Universalism – It seems the majority of everyone embraces it now
Author: Most Evangelicals Believe Good People are Heaven-Bound
The majority of Protestants and evangelicals believe that good people and people of other religions can go to heaven, according to author David Campbell.
Campbell, who co-wrote American Grace, How Religion Divides and Unites Us, contends that surveys of 3,000 Americans, used to write the book, show that American people of faith, though devout, are very tolerant. So much so that most believers also believe that good people, despite their religious affiliation, can go to heaven.
Among the faiths, 83 percent of evangelical Protestants agreed that good people of other religions can go to heaven. Ninety percent of black Protestants also believe good people can go to heaven.
When prodded further, more than half – 54 percent – of evangelical Protestants said yes, people of religions other than Christianity can go to heaven. Sixty-two percent of black Protestants agreed with the statement.
Notably, the author mentioned that there may be some in the evangelical category that don’t belong.
Campbell, an expert of religion, politics and public policy, explained at a Thursday discussion of his book that the numbers can be explained with the “Aunt Susan” theory. Aunt Susan, he said, is the nice family member who is well-loved and is an all around do-gooder.
“You know that if anyone is destined to go to heaven, it’s Aunt Susan,” described Campbell.
However, Aunt Susan is of another religion. Rather than condemn that person to a lost eternity, Campbell said, most American believers choose instead to believe that that person is heaven-bound.
He also shared that knowing an Aunt Susan opens believers up to other faiths.
“You become warmer not only to people of that group, but to people of other groups,” Campbell contended.
Simply put, interlocking social networks allows believers to accept tenants of other faiths.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, works with leaders of many faiths on issues such as stopping pornography, abortion and religious persecution.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m going to abandon the New Testament teaching,” he stated.
Those who do so to accommodate other beliefs “aren’t very good evangelicals,” in his view.
Land lamented that more evangelicals are being taught the doctrine of universalism. “It’s emphasized from the pulpit; it’s emphasized in the seminaries,” he decried.
Universalism is the theological doctrine that all people will eventually be saved despite a relationship with Christ.
He said this is especially true of youths because the messages from the pulpit have changed.
“I think the doctrine ‘In Christ alone’ … was emphasized more 25 years ago than it is today so young [people] are hearing about it less,” he revealed.
While Land said it is possible for Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans and even Catholics to follow the tenants of their faiths and have salvation in Jesus Christ, he stated that the same is not true for Buddhists, Muslims and Mormons.
“It is impossible to believe what Mormons believe and be a Christian. It is impossible to believe what Muslims believe and be a Christian,” he said.
Likewise, he acknowledged that there may be unsaved believers among Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans and Catholics. Salvation, the biblical requirement for heaven, is an individual and personal choice, he told The Christian Post.
Land said he quotes the Bible’s New Testament which states that there is one mediator between God and men and that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life to all those who ask about heaven. If missionary work and evangelism is to continue on into the future, other Protestants must do the same, he asserted.
“If the price of respecting your faith is to deny mine, then that price is too high,” declared Land.
Campbell’s discussion was held at the Pew Forum in Washington, D.C.
Another gospel…even Billy Graham appears to have changed his views on salvation.
But, we know that the Apostle Paul risked being misunderstood and disliked in order to warn and instruct those who were in danger of deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. (Gal. 1:6, 7)
In many cases the drift away from the Gospel can take place over many generations. It is almost imperceptible to most in that church or group. It happens when unbiblical teachings grow larger in their important in the thinking and practices of the group. Then, they begin to slowly push sound doctrine or biblical theology quietly into the background. Whereas, for example, a first generation of a movement, denomination, group, or church may retain much of justification by faith in their understanding, by the third or fourth generation, the doctrine is totally unknown because the teaching emphasis is placed on something other than the biblical Gospel. This is a very insidious process which too many fail to recognize among their constituency. It is always “others” who are failing the truth. Tragically, those oblivious to their own departures from the biblical teaching of the Gospel commit the same mistakes, unconscious of what they are doing.
