Last week I spoke at the National Travel Association. During a panel on faith-based marketing a man in the audience asked a question. I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like this.
“I operate a travel agency and tour planning company. I have been thinking about packaging trips to Native American sacred places and Muslim destinations and selling them to Christians. That’ll work, won’t it? I mean, we all worship the same God, right?”
I had to explain to him that, technically, no, we don’t all worship the same God and that differences he may not have noticed, matter a great deal to Christians.
So, how can you know which religions are compatible with Christianity and which are not? The Bible provides a simple test in 2 Corinthians 11:14.
“For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”
This passage is taken from a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth. In it he is teaching them how to discern false teaching with a three point test. 1. Do they teach a different Jesus? 2. Do they teach a different spirit? 3. Do they teach a different Gospel?
For our purposes, let’s keep things simple and focus on numbers 1 and 3 as they will effectively cover most situations.
1. Do they teach a different Jesus? The Bible teaches and Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God. Not only that, but Jesus is both fully God and fully man. He was conceived supernaturally and born to a virgin named Mary. He lived a sinless life on Earth, was crucified, died, was buried, and descended into Hell, paying the penalty for our sins. Three days later he rose from the dead in victory over sin and death. He later ascended into Heaven and will return again to judge the living and the dead.
A conflict with any of the points in the preceding paragraph would mean a different Jesus was being taught and would create a conflict with Christianity. For example, if a religion taught that Jesus was merely a prophet or a messenger (as Islam believes) and not fully God, or that Jesus didn’t really die (again, as Islam teaches), then it is teaching a “different Jesus” and is incompatible with Christianity.
2. Do they teach a different Gospel? Christianity teaches that all have sinned and because of that sin are separated from a Holy God. The penalty for sin is death and no amount of good deeds can erase our sin or repair the breach. In short, we are lost and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
The Bible teaches that because God loved us, he sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross. Jesus picked up our tab. Those who confess their sins and accept Jesus’ gift, are forgiven and reconciled with God. When they die, it is as if they had never sinned and they spend eternity with God. Those who reject God’s free gift, remain eternally separated from God.
The important thing to remember is this: Christians are saved by grace through faith. They believe we do not–cannot–merit salvation. They believe we receive salvation as a free gift from God because of what Christ did for us and NOT because of anything we can do for ourselves.
Christianity is unique in teaching that we are saved by grace alone. All other religions teach either that we are saved by works (do enough good deeds) or some combination of works and grace. Therefore, if a religion teaches that salvation can be earned, it would be incompatible with Christianity.
When attempting to mix your marketing to Christians with other faiths, run this compatibility test to be sure you’re on the right track. GS
