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Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World (11)
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Paul Jang
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2008-12-03 14:46:57, hit : 3,160 |
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4. Salvation in Christ Alone (W. Gary Phillips)
(1) Salvation could be secured through Christ alone.
(2) Among the many religious traditions, is there a uniquely correct one?
1) Three broad views:
① Exclusivism or Particularism or Restrictivism
It maintains that salvation must be available only through Jesus Christ (Salvation in Christ alone)
② Pluralism
All Ethical religions lead to God. All religions are the same goal to reach, that is to say the same Ultimate Reality (God)
③ Inclusivism
Salvation is universally available, but is established by and leads to Christ. Agnosticism regarding those who haven't heard the gospel.
2) Particularist is possible to define Christian particularism broadly and narrowly:
① A broad definition:
It is compassing the views of both the exlusivist and the inclusivist, simply emphasizes God's role in humanity: People are not saved apart from the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, whether or not they ever place explicit faith in Jesus (indeed, whether or not they have even heard the gospel).
② A narrower definition:
It therefore limits particularism to the exclusivist view. In that case the particularist element is further associated with what is regarded as the appropriate human response to God's saving initiative.
(3) An evidentialist strategy for defending particularism:
1) Religious diversity (debate between particularist and inclusivism)
2) Evangelicals (against religious pluralists)
3) Religious pluralists (extrabiblical sources of religious knowledge).
4) Christian theologians have traditionally distinguished between general revelation and special revelation as sources of religious knowledge.
① General revelation: its sources include the entire order of created reality, whether physical or nonphysical, human conscience, and the pattern of human history (cf. natural theology).
② Special revelation: the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
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Introduction
Theology 