needing to adapt to a world of ever-increasing options.
For emerging generations, however, that is just normal. Their world is defined by diversity and pluralism, where they are not limited to just three channels, one phone company, two sexes, or even one way to God. Because of the impact of postmodernism, today´s students have been raised in an increasingly post-truth, post-Christian world, where one of the core beliefs is that there is no such thing as objective, universal truth, and even if it did exist, they’re skeptical about whether it could be known.
Therefore, when it comes to religion, students today often have come to believe that all religions are equally valid, sometimes called religious pluralism. In this environment, any religious claim that asserts it is more true than the other options is often dismissed and rejected as bigotry. That is one of the reasons why many students have what some have called a “smörgasboard spirituality,” that is, a spiritualized all-you-can-eat buffet, where you fill your religious plate with various beliefs and practices from the many options available to you.
A challenge youth workers (and parents) face today is teaching the exclusivity of Christianity, presenting Christ as the only Savior. Gone are the days when we could take it for granted that students might believe without questioning that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). And this is not just a problem “out there.” It is also a reality within the church. How can we meet this challenge? Here are three principles to remember when teaching on the exclusivity of Christ in a pluralistic world.
Listen Before Speaking
The Apostle Paul brilliantly models for us how to engage a pluralistic culture in his ministry in Athens in Acts 17.(1) As he walked through the city, Paul opened his ears and eyes and learned as much as he could about the culture, engaging people from diverse backgrounds everywhere he went. When he had the opportunity to speak in the place of intellectual exchange known as the Aereopagus, he began by saying: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22 ESV). Paul did not begin by condemning their pagan worldview and their idolatry, but he instead made a respectful remark about their religious inclination, finding common ground where he could for the sake of continuing the conversation.
It is wise for us to emulate Paul and listen attentively before speaking to the younger generations. And when we open our mouths, let us find things to commend and even agree with. It will go a long way in respectfully addressing the issue of pluralism.
Address the Issue of Authority
Once you have listened, it is your turn to speak. As you do, remember that you are dealing not just with differing opinions about religious views, but differences at the level of worldview. In a culture shaped by postmodernism, the crux of your discussion will have to address, at some level, what constitutes ultimate authority. Therefore, if we are going to present a case for the exclusivity of Christ from the Bible, we may need to begin by showing them why the Bible should be trusted as the ultimate authority. In other words, it may not be enough to present merely internal evidences (i.e., Jesus´s and the New Testament writers´s affirmations about the exclusivity of Christ) when we are interacting with a pluralist. We may also need to present external evidences related to the reliability of the gospels, the historical case for the resurrection, or the possibility of miracles.
However, it is important to bear in mind that worldviews arise from fundamental commitments of the human heart, that is, whether one is in submission to or rebellion againts God. Unbelief is not mainly an intellectual issue. In other words, reaching a pluralist is not just a matter of tangible evidence, but a call to respond in faith. Why? Because unbelief is a willful rejection of the truth. No amount of mere information will change this condition of the human heart. Why is this important? Because as necessary as it is to present a convincing case for the exclusivity of Christ, this will not be enough on its own, because the natural tendency of fallen human beings is to suppress the truth (Rom. 1:18). The call to respond to the message of the gospel must be our endpoint in these encounters.
Pray for the Spirit´s Work
Jesus once asked His disciples “who do you say that I am? And Peter responded: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16, ESV). Peter´s answer was a model for us to take not of: that we should help our students to see Jesus as He really is, to have a correct undersanding of His person and work.
Let´s not forget what Jesus told Peter immediately after his confession: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (v.17). Ultimately, the kind of understanding we hope for has a supernatural origin. It comes from God Himself. If our students are going to believe that Jesus is the only Savior and embrace His as their Lord, God has to first reveal Himself to them.
Therefore, we should work hard to prepare a winsome and convincing case for the exclusivity of Christ, buy pray even harder for the Holy Spirit´s work in the hearts of our students. It is not one or the other, but both. Some youth workers work diligently in order to present solid arguments to their students about the truth of Christ, while neglecting prayerfulness. Others may be tempted to spend time in prayer, but maybe not enough time studying and preparing to engage in conversations with students about Jesus and His claims. We, like Paul, strive to become all things to all people that we might win some, remembering that God empowers us to function as His instruments in the world, lifting up Christ as the only true way to God in a world full of counterfeits.
(1) I recommend Walt Mueller’s book, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture for a biblical framework about how to “walk through Athens” today.