In such cases, it takes nothing less than the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit to open the latter generations to a fresh understanding of Scripture and the Gospel. Their enculturation to the ways of the previous generations is so strong and deep, that they resist even the Scripture itself, in order to maintain their cultural (movement, denominational, group, or church) identity. This is the most deceptive danger of replacing the commandments of God with the traditions of men. “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13
Scripture does warn us of the apostasy in the Last Days and of the anti-Christ who will “destroy many by peace” [Dan 8:25]. It is not surprising that he would cry “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace if he wants to unite the world. So universalism should not surpise any Bible-believing Christian.
My point is that apostasy is turning away from a sound belief to a false one, not merely changing a religion. So when the Bible talks of apostasy it is talking about turning away from Christ and the gospel to a false Christ and a false gospel. And we know from Scripture that such a thing will be global.
The book of Revelation also makes it plain which religion will be central to the apostasy.
It tells us its geographical situation and even the historical colours of that religion [Rev 17:4] from when it was purely pagan to a paganism masquerading as Christianity. In fact, it of itself is not an apostate church because it never was a Bible-believing church. It will become “apostate” due to the millions of real apostates who reject the truth of Christ and the gospel to become a part of this false politico-religio system. It will also include every kind of pagan who will worship it’s leader–and therefore worship Satan [Rev 13:4] through worshiping this leader of the world [Rev 13:12].
As someone “educated” in the Romanist schools, it never ceased to astonish me when I would attend so-called Christian churches to find people in them attracted to the Roman “Church” and ready to defend it. And many of these people were convinced they were Bible-believers. It pained me at first to see that people who seemed to know the contents of their Bibles were also open to the teachings of Hinn, Bonke, Graham, et al and would become angry at those trying to merely discus with them the errors of such men.
The One-World system is well set up and the apostates are convinced they are not apostates. I have met Christians who refuse to even consider the errors of the above men and, so, obiously do not take 1 Thess 5:21 or 1 John 4:1 seriously. There again, I suppose they don’t think they have to by “listening to the ‘Holy Spirit'” when they’re getting answers there!
Sorry, I was off the air for a very long time, and never responded before. In my search for biblical truth, I asked myself: What do I mean when I state that I believe in Jesus Christ. If He is the way the truth and the life (and He is) then my life should emulate the very life of Jesus Christ. My thoughts, my words and my deeds must and should be those of Jesus Christ, with other words I should exhibit the same Spirit. I clearly understand that we are to distance ourselves from people who say they are Christians, and are not. However, I see the so-called church as totally pagan, and ask myself, should I treat them as pagan, and try to evangelise them, or should I avoid them, because they say they know the truth? Please direct me to scripture that can clarify this once and for all. Thanks PS. It may be the same question in the mind of prof. Johan Malan.
Hans
>> I see the so-called church as totally pagan, and ask myself, should I treat them as pagan, and try to evangelise them, or should I avoid them, because they say they know the truth?
Luke 9:2-5
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave the area. 5 Wherever they do not receive you, as you leave that town, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” (Matt 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; Acts 18:6;)
That should answer your question… 🙂
Also, beware of people who try to lure you into a trap to befriend you, you think you are preaching the gospel to them, but their aim is to preach their gospel to you and change you instead, in the end causing much confusion and damage especially if you have a ministry.
“Also, beware of people who try to lure you into a trap to befriend you, you think you are preaching the gospel to them, but their aim is to preach their gospel to you and change you instead, in the end causing much confusion and damage especially if you have a ministry.”
Please! Listen to this warning by Deborah! A “sweet” lady that babysitted my children claimed to be Christian and then I thought she was “having doubts” when I found a book of Budahism in her house. I tried witnessing to her and then got attacked by actual demons! She made statements later that revealed she believed heaven by works and universalism. No history of ANY mental illness whatsoever and I had to be hospitalized because for about 2 months I had voices in my head trying to teach me universalism. I knew the Bible and it took an actual visitation from Yahshua in a vision and many prayers from my church before I was freed. This universalism, which is coming about, is either just an anti-Christ or purely the last day church of anti-christ! It is flat out demonic! Be warned- Sometimes Satan smiles.