It is simply astonishing, however, when many of these Christians have reacted to this question as if they had no idea it was coming. It is as if Larry suddenly used his suspenders to lob a spitball in their face. These Christians just sit there like deer caught in the headlights and don’t know whether to move left or right to avoid the oncoming impact of the question. “Well, I, er, that’s a difficult question, Larry… I, um…”

Recently, “Smilin’” Joel Osteen was on Larry’s show and displayed more dance moves than Fred Astaire. After commenting that ministers on his past shows have maintained that you have to believe in Christ to go to heaven, King asked Osteen if Jews and Muslims who don’t accept Christ go to heaven. Osteen’s response: “You know I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know…” (1).

I don't know?

Now to be fair to Joel, he did issue a statement after his Larry King appearance (probably in response to the tremendous flak coming from his supporters) where he apologized for his weak gospel presentation on the show. So what’s the problem? Too little, too late, I'm afraid. The damage is done, and despite Osteen’s behind-the-scenes apology to his Christian constituents, there are now millions of Jews and Muslims who watched him on Larry King that night and have been reassured by a prominent Christian that their Christ-less religion can still get them into heaven.

And lest you think I’m just picking on poor Joel, I would add that other well-known ministers have seemed more than willing to modify the Christian message for the Larry King audience, as well. Rick Warren, for instance, side-stepped a direct question from King about whether agnostics and atheists are pleasing to God. In response, Warren gave the impression that unbelievers can maintain their open rebellion against Christ and still be appreciated by a generic God for their “purpose-driven” works (2). 

Sadly, Warren used the same sort of fuzzy presentation in Chapter 7 of The Purpose Driven Life when he cited only the first part of Proverbs 16:4 to somehow prove that EVERYONE has a wonderful purpose: “The Lord has made everything for his own purposes.” Here again, as in the King interview, Warren seemed reluctant to deal honestly with the whole biblical truth that says: “The Lord has made everything for his own purpose, even the wicked for punishment.” Why is Warren so intent on obscuring this truth by chopping off the end of a Bible verse?

It should be noted, of course, that Warren made some positive remarks about Jesus Christ later in the Larry King interview, but the question remains: why did he shy away from giving the biblical answer to Larry’s blunt question about unbelievers? Such flowery or fuzzy responses can supply very little reason for an enemy of God who might be watching the program to change his ways and turn to Christ.

My fear about this behavior is really not whether Osteen and Warren have personal doubts about the truth of the Gospel, but that they are exhibiting a growing trend where Christian leaders seem reluctant to be “offensive” to unbelievers and the world. Sure, they’ll talk freely about Jesus at church, but in other diverse venues they stick to a nonspecific God to avoid possible conflict or persecution.

As Christians, however, we aren’t part of a secret religious club where the hard truths of the Gospel are only fit for members. There shouldn’t be one message for inside church and one for outside. For starters, the Gospel message is supposed to be Good News for all, but that doesn’t mean it won’t contain some bad news for the unbeliever who refuses to hear it. The wrath of God against all sinners (Romans 1:18) is a certainty that must be fully realized for the unbeliever to rightly comprehend the Good News of Christ’s sacrifice for those who are found in Him. It is imperative, therefore, that a minister of God never fails in speaking boldly to this truth in the hopes that God’s Spirit will convict the sinner and drive him to the Cross.

So why do popular preachers come on Larry King and capitulate on the Christian message in one way or another? Perhaps it is because of the negative, often intense reaction they know they will get for being so bold in their faith. It certainly happened to John MacArthur during a roundtable discussion with other religious figures on the question of what happens after you die. Time after time, MacArthur reiterated his firm conviction that the Bible says “neither is their salvation in any other name other than Jesus Christ” (3). Not once did he infer that a practicing Jew, Muslim or atheist could be found pleasing in the eyes of God. The reaction from Larry King and the other panelists, ranging from a Rabbi to an atheist, was predictable. In their minds, it is unloving and unfair for God to send us all to hell for our sins, and to make faith in some good teacher from 2000 years ago the only condition to save us. So MacArthur was seen as the “bad guy” among the panelists and ultimately, in the eyes of the world.

Of course, such condemnation from the world for holding fast to the sufficiency of Scripture and the preeminence of Christ is nothing new. Certainly the savage martyrdom of the apostles and other saints throughout history attests to that harsh fact. It’s called “persecution,” and it is exactly what Jesus said would happen to us if we stood firmly with Him. So how lame is it when Christians today feel compelled to water-down Christian distinctives just because of harmless peer pressure or social discrimination? What kind of faith does one possess if “feeling awkward” is a fate worse than death? My, we have become a nation of weak, saltless Christians who seem more concerned about our popularity and our pocketbooks than about contending for the faith.

I implore you, brothers and sisters: do not emulate these Christian leaders who seem to kowtow to the world. You may never find yourself in front of one million viewers defending your faith on CNN, but there are a lot of Larry Kings out there in the world just waiting to expose your so-called intolerance and hatred by asking you if you really believe that only Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. So don’t be surprised when it happens and then surrender to the impulse to compromise for the sake of harmony. When the time comes, do as Peter insists, and always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15). By doing so, you may not save your own life in the process, but you just might, by God’s grace, save the life of an unbeliever who hears your unwavering testimony and turns to Christ for his salvation.