Zahnd's idol: a universalist Jesus who saves devout Muslims regardless of belief, contradicting Christ's own words

Zahnd's scenario is designed to provoke emotional sympathy: Belkis is kind, charitable, and sincere; Becky is a smug fundamentalist. The emotional logic is: surely a loving God wouldn't condemn Belkis to eternal torture while rewarding Becky. Winger identifies several problems: (1) The scenario is inherently manipulative — Becky is presented as the worst possible Christian, not a representative one. (2) Zahnd's retort 'who are you to tell Jesus whom he can save?' is a category error: Jesus himself declared 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6) and 'unless you repent, you will all likewise perish' (Luke 13:3). (3) To call someone a 'devout Muslim' is to describe someone who specifically rejects the Sonship, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus — the word shirk in Islam means associating partners with God (i.e., calling Jesus the Son of God), which Islam considers the gravest sin. A devout Muslim is by definition someone who has rejected the gospel. Zahnd's rhetorical gymnastics allow him to sidestep actual doctrine.