What is an Exclusivist claim? Why are Christians being called intolerant bigots and hate-mongers?
An Exclusivist claim is one which insists that there is Absolute Truth which has been received by Divine Revelation and which must be recognized and obeyed by all of God’s creatures. Those who deny that there is Absolute Truth find such a claim intolerable. At this point opposition to the concept of Absolute Truth takes the form of name-calling. If such opposition was to intensify it could lead to various forms of discrimination and ultimately physical violence against Christians. Christian Exclusivist claims have been largely unchallenged in Western civilization since the Fourth Century when the Emperor Constantine granted legal status to the new religion. Some believe that Christians went from the persecuted to the persecutors!
