Pluralism and Theology
Religious Ideas:
Is Christianity the only true religion
Alan Race identified three broad perspectives
o Exclusivism – no salvation other than Christianity
o Inclusivism – Christianity is the key but possible for non-Christians to be saved
o Pluralism – many different paths to salvation
Exclusivism:
Other religions cannot lead people to the right relationship with God
Christ brought salvation to the world
o Only through hearing the Gospel and responding with faith in Christ can one be saved
o Includes the rite of Baptism – being cleansed of sin and reborn as a Christian
Salvation requires giving up old way of life (LINK Bonhoeffer + Costly Grace/Cost of Discipleship)
‘extra ecclesiam nulla salus’ = There is no salvation outside the (Catholic) Church
Can also be called ‘particularist’ – exclusivist can convey hostility
o Is kind of just sugar-coating an approach
Christian message is not a matter of personal taste but vital for everyone’s soul
o Necessary to make plain to non-Christians that they are wrong and on a path to damnation
o Missionary work and converting others is a duty not a sign of ignorance
o Westboro Baptist Church
Karl Barth – never described himself as an exclusivist
o People cannot know God through their own effort – God reveals himself through the Word,
Revelation and the Church (Link to Knowledge of God – natural vs revealed theology)
o God can only be known through Christ and not human efforts despite best intentions
Narrow Exclusivism:
Christians within one’s own denomination are saved
o Fundamentalist Christians believe only other fundamentalists will be saved
Backed by Augustine and Calvin
o Only through God’s grace will a select few be elected to heaven
o Called Restrictive-Access Exclusivists by Gavin D’Costa
Broad Exclusivism:
Post Vatican II
All people who accept Christ through their faith will be saved regardless of denomination
o Christ’s salvation is open to all
Salvation can come after death in purgatory
Hendrick Kraemer – influential on Christian missionaries working in non-Christian countries
o Non-Christians cannot achieve salvation through their own faith systems – must convert to
Christianity
Evaluation:
Counter – Pelagius argued that if we have original sin and cannot avoid doing evil, it is unjust for
God to punish sinful behaviour
Not ethical for all humanity to blamed for the actions of Adam and Eve
Indefensible view of moral responsibility – people are responsible for the actions of others
o Absurdity – action occurred before any of us were born
Response – Augustine – God doesn’t punish us because of Adam and Eve he punishes us because
we sin – it’s not God’s fault but Adam’s
o We were seminally present in the loins of Adam
o Seems unfair but Augustine puts it down to ‘secret yet just judgement of God’
Seems absolute bullshit – offers absolutely no logically sound explanation and just leaves it to what
God thinks
, o Clear challenge to God’s omnibenevolence – why would he save just one group of people
Exclusivism reflects the belief of practising Christians that they have the correct interpretation of
scripture
o Offers clear guidance to how to achieve salvation
o Surpasses the need for Church hierarchy
However scripture isn’t as clear is it seems
o P of Sheep and Goats bases salvation on actions, while other passages place emphasis on
belief
Limits understanding of God
o Denies the reality of personal encounters with the divine outside tradition faith
Christians can’t have a meaningful and non-offensive interaction with other faiths
o Leads to imperialistic ideas of religious truths
Inclusivism:
Seen as a ‘middle way’
Christianity is the one true religion but non-Christians can go to heaven
o No requirement for explicit faith in Christ
Karl Rahner – Christianity is unique
o Founded on God’s ultimate act of revelation in Christ – the ‘absolute religion’ and sets the
standards by which other religions should be measured
o Exclusivism excludes those who died before Christ, those who never heard about Christ
Exclusivism doesn’t seem in line with God’s omnibenevolent nature
o Jesus was a Jew!
Christ died for all – his actions must affect non-Christians
o Members of non-Christian religions behave in a way that is considered good
o Similarities between religions implies shared knowledge
Once someone hears about Jesus – they must become a Christian as there’s no excuse for rejecting
him
Lumen Gentium – non-Christian religions can hold some truth
o Abraham, Moses, Job never experienced Christ but were aware of God’s Grace
o ‘Anonymous Christians’ – do not call themselves Christians but the actions they make turn
to Christ without knowing it
Karl Rahner – Other religions can be deemed as lawful – flaws arise out of original sin
o Supernatural elements come out of grace – Christianity is still the most direct route to
salvation
Gavin D’Costa – inclusivism more in line with church teaching
o Allows for a more nuanced approach to religious diversity
o Inclusivism doesn’t deny the role of Christ – complements it instead
Hendrick Kraemer – any other religion is a misguided attempt to the truth, these are cultural
constructs and not responses to revelation
Von Balthasar – the Church should not go into hiding in the secular world nor should it appease to
other religions
o Church must be staunch and courageous in claims that salvation is only found in Christianity
Evaluation:
Solves the problem of people who have never heard of Jesus while maintaining the unique position
of the Church
o Doesn’t ignore that religions teach opposing things
Follows principles that exclusivism seems to ignore
o Solus Christus – maintains the necessity of Christ’s death
o Rejects extra ecclesiam nulla salus – don’t have to be a member of the institution (Link –
Bonhoeffer and Costly Grace?)
