Strange posters filled downtown Cincinnati in the fall of 1973. They pictured a Korean man named Moon, and it seemed that he was starting a new religion. I commented to a friend that the cult market was already glutted with the likes of the Children of God, transcendental meditation, Indian gurus and twelve-year-old “perfect masters.’ There was no room for another group.

     I was wrong, however, for the human race's capacity to create and embrace religions will never be depleted. Why is this? And what does this mean to the Christian communicator? Gaining insight into the attitudes, motivations, and spiritual predicament of the misdirected religious person will enable us to be better communicators of the gospel to this segment of the population.

 Part of the Design

     Man's being indelibly stamped with the image of God is responsible for his incurably religious nature. He has a built-in need to know truth; to be able to explain his world; to be free from guilt, the fear of death, loneliness and alienation; and, most of all, to be secure in a relationship with his Creator.

    The fall has tarnished and perverted, but not obliterated, these healthy desires. These longings find their inevitable expression in religion: man's attempt to meet his God-given needs through his own man-made system, designed to explain a perplexing world and make himself acceptable to God.

 The Great Exchange

     All expressions of religion are grounded in an "exchange" of the glory of the true God for what Paul calls the "speculations of foolish hearts" (Romans 1:21-23). But man does a poor job in putting back together the pieces broken in the fall. Because of his tendency to see himself as the center of this fallen world and to live in revolt against God, man will always have religions that will run roughshod over God's remedy for repairing the damage caused by the fall.

     While the secular person seeks to lift an unregenerate humanity to a position of exaltation through a denial of God and an affirmation of his own independence, the misdirected religious person seeks religious systems which ignore the cross of Christ. Both equally and miserably fail. Both overlook the cross of Christ as the solution to man's sin problem. Both lead man to an eternally tragic dead end.

 The Misdirected Religious Person

     As with the secularist, there are many categories of misdirected religious people. Neither time nor the limited expertise of this writer will allow for an exhaustive study of these. Suffice it to say that a misdirected religious person is anyone who professes allegiance to a religion but who fails to possess the inward reality of a personal relationship with Christ, due either to the false teachings of his religion or to his personal failure to apply the truth of the gospel to his life.

     This diverse group includes followers of American-based cults, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Scientists. It includes adherents of the major world religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. It also includes many, though not all, adherents of religious traditions that more or less conform to orthodox biblical standards but ignore the necessity of a vital personal relationship with Christ. Here we find the nominalist, a Christian in name, but lacking the inward reality of a personal commitment to Christ. (We will discuss the nominalist further in the next chapter.)

     A close analysis of these groups and many others like them would yield a dazzling array of overlapping and contradictory truth claims, as well as a variety of responsibilities that the "faithful" must fulfill to qualify for their eternal reward.1

 The Least Common Denominator

     In light of this variety, I will list a few assumptions held by most misdirected religious people. On the positive side, more or less agreeing with the biblical perspective, they acknowledge:

     (1) Man was created by God (or their concept of ultimate reality), is designed for some sort of relationship with Him, and is in some ways responsible to Him.

     (2) Man has a problem that to some degree inhibits his relationship with God.

     (3) The degree to which this problem is resolved in this life affects one's eternal state.

     (4) The religious system adhered to by the misdirected religious person will in some way help him to overcome this problem, thus giving him meaning and purpose in this life and hope for the life to come.

     In spite of these premises – similar to our own – we must realize also that the misdirected religious person is guilty of profound errors in theological judgment, which betray the person's spiritual bankruptcy and a heart that is out of touch with the grace of God.

     (1) While he acknowledges God, his view of Him is either anti-biblical (contradicting what the Bible teaches) or sub-biblical (not saying enough about what the Bible teaches). The crucial question, "What is God like?" is answered by an endless array of futile and foolish speculations because the only source of knowledge as to His character and purpose – the Bible – has been either rejected and replaced with another source of authority, or compromised and diluted by combining it with another "authoritative" sourcebook. Thus, the Mormons have their Book of Mormon to "inform" the Bible. The Jehovah's Witnesses have their writings of Charles Taze Russell. The followers of Islam have their Koran. And the followers of a multitude of other groups look to the authoritative teaching of an individual leader.

    As a result, the nature of God is grossly misrepresented. The usual result is that a distorted quality of holiness is ascribed to God instead of the true holiness He claims for Himself. The next logical step is to propose a man-made system for earning God's favor, which places right standing with God fully within the reach of the devoted. In essence, the grace of the cross of Christ is substituted by the rigorous devotion of the religious adherent. Man is seen to be less in need of the grace of the gospel than he really is.

