Why is Christianity called exclusivist, and is that accusation fair?
The charge arises because salvation is grounded solely in Jesus Christ. The claim is that there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved, and that salvation is Jesus Christ plus nothing, received by faith in His finished work. The accusation is fair because that exclusive claim is affirmed.
Les explains that Paul speaks as a wise master builder who laid the foundation. Just as a building's foundation is its heart—if it is rotten, the whole building will be rotten, but if it is solid and secure, the rest will be likewise—so faith must rest on the foundation Paul laid: Christ crucified, buried, and risen from the dead. Unless that is our foundation, we are hopelessly lost. The world cannot accept this. It calls Christianity exclusivism, and Les says it is exclusivist, because there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. Salvation is Jesus Christ plus nothing, and it is by faith in that finished work. That is why the charge is not unfair; the context affirms that exclusive claim.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
More Questions
Why do people call Christianity exclusivist?
The world cannot accept the exclusive claim of Christ and labels it exclusivism, and it truly is exclusive because there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.