o Votum ecclesiae – One can be an implicit member of the invisible Church
Religious Ideas:
Is Christianity the only true religion
Alan Race identified three broad perspectives
o Exclusivism – no salvation other than Christianity
o Inclusivism – Christianity is the key but possible for non-Christians to be saved
o Pluralism – many different paths to salvation
Exclusivism:
Other religions cannot lead people to the right relationship with God
Christ brought salvation to the world
o Only through hearing the Gospel and responding with faith in Christ can one be saved
o Includes the rite of Baptism – being cleansed of sin and reborn as a Christian
Salvation requires giving up old way of life (LINK Bonhoeffer + Costly Grace/Cost of Discipleship)
‘extra ecclesiam nulla salus’ = There is no salvation outside the (Catholic) Church
Can also be called ‘particularist’ – exclusivist can convey hostility
o Is kind of just sugar-coating an approach
Christian message is not a matter of personal taste but vital for everyone’s soul
o Necessary to make plain to non-Christians that they are wrong and on a path to damnation
o Missionary work and converting others is a duty not a sign of ignorance
o Westboro Baptist Church
Karl Barth – never described himself as an exclusivist
o People cannot know God through their own effort – God reveals himself through the Word,
Revelation and the Church (Link to Knowledge of God – natural vs revealed theology)
o God can only be known through Christ and not human efforts despite best intentions
Narrow Exclusivism:
Christians within one’s own denomination are saved
o Fundamentalist Christians believe only other fundamentalists will be saved
Backed by Augustine and Calvin
o Only through God’s grace will a select few be elected to heaven
o Called Restrictive-Access Exclusivists by Gavin D’Costa
Broad Exclusivism:
Post Vatican II
All people who accept Christ through their faith will be saved regardless of denomination
o Christ’s salvation is open to all
Salvation can come after death in purgatory
Hendrick Kraemer – influential on Christian missionaries working in non-Christian countries
o Non-Christians cannot achieve salvation through their own faith systems – must convert to
Christianity
Evaluation:
Counter – Pelagius argued that if we have original sin and cannot avoid doing evil, it is unjust for
God to punish sinful behaviour
Not ethical for all humanity to blamed for the actions of Adam and Eve
Indefensible view of moral responsibility – people are responsible for the actions of others
o Absurdity – action occurred before any of us were born
Response – Augustine – God doesn’t punish us because of Adam and Eve he punishes us because
we sin – it’s not God’s fault but Adam’s
o We were seminally present in the loins of Adam
o Seems unfair but Augustine puts it down to ‘secret yet just judgement of God’
Seems absolute bullshit – offers absolutely no logically sound explanation and just leaves it to what
God thinks
, o Clear challenge to God’s omnibenevolence – why would he save just one group of people
Exclusivism reflects the belief of practising Christians that they have the correct interpretation of
scripture
o Offers clear guidance to how to achieve salvation
o Surpasses the need for Church hierarchy
However scripture isn’t as clear is it seems
o P of Sheep and Goats bases salvation on actions, while other passages place emphasis on
belief
Limits understanding of God
o Denies the reality of personal encounters with the divine outside tradition faith
Christians can’t have a meaningful and non-offensive interaction with other faiths
o Leads to imperialistic ideas of religious truths
Inclusivism:
Seen as a ‘middle way’
Christianity is the one true religion but non-Christians can go to heaven
o No requirement for explicit faith in Christ
Karl Rahner – Christianity is unique
o Founded on God’s ultimate act of revelation in Christ – the ‘absolute religion’ and sets the
standards by which other religions should be measured
o Exclusivism excludes those who died before Christ, those who never heard about Christ
Exclusivism doesn’t seem in line with God’s omnibenevolent nature
o Jesus was a Jew!
Christ died for all – his actions must affect non-Christians
o Members of non-Christian religions behave in a way that is considered good
o Similarities between religions implies shared knowledge
Once someone hears about Jesus – they must become a Christian as there’s no excuse for rejecting
him
Lumen Gentium – non-Christian religions can hold some truth
o Abraham, Moses, Job never experienced Christ but were aware of God’s Grace
o ‘Anonymous Christians’ – do not call themselves Christians but the actions they make turn
to Christ without knowing it
Karl Rahner – Other religions can be deemed as lawful – flaws arise out of original sin
o Supernatural elements come out of grace – Christianity is still the most direct route to
salvation
Gavin D’Costa – inclusivism more in line with church teaching
o Allows for a more nuanced approach to religious diversity
o Inclusivism doesn’t deny the role of Christ – complements it instead
Hendrick Kraemer – any other religion is a misguided attempt to the truth, these are cultural
constructs and not responses to revelation
Von Balthasar – the Church should not go into hiding in the secular world nor should it appease to
other religions
o Church must be staunch and courageous in claims that salvation is only found in Christianity
Evaluation:
Solves the problem of people who have never heard of Jesus while maintaining the unique position
of the Church
o Doesn’t ignore that religions teach opposing things
Follows principles that exclusivism seems to ignore
o Solus Christus – maintains the necessity of Christ’s death
o Rejects extra ecclesiam nulla salus – don’t have to be a member of the institution (Link –
Bonhoeffer and Costly Grace?)
o Votum ecclesiae – One can be an implicit member of the invisible Church
