5. Christians know that God is at work in the life of every person.

There is often among Christians today a false modesty which is embarrassed by the exclusive claim of Christianity that Jesus is the centre of all reality, the only way to God. This seems to be contradicted by so much evidence of good people who do not know Jesus, many of whom are holy and full of charity. That often leads to the commonly stated view today that there are many authentic paths to God and to progress in this world, and that Christianity is only one way among many.

It is all part of the modern philosophy which says that, because there are so many contradictory claims to truth expressed today, it is impossible for us to know ultimate truth. I am sure that this belief springs from many well-meaning people’s horror at the violence with which those who hold to different religions and politics often injure and cancel eachother. So they make tolerance the highest virtue. But the superficial peace they seek denies the deep search for wisdom which is in mankind. To achieve tolerance they suppress the search for truth which is at humanity’s core. To achieve greyness they cancel the rainbow.

Christ was occasionally angry, such as when he cleared his Father’s house to restore it as a house of prayer not commerce. When he challenged the Jewish leaders, he used forthright truth but never used violence. When one of them, Nicodemus, came genuinely seeking, or Pilate seemed to be in earnest, Jesus patiently and respectfully explained the truth, but accepted death and pain instead of inflicting it.

He teaches his followers to act in the same way, to expect persecution, but never use it. He revealed the profoundly liberating power of loving one’s enemy. True tolerance for us Christians is not avoiding all forms of contradiction, but enduring the pain of differences peacefully and honestly, until full truth emerges. We rely on the gift of ‘the peace of God which is so much greater than we can understand’ (Philippians 4: 7)] and must repudiate any use of violence or coercion.

We believe Jesus with all our hearts when he says “I am the way and the truth and the life”[2] and that “no one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14: 6). We believe that he is the absolute and final self-revelation of God, and that we are commissioned to announce, explain and demonstrate this to the world.

We do not deny that many non-christian ways contain great good, nor deny that God is walking with the people involved, and is busy in their lives. Indeed we know that no one can produce the fruits of the Spirit without the help of the Spirit. So God is active and supportive of all people of good will. Furthermore we Christians must affirm that Jesus is walking with them even though they may not know him, because he is the way to God. So their paths are not separate and distinct to the way of Jesus, but just more clouded since the presence of his hand in their lives is obscured.

This is equivalent to our understanding that people who reject or live in ignorance of God are still sustained and blessed by him. Likewise, those who do not know that Jesus is ‘the Way’ (John 14:16) are still on Jesus’ Way as they grow and progress. The traditional term for this state is Baptism of Desire. At some time in God’s providence, they will become enlightened about Jesus and his Church, since that is the will of God. Christians know that God is at work in the life of every person.  So we remain positive and hopeful for everyone’s salvation.

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