Joseph stretched out his legs. The night train from Rawalpindi near Islamabad to Karachi wasn't crowded, so he and Paul were able to occupy four seats in two rows facing each other. Paul was sitting across from him, reading the New Testament. Joseph had slipped off his sandals and now put his feet up on the seat beside Paul.

It was after midnight, but Joseph wasn't tired. The afternoon with Blake had been fascinating. Blake's organization was involved in a dozen countries, working on issues of religious freedom. Blake told Joseph about a conference he was setting up in the Ukraine involving the different churches there. Most of the religious groups in the Ukraine are Christian, but they are all divided up into different traditions that have a long history of conflict. Although in Pakistan there are many differences between Catholics, Protestants and Pentecostals, there was a feeling of solidarity among all the churches. But that was probably because they are in the minority and at risk in Pakistan. In the Ukraine, the churches were hardly communicating with one another.

Blake also talked about his work at the United Nations. In New York he often met with leaders of other Non-Governmental Organizations who were working on similar social issues. Many of these NGOs were sponsored by religious groups. There were Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and even Muslim NGOs in New York. Blake had described an interfaith worship service sponsored by the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN that included Christians, Jews and Muslims!

Paul put his New Testament away. He looked sleepy, but Joseph wanted to talk. He wanted to know why Paul thought Jews and Muslims could also be saved. "Paul?"

"Yes, Joseph." Paul had taken off his shoes and put his feet up on the seat next to Joseph.

Best to be straightforward with Paul, Joseph thought. "I don't understand how a Christian can believe that anyone but Christians can be saved. It seems like the New Testament is very clear about that."

"Yes, it does seem clear, until you understand how the New Testament was written." Paul took off his glasses to rub his eyes. Then he put them back on and stared at Joseph for a moment before speaking.

"The New Testament begins with the four gospels and then the Book of Acts of the Apostles, but St. Paul's letters were written earlier than any of these books. So, we really have to read Paul's letters first in order to understand the questions that the gospels were written to answer. For instance, St. Paul talks about his conflict with St. Peter and the other leaders of the Jerusalem church. St. Paul argues against requiring Gentile converts to observe Jewish restrictions concerning clean and unclean foods and against forcing them to be circumcised. The church leaders in Jerusalem, however, wanted to impose these restrictions on all church members."

"This argument has several implications. First, it shows that there were differences of opinion within the early Church. The teachings of Jesus weren't so clear that his followers were all in agreement. Far from it. Second, it reveals that the Gentile Christians were beginning to pull away from the control of the first Jewish Christians. There was a power struggle going on, and the Gentiles were starting to win. Third, it implies that many Jewish Christians wanted to stay on good terms with Jewish leaders, perhaps even continuing to participate in their synagogues. We know from the letters of St. Paul and the Acts of the Apostles that, in Jerusalem, Jewish Christians were going to the temple regularly. Probably they continued to worship in this way until the Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. We know from Acts, which was written after St. Paul's death in Rome, that many if not most of the members of the church in Jerusalem believed that faith in Christ included keeping Jewish law." Paul opened his Bible and turned to the back. "Acts 21:20 refers to thousands of converts in Jerusalem who all are 'staunch upholders of the law.'"

"Another important fact to consider is that St. Paul's letters reflect his experience of the risen Christ but tell us nothing about the historical Jesus. Imagine! He is writing during the time that St. Peter and the others who followed Jesus are still alive. St. Paul goes to Jerusalem and meets with them. Surely he must have heard from them stories about Jesus and his teachings. Yet he says nothing about what they told him about Jesus. Why is that? It must be because he wants to emphasize his own experience of the risen Christ. St. Paul's gospel message doesn't rely at all on the gospel story. In a sense, we might say, it precedes the gospel story."

"If that's so, why were the gospels written?" Joseph interrupted. "And why are there four gospels and not just one?"

