America is said to be the great melting pot of peoples, cultures, languages, and so on. As with such a melting pot, the contents of that pot would not be complete without its complement of religions. The religions of those masses which now make up America are vast indeed. There are the majority religious groups as well as the minority religious groups. The minority religious groups differ significantly in beliefs or practices from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative or mainstream expression of religion in our total culture. We may add to this classification those religious groups that gather around a specific person or person’s interpretation of the Bible. These are also sometimes classified as cults. In general, these religious bodies in the melting pot of American society represent the earnest attempt of people to find the fulfillment of deep and legitimate needs of the human spirit. Many appear not to have found their fulfillment in the established churches.
The great melting pot of religion only serves to highlight the need for the word of God. Some seem to believe that all roads leading to God are good. Many have adopted the belief of Gamaliel, who in the first century counseled the Jews not to oppose Christianity, contending, “If this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them” (Acts 5:38,39). Gamaliel’s advice is not biblical, and if it were followed, we would have to recognize Islam as from God. We would have also to acknowledge Mormonism, which began in 1830 with just six people. All roads that lead to God are not good, for there is only one way to the Father (John 14:6). That way is Jesus Christ; His claim is absolute, and allegiance to Him as savior of the world must take precedence over all the claims of men and religion.
The prayer in John 17 is of particular importance. It is often referred to as the High Priestly prayer of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In that prayer, the Lord prays that the Father will glorify him (vv. 1-5). He prays on behalf of the apostles that they will live faithfully to him till the day they die (6-19). Finally, he petitions the Father on behalf of all who eventually become his followers across the centuries. His concern is that Christians may be united as a testimony to the divine nature of the Lord’s identity and the authenticity of his message (vv. 20–26). The melting pot of religious confusion often drowns out the clear message of Christ. May God help us be united in His message so that those earnestly seeking the fulfillment of the human spirit may find it.
By Rick Harrison