Webster’s Definitions –

Ecumenical – promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation

Universalism – a theological doctrine that all human beings will eventually be saved

The Pope, September 2024 – “They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all. Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God…. There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God]” (details here).

The title of this post came from one who sees himself/herself as a Christian. The full context of their broad views of a God who is worshipped under many names falls perfectly in line with the Pope’s views as well.

This commenter writes…

“Jews, Muslims, Christians all worship the same God. We all differ on a few things that each independently hold true for their respective faiths. To call them demonic or of Satan… or false teachers is a bit extreme. Having read parts of the Quran and the Vedas, they have similar teachings to the Bible. For me, it’s insightful and good to know what others believe. It provides perspective to me and strengthens my own faith.”

My Response – Summarized

Jews consider Jesus not as part of a Trinity of God, but as a man because He failed (in His first coming) as their Messiah (details here).

Muslims see Jesus as a prophet, not as part of the Trinity, and their god is unknowable, not at all like our God who desires a relationship with humanity (details here). 

As to “we differ on a few things” I would offer as a reflection on the above points where the Jewish and Muslim faith reject Christ that…

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Respectfully, a belief that “Jews, Muslims, [and] Christians all worship the same God is a reflection on the danger in one’s “perspective” and weakens, rather than “strengthens your own faith.”

Conclusion

For those living in the cocoon of Biblical Christian fellowship, hanging out within theologically solid churches and not discussing “religion” when outside of our protected group, we can forget just how confused professing Christians coming from a Biblical errancy perspective are, much less the agnostics and atheists that surround us. Barna, in 2023, reported that “the share of the [U.S.] population that claims to hold a Biblical worldview fell from 6% to 4% in the last three years” (details here). As we comfort ourselves on how blessed we are, as Biblical Christians we need to be reminded that the world is growing dark and we are called to be the light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16).