Misconception about Christianity #5: Exclusivity

I thought it would be engaging to talk about the five most common misconceptions concerning Christianity that I often hear from people and read in books.  Please note that this particular series is not intended to argue why Christianity is true, but rather to clarify some aspects of Christian theology that are too frequently misunderstood.  Let's start with the #5 most common misconception that I hear:

Misconception #5: Christianity is arrogant because it makes an exclusive truth claim

It is not obvious why this is a misconception, because Christianity DOES make many exclusive truth claims.  Perhaps the best example is when Jesus says that he is the only path to eternal life with God:

"I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

So what is the misconception then?  The mistake is in thinking that making truth claims is arrogant.  What most people don't realize is that EVERYONE makes exclusive truth claims, no matter what you believe.  Even somebody who argues that there is no exclusive truth is actually making an exclusive truth claim!  Think about it: if you argue that there shouldn't be any exclusive truth claims, you are excluding those who DO think that there are exclusive truth claims.  Therefore saying there is no one truth is just as exclusive as people who say that there is only one truth.

An excellent example of this is Vanderbilt University, who recently banned all organized groups from requiring their leaders to have specific beliefs.  For example, Christian organizations that require their members to have specific Christian beliefs are no longer allowed to meet on campus.  You can see the inescapable irony: in trying to prevent anyone from being exclusive, they had to exclude a great number of groups and people!

It comes down to this: there is either one correct truth or there is no such thing as truth, but regardless of which one you believe you are excluding the beliefs of others.  Therefore the existence of exclusive truth claims should not deter people from considering Christianity, as people have to live by such claims no matter what!