One of the central tenets of Christianity is that salvation is received only through believing in Christ. Moreover, this doctrine caries itself into all of the other facets of Christianity. For instance, apart from Christ there can be no peace, no mercy, no hope, and no eternal life. These are doctrines that point to Christianity being a very exclusive institution, in that admission is only made possible through believing in the death, resurrection, and testimony of Christ Jesus.
To be certain, it is true to say that Christianity is an exclusive religion, in that there is but one gate of entrance into the community, and that it is through the torn flesh and broken body of Christ. However, we should not mistake the exclusivity of redemption with its conjoined and purposed inclusivity. What I mean to propose is that, while being exclusive by way of admittance, Christianity is also inclusive in its availability. In other words, although one is only made new in Christ, all people who seek after that rebirth are given opportunity for it.
Additionally, the Christianity must be exclusive because, in the end, it claims ultimate truth, and truth is, by definition, an exclusive ordeal. This is to say that for Jesus to actually be the ultimate truth that He claims to be, the content of His testimony is exclusive. Therefore, Christianity must be exclusive. To attempt to modify Christianity in order to make it more inclusive is tantamount to calling Christ a liar, for it is, in the end, making His message something other than true. God forbid!
Let us never give in to the criticisms that Christianity is too exclusive to be relevant, for if it were made any more inclusive for the sake of whimsical trends of culture, we are diminishing the value of Christ and the reality of His great sacrifice.
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