When the Pew Forum released a survey a few months ago reporting that most Christians believed that "other religions" could provide paths to salvation, some religious leaders said the shocking results came from poor wording of the survey questions. Perhaps most Christians when they said "other religions" really were thinking of Catholics or Protestants from other denominations?
To clarify, Pew has done another survey - and the results are just as staggering.
65% of all Christians say many religions can lead to eternal life - and the vast majority (80%) specifically say that at least one non-Christian religion can lead to salvation.
Even many white evangelicals hold these beliefs. 47% said "other religions" could achieve salvation - 72% of those evangelicals said that, yes, by other religions they mean non-Christian faiths. Half of that group said Islam, for instance, could provide a path to heaven
This is why Al Mohler, a leading Baptist theologian, told USA Today's Cathy Grossman that the findings represent "a theological crisis for American evangelicals. They represent at best a misunderstanding of the Gospel and at worst a repudiation of the Gospel."
If it's not belief in Christ that gets you into heaven, what does? Good works, many people say. The Pew poll said only 20% said belief in Jesus alone determines eternal salvation 29% said it was based on actions.
Among Catholics, 47% said eternal salvation comes from "actions" vs only 3% said belief in Jesus.
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My PCA pastor (so you know he has come Calvinist cred) once said there is a difference between saying that all people are saved through Christ Jesus and saying that people must know Christ to be saved.
It may well be that Christ saves people in other religions--how are we to know the mind of God and whom he chooses to save? The truer (i.e., more clearly biblical) issue may be that whoever is saved, regardless of religion, is saved through Christ Jesus.
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