“You Christians Are Just So Arrogant”
I’ve frequently been called “arrogant” - hopefully not because of any character flaw, and to assure you the accusation has usually been levied in the context of debates or discussions about the exclusive claims of Christ, namely that Christianity is the only true religion and that Jesus is the only way to God. Sometimes it’s said in another way - “you’re intolerant, you’re narrow-minded” - but you get the picture. So, are Christians arrogant/intolerant in their claims about God?
Let me start by saying that we really must be tolerant of those with whom we disagree. The history of the world - even sadly up to the modern day - tells the consequences of what happens when we are not. We should hold to what we believe with integrity but also support the rights of others to disagree with our viewpoint.
Nevertheless, it is important that the concept of tolerance is not confused with truthfulness. My football team Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019. Imagine a Manchester United fan who heard me claim reply by saying: “Well that is an incredibly intolerant thing to say Dominic”. Maybe I communicated it in a brash way but this Man Utd fan’s comment clearly confuses tolerance and truthfulness. The way in which a statement is communicated must be carefully distinguished from its truthfulness.
Similarly, when examining the claims of religious traditions we must be careful not to confuse tolerance and truthfulness. Claiming that it is intolerant to say that “all paths do not lead to the same destination” misses the point. The important issue is the truth or falsity of this assertion. The truth of a matter has nothing to do with the character of the person declaring it; anyone who asserts that it does is actually committing a logical fallacy - argument ad hominem - as they are seeking to undermine a case by attacking the proponent’s character but not actually engaging their argument. If an arrogant scientist found the cure for the coronavirus that wouldn’t invalidate the cure - so it does not follow logically to say that because it is arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way to God therefore Christianity is false.
Tolerance is good, and while the motivation is right and noble, we must not allow it to become the enemy of truth. Tolerance ought never to mean that we deny what we believe is the truth. We must be tolerant, but that doesn’t mean that all truth claims are equally valid.
And as for narrow-minded, I’d simply say: broad-mindedness is commendable in many areas of life, but not all. When a pharmacist mixes the drugs for your prescription, don’t you want her to be narrow-minded and not broad-minded? Do you want the pilot landing your plane or the doctor doing surgery on you to be narrow-minded or broad-minded in their approach? Why would it be any different when it comes to the way to God?
Of course, Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Ultimately it is not about whether something is narrow-minded or broad-minded but whether it is true and real.
Dominic De Souza, 4th June 2020