I found this significant article from Time about the role religion is playing in America these days. It appears the monolithic evangelical movement is not what it once was. Here are some excerpts:
By DAVID VAN BIEMA Mon Jun 23, 3:30 PM ET
"Americans of every religious stripe are considerably more tolerant of the beliefs of others than most of us might have assumed, according to a new poll released Monday. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 American, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews."
"The survey's biggest challenge is to the theologians and pastors who will have to reconcile their flocks' acceptance of a new, polyglot heaven with the strict admission criteria to the gated community that preceded it."
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The only religious groups to have a high majority of their adherents believe their religion was the only way to eternal life were the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Thoughts?
UPDATE & NDY GIG
12 years ago
3 comments:
Everyone is tired of being the bad guy or gal. The world has done a good job of framing the discussion in such a way that evangelicals are mean spirited in their exclusive stance on salvation. Another factor that lends credibility to these claims is the evangelical community.
How might I find a copy of this? Did you actually read it in the TIME magazine publication or did you see it elsewhere?
I might steel this excerpt from you.
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