Is "Inclusive Church" a tautology?
Updated: Sep 12, 2020
The Methodist Church likes to pride itself as being an 'inclusive Church'. I puzzle over this, because the claim means that everyone is welcome. Writing to the Roman Christians, the apostle Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." That sounds pretty inclusive to me - the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone. But there is a condition - to everyone who has faith. The faith is in Jesus; the result is salvation.
If the church is not offering salvation to everyone by the power of God, then is it still a church?
It is one thing to be inclusive - as the gospel is - it is another thing to be a church, in the biblical sense.
Salvation is the goal, not inclusivity.
We need to remember that!