"It seems most likely that the gospels were written for different Christian communities. Each author was trying to answer certain questions. For instance, the author of the gospel of Mark supports the theology of St. Paul about the risen Christ by creating a narrative about the ministry of Jesus. This gospel omits much of the teaching we find in the other gospels and concentrates on the miracles and healing of Jesus, as signs of his divine power. It also omits any account of resurrection appearances to the disciples. Probably this gospel was written for a community of Christians who were resisting the influence of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. By not focusing on the teachings of Jesus and the special experiences of the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus, the gospel supports the notion that the authority of Jesus was given to persons like St. Paul, who were not among the followers of Jesus but nonetheless had faith in the risen Christ. This gospel also makes it easier for Gentiles to be Christians."

"How is the gospel of Mark different from the gospel of Matthew?"

"We can see that the gospel of Matthew was written for a community of Jewish Christians. The author of this gospel takes Mark's account and adds to it teachings about the Jewish law. Jesus is presented as a rabbi. He is mainly a teacher rather than a miracle worker, and he teaches that the Jews are to fulfil the law rather than reject it. His argument about the law with scribes and Pharisees reflects an argument within the early church between Jewish Christians and Jews who rejected the teachings of Jesus."

"I remember that the gospel of Luke is addressed to a man with a Greek name," Joseph said. "Was it written for Gentile Christians?"

"Most likely. Of the four gospels, it is the least Jewish. The Jesus of the gospel of Luke is a healer and teacher for the whole world. The genealogy in the gospel of Matthew begins with Abraham, making Jesus a descendent of the father of the Jewish people. But the genealogy in the gospel of Luke begins with Adam, making Jesus a descendent of the first man. That's definitely a Gentile emphasis."

"I also remember that in the gospel of John, Jesus speaks differently than in the other three gospels."

Paul smiled. "I'm impressed, Joseph, with your knowledge of the Bible. The gospel of John appears to have been written for a Greek-speaking, Jewish Christian group near Jerusalem that had been kicked out of its synagogue. Because in this gospel Jesus argues constantly with 'the Jews,' it seems that the argument of these early Jewish Christians with their Jewish enemies has been written back into the gospel narrative. The gospel of John also reveals the influence of Greek thought, implying that the author was an urban, educated Jew. It seems that this Jewish Christian community found Greek ideas helpful to describe the universal nature of its experience of the risen Christ."

Joseph was fascinated by what Paul was saying, yet he wanted to return to his original question. "But what does this have to do with whether or not Muslims are saved?"

Paul laughed. "Yes, I seem to be avoiding your question-but not really. The diversity among the four gospels and the arguments between St. Paul and the leaders of the church in Jerusalem remind us that Christians from the very beginning of the Church had different interpretations of what it meant to be saved. Some Jewish Christians thought that only those who kept the Jewish law could be saved, whereas other Jewish Christians agreed with St. Paul that the Jewish law didn't apply to non-Jews. When the Church in the fourth century created the New Testament, by including all four gospels and the letters of St. Paul it accepted various interpretations in the early church and kept alive the question of what it means to be saved."

"But surely the New Testament says that only Christians are saved?" Joseph pressed again.

"The New Testament isn't a catechism. It doesn't ask your questions and then give precise answers. It contains stories and teachings and examples and inferences that bear on your question. For instance, the gospel of Mark contains a story in which a scribe asks Jesus what commandment in the law is most important. In the gospels of Matthew and Luke a lawyer asks the question, and in Luke's account the lawyer asks, 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?' The answer given in all three gospels is love God and your neighbor, and this answer is said to be a summary of Jewish law. But in Luke's gospel, when the lawyer asks Jesus to explain what the law means by loving our neighbor, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. Two Jews, a priest and a Levite, fail to help an injured Jew, but a Samaritan (a Gentile) helps him. The Samaritan not only shows us what it means to be a neighbor, but presumably he also shows us what to do to inherit eternal life. If, however, a Samaritan, who does not keep Jewish law and who is not a follower of Jesus, can be saved by loving God and loving his neighbors, then it seems that everyone, regardless of their religious tradition, can be saved by loving God and his neighbors."

