Answers about Jesus that Help The Pluralist

By Dr. David Geisler

“A point in every direction is

Building Bridges with a Pluralist Using Additional Planks
the same as no point at all.”
1. Use Positive Deconstruction when dealing with a
pluralist. Dr. David Geisler

Positive deconstructionism (tearing down)

“The process of positive deconstructionism recognizes and
affirms the elements of truth to which individuals already hold,
but it also helps them discover for themselves the inadequacies of the underlying worldviews they
have absorbed. The aim is to awaken a heart response that says, “I am not so sure that what I believe
is right after all. I want to find out more about Jesus.”

Nick Pollard, Evangelism Made Slightly Less Difficult, p. 44

Dealing with the Pluralist:

I would certainly agree with you…that there are some things that most religions hold in
common…like being loving or kind to one another.

But it is not in our similarities were we are distinct, it is in some of our key differences.

For example do you know that the major religious faiths have different views of salvation?

• Christianity– by faith alone in Christ alone

• Islam– by belief in Allah, his prophet Muhammad, and good works

• Hinduism– by overcoming karma an incarnations with good works

• Buddhism– by cessation of desire through eight-fold path

Do the teachings of Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad all say the same thing?

2. Help them see the limitations of a pluralistic perspective

Not only are there major differences between religions but you must also realize that:

“If all views are true then nothing is true.”

“A point in every direction is really no point at all.”

“If you embrace everything you stand for nothing”

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3. Help your friends see that pluralistic beliefs do not provide much hope in the world we live
in today.”

Ask: If there can be no one right answer, how can there be any hope?

Explain to them how from a Christian point of view the Resurrection of Christ is not only the
Cornerstone for the Christian Faith, but actually provides the kind of hope the world is looking
for!

 The resurrection of Christ is proof our sins have been atoned for (Rom. 4:25).

 That same resurrection power that rose Jesus from the dead is available to us to live
transformed lives!

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in
you.” Rom. 8:11 (NIV)

4. Help your friends see that Jesus is more unique than they realize.”

How: A suggested dialog! (Practice Exercise)

What if you were walking along a path one day and came to a crossroad and you found 4
men, and 3 out of 4 said that “all these ways will get you to your final destination equally as
well,” and they assure you that no one path is a better to take than another, yet you discover
that none of them have been to your final destination themselves, nor do any of them have a
reliable map to get you there, which path would you take? Would any path be better than
another?

Now you might say to me in response, but you have only told me about the three men.
However you did not tell me anything about the fourth man!

Now what if this fourth man was not only someone you knew you could trust to tell you the
truth, but he even offered you a reliable map to help you get to your final destination,

but instead of saying like the rest, that all roads are equally as valid, he suggests that you take
only one path, and he offers you good evidence to do so by pointing out that he himself has
been there before, so what path would be the best one to take?

Now it is possible you still might not be absolutely certain that you should take the path he
suggested exclusively. But suppose he tells you that he knows that those other three paths
will not get you to your final destination and then offers you solid evidence to substantiate his
claim, so what path would be the best one to take?

Don’t you think that the wisest thing would be to take that one path suggested by the fourth
person?

Wouldn’t it be the wisest course because you have discovered that there is pretty good
evidence that if you stayed on that path you will get to the right destination.

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 Now let me change the illustration to speak to the issue of religious preferences.

“What if you and I were coming to the end of our life and we meet Jesus and other great
religious leaders, and each of them suggests a different path, whose advice should we take?

Shouldn’t we choose the path of the one who’s been to the other side and come back to tell us
about it and then given us good evidence that shows that?

“If you were to discover that there was good evidence that Jesus was who he said he was,
would that ever encourage you to know more about him?”

If yes…did you know that Jesus was more than a good religious teacher?

In fact, did you know there is good evidence that Jesus not only fulfilled prophecy, but also
lived a sinless and miraculous life?

Furthermore did you know that no other major religious leader made these kinds of claims
and offered some kind of evidence to back up those claims?

For example, did you know that “Buddha merely claimed to point to the way, Mohammed
claimed to be a prophet of God, but Jesus Christ is the only major religious leader that ever
claimed to be God, who fulfilled prophecy, but also lived a sinless and miraculous life?”

But did you also know that Jesus was not only virgin born, sinless, and fulfilled prophecies
that were written hundreds of years before he ever existed, but he even conquered death?

Did you know why it is important that Jesus conquered death?

Because now that Jesus conquered death, not only do we have a chance for reconciliation
with our Creator (Rom. 5:1), but also because He rose from the dead, that same resurrection
power that rose Jesus from the dead is available to us to live transformed lives! We can now
change and become what God wants us to be! (Rom. 8:11)

Now don’t you think that if Jesus conquered death then he must be our Creator or must have
been given power from our Creator? For only our Creator has power over death!

“Now if Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever conquered death, shouldn’t we listen to
what he has to say?

So if Jesus is the only religious leader that conquered death don’t you think it is not that
surprising that he also demands absolute loyalty?

After all Jesus didn’t claim to be one of the ways to heaven, He claimed to be the only way
(See Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5).

Do you know also because Jesus lived a sinless life, He set an example for us to follow?
Jesus taught that we were to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (See
Matt. 5:44).

