Over the past few weeks I’ve run into the term “Inclusive Christianity” on several occasions, and in each case the speaker celebrated its wisdom and virtues.

I have to ask: Is this phrase a buzzword, a term of art, or a new theological construct? As if God’s greatest free gift to all of humankind needs a modifier to denote its universality.

And does it imply that there is another kind of less-desirable “Exclusive Christianity,” as where the New Testament declares repeatedly the foundational truth that faith in Christ is the only way to eternal salvation?

As I now often do, I asked AI to define the term, and Grok came back with this:

“Inclusive Christianity refers to a theological and practical approach within Christianity that emphasizes radical inclusion, acceptance, and affirmation of all people, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or other marginalized characteristics, often prioritizing social justice and progressive values over traditional or conservative interpretations of scripture. It seeks to create a welcoming environment for groups historically excluded by mainstream Christianity, such as LGBTQ+ individuals, while maintaining a Christian framework rooted in love, compassion, and equality.”

While that description seems accurate, I believe Inclusive Christianity itself is a lie, purposefully worded by the Father of Lies to sound pleasant and nice, like all of his lies.

And it’s one of his best, because it’s so attractive on the surface. It beautifully fulfills the purpose of all his lies—to keep us from acknowledging our fallen nature, and our sin, and therefore our personal need for a Savior when we face our Creator at the Judgment Seat.

What’s wrong with Inclusive Christianity? Why and how does it perpetuate some of Satan’s best lies? Here are a few reasons:

1. As mentioned, the free gift of salvation is offered to everyone, universally, everywhere, whatever our individual characteristics, station in life, or past behavior. All I have to do is accept the gift. Faith in Christ does not have to be further defined as “inclusive”—it is already universally available and free to all. As a believer, I am “inclusive” in the sense that I recognize the universal nature of sin and the universal need for salvation, and therefore I am open and loving to everyone with the invitation to surrender and accept God’s free gift of eternal life–no one’s sins are better or worse than my own.

2. Jesus didn’t leave the splendor of Heaven to save groups of people, even those in a particular church or school—he came to save individuals. Acceptance of faith in him is an individual decision. Surrendering your life to Him is transformational—each person becomes a new creation, adopted into God’s family as a daughter or son of the Father, with whom you now have a personal relationship, beginning here and lasting forever. Incredibly, you are born again. So while your view of everything, including other groups of people, will typically be radically transformed and become more other-centered, salvation is not bestowed because of your parents or where you attend church–it requires an individual decision.

3. The inclusivity lie begins by emphasizing groups and physical characteristics, but quickly morphs to include behavior. Accepting everyone implies accepting whatever anyone does—We’re all basically good. It’s OK whatever we do, so long as our behavior includes “love”.  We’re reasonably good people who can be improved even more with the right education and understanding of how we might oppress one another. So we can fix ourselves. That hubris gives a false foundation to the excesses of DEI ‘solutions’. But all of this directly contradicts the Biblical truth that each of us is hopelessly lost, separated from God by our thoughts, words and actions–our behavior–and desperately in need of the way back to Him.  Surrenduring to God’s will and having a relationship with His son will inevitably include a much needed and radical change in our behavior–the Fruit of the Spirit living within us.

4. While we’re being inclusive of everyone and of all behavior, let’s also broaden our inclusive worldview to include all possible ways to make amends with God. Surely if we behave nicely and work hard on “good” projects, He’ll be pleased and impressed. And why would He only provide one way to join Him in Heaven? The goal of Satan’s Inclusive Christianity lie is for each of us to believe these words: “Surely the other world religions, and good works, and just being a good person, must all be viable paths to friendship with a loving, inclusive God. I think I’ll be OK.”

5. Jesus famously said in Matthew 22, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Inclusive Christianity focuses primarily on the second command, while downplaying the requirement of the first to view love—sometimes tough love—through the lens of God’s truths about behavior and His plan for salvation. The second without the first could be the mantra of a secular service club or volunteer group, not requiring any faith in the God who made us and who therefore has rules for how we should best live.

Satan doesn’t care whether we’re conservatives or liberals, Americans or Mexicans, men or women, happy or sad, black or white, loving or peevish. None of that matters, except that these characteristics do define how Satan approaches us with lies which he has tailor-made to entrap us.  He just cares that we don’t accept Jesus as the way out of spending eternity with him in Hell.  Whether we follow no religion, Islam, or Inclusive Christianity, the result for him is exactly the same—we think we’re all set with God, and we don’t need a personal relationship with Christ. So Satan wins.

Christianity—without any defining modifier—is both inclusive and exclusive. Everyone on Earth is invited to be included. And surrendering one’s full life to faith in Jesus is the exclusive way to defeat Satan and spend eternity with God in Heaven.

Accepting God’s gift is both simple and totally transformational. Everyone can make that decision. My personal testimony is that the result is an incredibly better life.

It takes powerful and appealing lies to keep people from accepting this free gift and from joining God’s eternal family.

Inclusive Christianity is one of Satan’s best.

 

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