"Why be a Christian then?" Joseph asked. "Why not simply be a good person?"

"Jesus doesn't tell anyone to become a Christian. The idea of being a Christian, by joining a religious organization that worships in the name of Christ, comes after the death of Jesus and the experience of the risen Christ. Jesus calls persons to follow him, to follow his example and his teachings, and to have faith in the God who calls us to love. A Christian is a person who trusts in that teaching, in the one who reminded us of it, and in the God of love and justice who is present in and revealed by both the teaching and the teacher."

"But we have to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior to be a Christian! It isn't just a matter of loving God and our neighbor."

"In the gospels Jesus says that we are to have faith in him and in God. Faith means trust. It doesn't mean having certain ideas or beliefs about God and Jesus. In the gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, Jesus talks about entering the kingdom of God through faith. The kingdom of God is our salvation, and God offers it to us. We cannot create it by our faith, but in faith we can enter it. St. Paul says this is faith responding to the grace of God, and he believes that God's grace enables our faith. We do not save ourselves through our faith, but in faith we receive the salvation that is God's gift to us."

"And you believe this salvation through the grace of God is offered also to Muslims?"

Paul leaned back in his seat and folded his hands on his lap before answering. "The New Testament tells us that salvation is God's gift, not our reward. St. Paul affirms that this salvation will include men like Abraham, who had faith in God, and eventually all the Jews, too, if they have faith, even though they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah-because God's love for all people is like that. God wants all humanity to be saved."

"Therefore, if Jews can be saved, why not Muslims? Is that what you're saying?"

"We're saved by faith through the grace of God. I don't know that God's grace extends to Muslims, but I can't be sure that it doesn't. Therefore, I suggest that we leave the question open. Salvation is up to God, not us. Our concern is living our faith."

"But you choose to be a Christian rather than a Muslim. Surely that is important for you?"

Paul opened his eyes and gave Joseph a steady look. "It is very important for me to keep my Christian vows and to be the best Christian I can. But I know I'm a sinner, and thus my witness to the love of God that I experience in Christ is compromised and likely turns some people away from the kingdom of God. Perhaps God needs persons like Javed to reach out to those who find the Christian churches more judging than affirming. Anyway, I'm happy to leave salvation to God. I think our Christian calling is to live in the kingdom of God by worshipping God in our churches and by loving our neighbors through service, regardless of their religious beliefs or practices. That's a big enough job for me."

Paul closed his eyes again, and Joseph knew they both should get some sleep. He liked what Paul had said more than he had admitted. He had argued with Paul, but actually he was alienated from the Church. The Bible stories, however, continued to captivate him. And a man like Fr. Paul, who tried to put his faith into practice, was very inspiring. But he wasn't sure what to believe. Joseph's head began to nod, and suddenly he felt very weary ..

He lay his head back on the seat and closed his eyes. Jesus had lived before there were Muslims. What would he have felt about their rejection of his message? Joseph thought the Church would have excluded Muslims from God's salvation, even as it excluded Jews who chose the synagogue over the church. Yet, as Joseph knew, the teaching of the Catholic Church after Vatican II affirmed that God's grace extended beyond the walls of the churches. Moreover, if God was Lord of all, that made sense. The promise that had been extended beyond the chosen people of Israel to all nations might be worked out through other religious traditions as well as through the witness of the Church.

But what were Christians to do in a place like Pakistan? If the Church began to teach that it didn't matter, whether or not a person was a Christian or a Muslim, because salvation was up to God and didn't depend on one's religious identity, then why would Christians persist in their allegiance to the Church? Why would they risk their lives and suffer discrimination as Christians? Why not just all become Muslims and then try to be faithful to God as Muslims?

Joseph knew Paul didn't believe that, but it seemed to follow. He was too sleepy now, however, to be sure about it. He'd have to talk with Paul again.