Religious pluralism is in its most basic form, a rejection of religious exclusivism. What I

mean by that is, as Houston Smith himself says, no religion has any claim to the truth to

the exclusion of others. When Phil this morning in his comments at the Lord’s table

talked about salvation being found only in Jesus Christ, that is a statement of religious

exclusivism. When Jesus talks about a narrow road that leads to a narrow gate and

there are few who find their way to eternal life, that is an example of religious

exclusivism. When Jesus in John chapter 14 verse six says “I am the way, the truth,

and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me.” He is telling us that he and he

alone has the way to God, that he alone possesses the truth, that he alone can convey

life to all mankind, and through him and through him alone can man have access to

God. When Peter in the fourth chapter of Acts says that salvation is found in no other

name but in the name of Jesus Christ, that is religious exclusivism. And religious

pluralism rejects that idea. Religious pluralism is not a description of the world. It is

simply a matter of reimagining the world. Because as I think you all are aware as we are

going to talk about here in the slides following, there is a great deal of difference

between religious systems.