Pope Francis was just at an event in Singapore where he told a group of kids that all roads lead to God.
By Monday, we might get our standard "debunking" of the story and the Vatican will tell us this was a sloppy translation. Par for the course with Francis.
But listen for yourself and decide what you think the pope is trying to say.
Here's a pretty good summary of the statement:
All religions are paths to reach God. They are — to make a comparison — like different languages, different dialects, to get there. But God is God for all If you start to fight saying 'my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn't', where will this lead us? There is only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christians; they are different ways to God.
The answer may be yes. Francis's defenders are already out there saying this is normal Christian doctrine.
The good in other religions is part of common grace, so to speak, and many people are searching for God. The Apostle Paul spoke of this to the men of Athens when they asked him to present his religious teachings before the Areopagus, the "Hill of Ares" where councils would meet.
Here is what Paul said to them about God:
Paul didn't leave them there though. He didn't say "all roads lead to this God." He said that other religions were "ignorant" and that God was now calling all people everywhere to repent, which means to change their beliefs and behavior.
Paul said Jesus Christ was going to judge the world, and Christ's resurrection from the dead was proof of both this judgement and our hope of life after death.
And what led Paul to this speech in the first place?
Because he was "deeply distressed" when he saw how people were worshipping gods like Athena and Zeus (today, we might say Allah or Shiva or Waheguru).
Pope Francis is copying Paul's message that humans are God's offspring, for we were created by Him, for Him, and in His image. "In Him we live and move and have our being."
But in our sin, we cannot be reconciled to God without payment for our lawbreaking. Christ is that payment - He is the only one who can reconcile us to God. This is the entire foundation for Christianity and the faith is worthless if it is removed.
Or does Francis not know of Paul's letter to the Galatians?
Or the first chapter of the letter of John, Jesus's close friend?
What about Paul's letter to Christians in Rome, the very city where Francis now claims spiritual headship?
Creation groans for the children of God to be revealed, which means not all people are God's children. It sounds nice, but it is not true.
God reaches out to all, and many in other religions are seeking, but Jesus did not leave any room for another way.
Peter, who is the "Rock" of apostolic authority where Francis's own authority derives, said it this way:
Pope Francis is playing with fire in his attempts to be gracious, for he seems to consider himself more gracious than God.
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