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 Pluralist: Well I certainly think that Jesus was at least a good moral teacher, but I am not
sure if I can go so far as to claim of him what the bible claims!

Do you realize that is one thing we cannot say about Jesus…that he was just a good moral
teacher?

Let me tell you why?

You only have four choices concerning Jesus (He is either a liar, a lunatic, lord, or a legend).

The Christian writer C.S. Lewis says,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about
Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be
God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort
of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would rather be a lunatic - on a
level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. . . .

. . . You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a
madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill
Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come
with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that
open to us. He did not intend to.” (C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity pp. 55-56)

Do you know why Jesus can’t be a legend?

Because we have more copies of the New Testament document, closer to the date of the
original documents, and more accurately copied than any document in the ancient world!
Furthermore those who wrote these things were proven to be truthful and were willing to die
for these beliefs!

Did you also know there is good evidence that most of the New Testament was written in the
first century and most of it before 68 A.D.?

Now certainly if this is true wouldn’t you agree this would leave little room for great myths
to develop surrounding the life of Jesus?

Do you know there are four key facts that mostly Christians and non-Christians can agree on
concerning Jesus that strongly suggests he was who he claimed to be?

Do you know what these four facts are?

The four facts are:

• that Jesus died by crucifixion;

• that he was buried in a tomb but now his tomb is empty;

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 • that something happened to convince a large number of his disciples that he had been
resurrected from the dead;

• that his disciples were willing to die for their belief that Jesus appeared to them;

In fact, did you know what kind of things we can learn about Jesus from history even if
we only use secular sources?

Story of Jesus from secular writers

“Jesus lived during the time of Tiberius Caesar. He lived a virtuous life. He was a
wonder worker. He had a brother named James. He claimed to be the Messiah. He
was crucified under Pontius Pilate. An eclipse and an earthquake occurred when he
died. He was crucified on the eve of the Jewish Passover. His disciples believed that
he rose from the dead. His disciples were willing to die for their belief. Christianity
spread rapidly as far as Rome. His disciples denied the Roman gods and worshiped
Jesus as God.”

ROLE PLAY
• Find one other person to do role play with. Each person will
take turns playing the role of the Christians and the role of
the Pluralist.

• Make sure you include in your mock discussion the content

listed in your role play exercise.

• Find a way to use the content to help the person to

• build bridges to the cross both head and heart bridges.

• After instructed change roles and as a non-believer do not make

your discussion too difficult.

Comparing Great Religious Leaders:

Characteristic Jesus Muhammad Buddha Confucius

Virgin Born Yes No No No

Sinless Yes No No No

Prophecy Yes No No No

Did Miracles Yes No No No

Resurrection Yes No No No

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Comparing Leaders: According to Islam and the Qur’an
MUHAMMAD JESUS
Not Virgin Born Virgin Born (Sura 3:47)

Not Sinless Sinless (Sura 3:45‐6; 19:17‐21)

Not Messiah Called Messiah (Sura 3:45)

No Miracles Did Miracles (Sura 3:49; 5:110)

Not Word of God Called Word of God (Sura 3:45; 4:171)

Body in Grave Body in Heaven (Sura 4:158)

Messianic Prophecies filling in the life of Jesus

J. Barton Payne in his Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecies (P. 665-670) lists about 98 prophecies
that were literally fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ (concerning his first coming).

1. Place of birth (Mic. 5:2)

2. Time of birth (Dan. 9:25)
3. Manner of birth (Is. 7:14)
4. Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12)
5. Manner of death (Ps. 22:16)
6. People’s reactions (mocking, spitting, staring, etc.) (Ps. 22:7,8, 17)
7. His side pierced (Zech. 12:10)
8. Burial in a rich man’s tomb (Is 53:9)

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Statistical Probability:
8 prophecies all being fulfilled in the life of Christ is I X 10 to the 17 power

48 Prophecies: I X 10 to the 157 power (more atoms then there are in the Universe) Taken from Peter
Stoner, Science Speaks

The New Testament is Historically Reliable

* It is the most reliable book from the ancient world.
1. There are more manuscripts
2. There are earlier manuscripts
3. They are better copied manuscripts
4. There are more contemporary witnesses
5. There are more reliable witnesses
For more details see www.meeknessandtruth.org/truth@life_seminar.htm
Evidence for Early NT Authorship
1. 1st century commentaries existed (by late 90’s and early 2nd Cent. A.D.)
2. No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (occurred in 70 A.D.).
3. Acts was written by 62 A.D.*
4. Luke was written before Acts (thus by 61 A.D).
5. Most critics date Mark earlier than Luke (thus by 60 A.D.).
6. Even critical scholars agree that 1 Cor. was written by 55-56 A.D.
7. Any 1st century dates are too early to allow mythological development.
All this was during the life of eyewitnesses!
* Evidence for Acts by A.D. 62
1. No mention of Fall of Jerusalem--70 A.D.
2. No reference to the Jewish War--66 A. D.
3. No hint of Nero’s persecutions--c. 65 A.D.
4. Apostle Paul is still alive--c. 65 A.D.
5. Apostle James is still alive--c. 62 A.D.
Note: Josephus recorded James’ death at 62 A.D. (Antiquities, 20.9.1). For Luke to write the book of
Acts and not mention James’death is like writing the life of President Kennedy without mentioning
his assassination (in 1963).

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