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Over the years, Mr. Hoekema has had ample opportunity to think about the implications of his seemingly paradoxical view about the exclusivity of Christianity being conducive to an inclusive approach to religious diversity. Reared in a predominantly Christian community in the Midwest and having attended a conservative Christian college, he was challenged by some of his college and seminary professors to think hard about his religious assumptions, rather than merely taking them for granted. Traveling in Europe, visiting Holocaust sites, and having close friends who were Jewish and Hindu, as well as his reading, forced him to think about how to be Christian in a religiously diverse environment. It concerns him that some of his friends have decided that there is little reason to be Christian at all because they regard all religions as equally valid, and he worries about people who seem to embrace tolerance and pluralism without having thought through the implications of these values for their own faith.

His own views are still developing. He says, for example, that he would have no trouble talking to a Muslim about how to become a Christian if that person were interested; at the same time, he thinks there is a kind of devotion and piety in Islam that God probably respects and, indeed, from which Christians could learn. He believes that Jesus is God and is God's revelation to humankind, yet he also believes that people of other religions find God through the way of humility and obedience that Jesus taught even though they may not consciously invoke the name of Jesus. He regards the Bible as God's infallible word, meaning that it is trustworthy, but rejects the idea of biblical inerrancy and insists that the Bible is one of many ways in which God is revealed. His interpretation of Jesus' statement about being the way, the truth, and the life emphasizes the differences between this statement in the gospel of John and those of the other gospel writers; while respecting the teachings of other religions, he also dismisses the notion that all religions are equally true or simply substitutable for one another.

For a person like Mr. Hoekema who takes theology seriously, the reality of other religions not only in the world but in his immediate neighborhood poses an opportunity to think more deeply about his faith than otherwise might have been the case. He expects Christianity to become a minority religion in the United States within a generation or two and says that this will probably be a good development. At least those who remain Christians, he hopes, will have a clearer understanding of why they are trying to follow the teachings of Christ. Meanwhile, he acknowledges that he does not have all the answers but believes his God is big enough to encourage Christians to interact on level ground with followers of other religions without fear.

A contrasting view of relating to people of other faiths that reflects a different theological orientation is well illustrated by Jim and Nancy Parsons, co pastors of a four hundred member Assemblies of God church in a large city on the East Coast. Like Mr. Hoekema, they have had plenty of opportunity to think about the relationships between Christians and people of other faiths. Located in a downtown area, their church is within a few blocks of two synagogues, a Hindu temple, and a Buddhist temple, and there is a mosque a little farther away. The congregation itself is quite diverse: more than half of the members are from Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and other Central and South American countries, a quarter are African or African American, and the remainder are white Anglos and Asian Americans. Although the members include people of all income groups, ranging from the homeless to wealthy business managers and professionals, the Parsons have also started mission congregations in several other communities to accommodate lower income families who feel uncomfortable worshipping downtown.

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February (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50