“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 been made 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 or intolerant in their claims about God?
Let me start by saying that we must genuinely be tolerant of those with whom we disagree. History - even up to the modern day - shows the consequences of intolerance. We should hold firmly to what we believe with integrity, while also supporting the rights of others to disagree with our viewpoint.
Nevertheless, it’s crucial to distinguish tolerance from truthfulness. My football team Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019. Imagine a Manchester United fan hearing me make this claim and replying: “Well, that is an incredibly intolerant thing to say, Dominic”. Perhaps I communicated it poorly, but this Man Utd fan’s comment clearly confuses tolerance with truthfulness. We must carefully distinguish the manner in which a statement is communicated from its actual truthfulness.
Similarly, when examining the claims of religious traditions we must be careful not to confuse tolerance and truthfulness. Claiming that it’s intolerant to say “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 is independent of the character of the person declaring it; anyone who claims otherwise is committing a logical fallacy — an ad hominem argument — by attacking the proponent’s character without actually engaging with their argument. If an arrogant scientist discovered a cure for coronavirus, that wouldn’t invalidate the cure; therefore, it doesn’t logically follow that saying Jesus is the only way to God makes Christianity false, simply because the claim is perceived as arrogant.
Tolerance is a virtue, and while the intention is noble, it must not become a barrier to truth. Tolerance should never mean denying what we believe to be true. We must be tolerant, but that does not imply that all truth claims are equally valid.
As for being called narrow-minded, I’d simply respond: broad-mindedness is valuable in many areas of life, but not all. When a pharmacist mixes your prescription, don’t you want her to be narrow-minded rather than broad-minded? Do you want the pilot landing your plane or the surgeon performing your operation to be narrow-minded or broad-minded in their approach? Why should 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.