     (2) A second and related error of the misdirected religious person is his lack of precision in dealing with man's basic problem. Unlike the secularist, he will readily admit that a problem exists, but what is it and how serious is it?

     We have already mentioned the secularist's incredible ability to ignore or rationalize the existence of sin. The misdirected religious man, while operating from a different set of assumptions, ends up in the same place as the secularist. While he admits that a problem exists, he wrongly defines sin and minimizes its effects. There are three classic patterns reflective of this thinking:

     (1) Man's problem is that he does not act correctly. His behavior falls short of what God (or ultimate reality) requires of him. Since sin is said to be grounded in our actions, man's problem is focused on his behavior. Immorality, violence and selfishness are the root of man's problem. If he only acted better, if his propensity to misbehave could in some way be repressed, then things would be right between him and God. Of course, cleaning up one's behavior is one's moral duty and fully within the realm of man's capability. God smiles His approval on man's attempts to do so.

    (2) Man's problem is rooted in his ignorance of God. He merely lacks all the facts. This person reasons, "If only I had sufficient knowledge of God (or the nature of spiritual reality), then my problem would be resolved." Of course, overcoming this ignorance and attaining understanding is said to be well within the capacity of the religiously devoted. Making an attempt to gain such knowledge is one's "religious duty."

    (3) Man's root problem is that he is weighted down by the cares of this world and, as a result, fails to appreciate the spiritual dimension of life. If he were given a " spark" or experience to lift him off the treadmill of daily living and put him in contact with God or spiritual reality, then his problem would be substantially resolved. Of course, the attainment of such an experience is said to be the believer's responsibility and is well within his capacity to initiate.2

     All three views take the existence of a problem seriously. This problem might even be called "sin," and might be defined as "a shortcoming in one's relationship with God." But all religious men agree that ''as bad as things are, self-effort can repair any damage to the relationship between me and God. "

 The Gospel and the Religious Person

     At first glance, it would appear that the misdirected religious person would present less of a challenge to the Christian communicator than the secularist. After all, he has affirmed, not denied, the creature-Creator relationship. He has embraced, not rejected, the finiteness of this life and the awesome prospect of eternity.

     Nevertheless, we dare not allow this surface agreement with a biblical world view to cause us to mistakenly assume that the misdirected religious person is less in need of the gospel than the secularist, or that he will present less of a challenge to the Christian communicator.

     We must be aware of three major areas of concern as we seek to communicate the gospel to the misdirected religious person.

    First, we must recognize that religion, regardless of the nobleness of its intentions and the greatness of many of its adherents, is at cross purposes with God's plan to restore a lost humanity to fellowship with Himself. Religious systems invariably negate the cross of Christ as the solution to man's sin problem.

     The religious man's assessment of his "root problem" (grounded in his lack of appreciation of the holiness of God) is but a vague reflection of the biblical perspective on sin and its violation of God's character. While it is true that sin will manifest itself in wrong behavior, spiritual ignorance, and slavery to the treadmill of daily, materialistic concerns, we dare not label these symptoms the root cause of man's spiritual dilemma. They are but surface manifestations of the true problem of man's rebellion, spiritual death, and alienation from a holy God.

     This insufficient diagnosis of man's spiritual predicament will always lead to a wrong cure, a cure that will one day prove to be a tragic failure in removing the sting of sin, which is death. The religious man assumes that a fallen humanity can be disciplined, educated, sparked or otherwise directed into attaining a right relationship with God. Man, he assumes, needs only education and modifications, not a radical change of heart brought about by regeneration.

     Thus, the Christian communicator must not fall prey to the assumption that the religious are in tune with the truth of man's predicament before God and are therefore in touch with their real need for the grace of the gospel. We must address the sin problem of the religious person with the same precision, boldness and sensitivity as we do with the secularist. Only through confronting the religious with their true spiritual predicament by emphasizing the radical solution of the grace of the cross will we be able to drive them to the realization of their need for Christ.

    Second, the Christian communicator must be aware of the subtle, satanic deceptiveness of religion. It would be a mistake to assume that all religions are utterly false, ugly and blatantly evil. No, the devil is too smart to allow that to happen. As C. S. Lewis observes through Jill in The Last Battle, “And then she understood the devilish cunning of the enemies' plan. By mixing a little truth with it, they had made their lie far stronger."3

    The devil, who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), is an expert at ensuring that most, if not all, religious systems include some measure of truth, beauty and morality. The devil is quite aware of the accuracy of Tolstoy's observations: "It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.

