This is the message of the New Testament in its entirety, the deep faith without which none of the books comprising it would have been written. When these two axioms of faith are held together, a Christian theology of religions can be characterized by an openness and a commitment to explore the many and various ways in which God has spoken to all people. To say that Christ is at the center of the divine plan for humanity is not to consider him as the final goal and exclusive end toward which the religious life of all other traditions of humanity tend. He is constituted by God as the way leading to God. Constant interaction with members of other churches or religions requires a certain security within oneself because it is to an extent an uncharted sea where we are seeking not our own plan but the plan of God.
Churches give guidelines to provide their members with some security and direction.
We are called to respect the guidelines of our own church and of other churches and religions. But then we are called to live and walk in the Spirit, to take initiatives, to go out towards others, to invite them into our homes, to listen to them, to work and pray with them if possible, to rejoice and suffer with them, to become their friends. To be patient with one's own church and with one's partners in dialogue. Healing the wounds of centuries is a long process. It requires us to love the treasure and particular gifts of our church, and at the same time to accept and recognize its flaws, fears, and lack of love.