Journal: Journal of Ministry and Theology
Volume: JMAT 25:2 (Fall 2021)
Article: David Vs. Goliath Or The Lord Vs. Dagon?: How David’s Exclusive Trust In The “Name” Of The Lord Almighty Is A Defense Against Religious Pluralism
Author: Ray G. Jones, Jr.

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David Vs. Goliath Or The Lord Vs. Dagon?: How David’s Exclusive Trust In The “Name” Of The Lord Almighty Is A Defense Against Religious Pluralism

Ray G. Jones Jr.

Abstract: At a time when Christians face great resistance to the exclusive claim of the Christian Gospel by the pluralistic orthodoxy of Western culture, a fresh look at the Scriptures reveals that this is not a new experience for God’s people. The Bible begins and ends with an unapologetic condemnation of rival deities and their competing truth claims. The “name” of the God of the Bible, first revealed as the Lord and later unveiled as the mystery of the Lord Jesus Christ, is uniquely sacred in contrast to the names of local gods worshipped by the culture surrounding the Israelites and Christians in the pages of Scripture. Those Old and New Testament figures who stand in the “name” of the Lord Almighty should encourage Christians today in their bold proclamation that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Key Words: Name, Lord, Pluralism, Exclusivism, Apologetics

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It takes moral conviction, theological clarity, and courageous faith to defend the exclusive gospel of Jesus Christ when pluralism’s counterclaim that all roads lead to God is the accepted norm of Western culture. Contrarians comprise a small percentage of the population. Most people prefer to swim with

JMAT 25:2 (Fall 2021) p. 52

the current in order to get along and better yet, get ahead. As a result, many Christians have succumbed to societal peer pressure and have, in turn, reduced Jesus’ robust declaration that he is “the way and the truth and the life” down to a path that our tribe uses to get to the Father.

However, this is not a new experience for God’s people. Both the Israelites and early Christians lived in polytheistic cultures hostile to the exclusivity of their sacred texts. The experience of the patriarchs in Canaan followed by their descendants’ bondage in Egypt and subsequent return to the promised land was one in which they were always surrounded by people who rejected their assertion that the Lord and the Lord alone is the one true God. Moreover, the first Christians met fierce resistance and violent persecution from their Jewish kinsmen, led by Saul, when they proclaimed that the crucified Jesus of Nazareth was more than a dead prophet—that he is the Lord Jesus Christ, a title putting him on equal footing with the Lord. As courageous followers of Christ, like Saul (renamed Paul after his conversion) who took the gospel across the Roman Empire, the...