     Satan knows that to keep those designed in God's image in his grasp, he must appeal to their innate desire to know truth and to experience security and acceptance with God and with others. Not coincidentally, this appeal is the bread and butter of religion.

     Thus, it is not surprising that the misdirected religious person embraces behavior and assents to certain aspects of spiritual truth that all men find praiseworthy. The humanitarian concerns of Albert Schweitzer, the commitment to peace of Ghandi, and the cohesive family units of the Mormons all find their just commendation, even among believers in Christ.

     But the Christian communicator must remember that religion is spiritually lethal. At the heart of all religious systems is the poison of spiritual death and blindness to the glory of God's grace in Jesus Christ. Religion, grounded in the foolish speculations of fallen human nature, insulates its adherents from their need for the cross. For millions, religion is the ultimate barrier between them and the grace of the living God. Thus, the misdirected religious person, regardless of his level of personal morality, or his surface agreement with certain aspects of biblical truth, is in desperate need of a personal relationship with Christ.

 The False Security of Spiritual Blindness

     Religion, while putting its adherents on the road to destruction, offers them a first-class ride all the way there. C. S. Lewis observed, "Indeed, the safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”4 Religion offers a false security that might indeed alleviate its adherents' fears and even instill in them a confidence and hope for eternity. But this is a cruel illusion. The only thing worse than being on a road to destruction is to be on the road to destruction and think that it is safe, secure and destined for eternal life.

     Satan is a master at blinding the lost to the spiritual reality of their lostness and its resolution in the cross of Christ. The minds of misdirected religious men and women are filled with spiritual delusions, giving them a false sense of spiritual security.

     Jonathan Edwards suggested that these delusions are expressed in four patterns: (1) "They are deceived about their own hearts; they think them much better than they really are." (2) "Men are very prone to be deceived about their own state...they suppose themselves to have need of nothing; when they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked." (3) "They are vastly deceived about their own righteousness...they think their tears, reformation, and prayers sufficient to make atonement for their sins." (4) "They are greatly deceived about their own strength...they think they are able to mend their own hearts."5

    Blaise Pascal observed, "It is vain, O men, that you seek within yourselves the remedy for your ills. All your light can only reach the knowledge that not in yourselves will you find truth or good."6 Religion specializes in shielding the lost from realizing that such reasoning is indeed vanity.

    As we have discussed, the Christian communicator must appreciate the fact that to do the work of evangelism is to engage in spiritual warfare. The weapons of our warfare are prayer, the Holy Spirit and the gospel message. Only by these means can the lost be released from the delusion of false religious commitment and appreciate the solution of the grace of the gospel.

     The misdirected religious person is no better off than the secularist. Both are on the road to destruction. Both are equally lost. Both are guilty of a profound misreading of the nature of God and of man's problems, and therefore they ignore the cure of the gospel. Such reasoning is a tragic, eternally consequential mistake.

 In Summary

     There is always a tendency to struggle with such a pessimistic appraisal of the condition of the misdirected religious person, especially in light of those who sincerely practice their faith, sometimes with more commitment than followers of Christ. But sincerity is never an issue in matters of truth. Sincerely believing one can fly does not change the size of the grease spot one makes at the foot of the sky scraper. If the evangelist is to be true to the one who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by Me," he must not err in granting sincerity any worth beyond its human attractiveness. Sincerity does not wash clean our sins; only Jesus can do that. Sincerity can never take away the sting of death; only the cross of Christ is powerful enough to fill that order.

    The preceding pages have been written to make one point alone. The misdirected religious person, no matter his sincerity, no matter his degree of adherence to Christian terminology, no matter his attractive lifestyle, is as much in need of the gospel as his secularist counterpart. To underscore this point, I have emphasized the shortcomings of misdirected religious systems and the danger these bring to their adherents.

     The challenge is to convince the misdirected religious person of his need and the relevance of the gospel to his situation, without treating him in a harsh judgmental manner. We must heed Paul's warning to Timothy, “And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach and patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24,25). The wise communicator of the gospel who wishes to be used of God with this segment of the population must work to cultivate a winsome, gentle spirit in his evangelistic efforts.

    A proper appreciation of our own humble state as ambassadors for Christ – sinners saved by grace and incredibly blessed with the privilege of sharing Christ with others – will keep us from any judgmental attitudes toward those aligned with falsehood. The phrase "there but for the grace of God go I" must typify the spirit of our approach to these men and women. We need to expose the error and dangerous position of the misdirected religious person, but must do so in the context of a sensitive appeal to repent and believe the gospel.