One of the biggest divisions within the Christian church is the chasm that divides those who believe that God saves only those who explicitly profess Jesus as Lord and Savior and those who believe that all people are accepted (saved) in God.  It is the question of exclusivity vs. universality.  I believe in a universal salvation – that all people live, die, and exist eternally in God.  Since I have come to believe this way through a process of faith development, I call myself a “born-again universalist.”

New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman wrote in his book The World Is Flat that the flattening world of today really began with the fall of the Berlin Wall.  That historical event symbolizes the flattening of barriers to communication.  Though Friedman was speaking to a climate of global politics and trade, I tend to hear a lot of what he says in relation to the church.—as a reminder that our calling is not to build walls, but to flatten them – and to open up lines of communication.  Despite the evident risks of such openness, represented by the 9/11 terrorists, the 21^st century church needs to find ways to bring down walls and build better understanding and attitudes of mutual acceptance.

This brings us back to a problem we have within the church.  Many faithful followers of Jesus believe that everyone else has to join us – become Christian -- in order for God to accept them.  (Many people in Islam feel similarly that people need to become Muslim.)  The result of such an approach is usually more walls.  A lot of church history has reflected this process of building walls – distinguishing between who is in and who is out.  Though most of this has been done genuinely believing that it is what Jesus commanded, the result has still been an increase in mutual intolerance – the erection of walls.

If the followers of Jesus want to lead the way in tearing down walls and building a sense of oneness among all people, we will need to respect the faith journeys of other people – Christians and non-Christians alike.  Jesus never told anyone to become a Christian because there was no Christian church then.  He invited people to follow him in order find and see God.  If we can find it in our hearts and minds to leave the judgment of who is in and who is out to God, and treat each other as Jesus treated people, our world can start to resemble Jesus’ description of God’s Kingdom.  I am committed to living and believing this way in my own life.  I’m sure that many of you share that commitment.  I pray that more and more of us can take the faith step to embrace others where they are in terms of their faith journey and leave the judgments to God.

Thanks for continuing to bless me on the journey.

--Jack Price