That's a pretty good question, actually. You have your story. I have my story. They don't match up but just because it's true for you doesn't mean it's true for me. Right?

But then Christianity comes along and says that there are just certain things that are ultimately non-negotiable. You are either on the right side or the wrong side -- and in the end, your side matters.

That seems pretty harsh. Unfair even. Especially such a shifty, turbulent world. So for someone, anyone, to take a stand that this is right and that is wrong -- that just seems pretty arrogant. But is it?

Maybe the way Christianity view that whole question is more nuanced than the way the story is usually told. Maybe when you have more information about what Jesus is actually about, we see that this whole exclusion/inclusion question works completely different from what we thought.

That's why author Nicholas Davis writes about this:

The question “Does a person really have to go through Jesus to get into heaven?” is clearly a divisive one within evangelical Christianity today. Some might wonder, “Why is Christianity so exclusive?” This is a good question, but there is an even better question to ask...why is Christianity so INCLUSIVE?

Read the whole article here. It might give you a different perspective.

United Baptist Church has recently begun hosting another church, Restoration Foursquare Church. They meet to worship on Sundays at 4:00 pm, and hold a youth meeting called Summit on Wednesdays at 6:00.

You can read about in the Concord Monitor.

To some, this might seem odd -- one church letting another church use their building. Why would we do this? The answer is actually pretty straightforward: we do this because it's not about us -- it's about Jesus.

You see, this building that we meet in is not our building. It was built for the advancement of God's Kingdom, through the proclamation of his Good News in Jesus Christ. Therefore his building at 39 Fayette Street belongs to him. UBC only holds it in trust -- you might say that we manage it for God. This building is here because God provided through the work of hundreds of faithful people who worked hard and gave generously over decades to build and maintain this facility.

So it simply isn't right for us to keep this treasure to ourselves. Part of the mission God has laid on us is to use the tools he has provided for demonstrating his love for this old broken wounded world. And the tool we have closest at hand is our building. So when we make our building available, to serve and love our neighbors, and to proclaim his Good News in Jesus, we are doing ministry. The only territory that matters is territory for God's Kingdom -- and that territory is a matter of the hearts of the men and women all around us.

That's why we rejoice in the opportunity to partner in the gospel along with Restoration Foursquare. We bless them with what God has blessed us. And in turn, we are confident that RFC will bless us. Then together, through our sharing in the joy and labor in the Spirit, we both will bless God our Savior.

So pray for RFC that God will use them to reach and love people for Jesus's sake. And pray for UBC that we will be able to do the same in our own way. And finally, pray for our work together. We don't know what that will mean yet, but we look forward to seeing how God will work and what he will do. The Gospel is a beautiful thing. Together we can hold it higher for all to see.