It's a good thing the Washington Nationals, despite the team name and location, is not a federal organization. On Tuesday (yeterday), the Nationals suspended the team chaplain because he responded with a nod when asked if Jews are "doomed" because they do not believe in Jesus Christ. So, because he responded in a way that they didn't like—they didn't like the answer or didn't get the answer they wanted—the basically fired him (as they are looking for a replacement, and no word was given whether they want this to be permanent or not, but the word "replacement" seems to indicate so). Basically, he didn't say what they wanted him to say, they didn't like his free exercise of religion, protected by the First Amendment.

Just because we don't like the answer, doesn't make it untrue. It says in John 14:6, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" No one, be they Jew or Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu, Pagan or Atheist, will get to heaven without faith in the Son of God. But, because Jews were mentioned in the article, they will take offense to the response and comment, outraged that one religion considers their religion false.

The simple answer to this is because the Gospel is an offense to many. No one asks to be saved, they want to do it themselves. The fact that they can't and that God did it for them is outrageous to them, an offense.

Now, the fact that Jews are doomed because they don't believe in Jesus is not meant to be hateful toward them (or Muslims or Buddhists, or Hindus, or Pagans, or Atheists). There is no spite toward any of these groups when Christianity says they cannot get to the Father because they do not have the Son. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The whole of the Law has been summed up for us in these two commands: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Anyone and everyone is my neighbor, and my love for them compels me to want to the best for them, and there is nothing better than eternal life through the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

I don't like the fact that people doom themselves to eternal punishment because they reject the Son of God any more than the next guy, especially the one being labled as doomed. But the clear fact remains that there is only one way to salvation, through the Son of God. My earnest wish and desire is that all would come to know this.