Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World

Religious pluralism is the greatest challenge facing Christianity in today's Western culture. The belief that Christ is the only way to God is being challenged, and increasingly Christianity is seen as just one among many valid paths to God.

In Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World, four perspectives are presented by their major proponents:

• Normative Pluralism: All ethical religions lead to God (John Hick)
• Inclusivism: Salvation is universally available, but is established by and leads to Christ (Clark Pinnock)
• Salvation in Christ: Agnosticism regarding those who haven't heard the gospel (Alister McGrath)
• Salvation in Christ Alone: Salvation depends on explicit personal faith in Jesus Christ alone (R. Douglas Geivett and W. Gary Phillips)

This book allows each contributor to not only present the case for his view, but also to critique and respond to the critiques of the other contributors.

The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

 

Stanley N. Gundry is executive vice president and editor-in-chief for the Zondervan Corporation. He has been an influential figure in the Evangelical Theological Society, serving as president of ETS and on its executive committee, and is adjunct professor of Historical Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He is the author of seven books and has written many articles appearing in popular and academic periodicals.

Dennis L. Okholm (PhD, Princeton) is professor of theology at Azusa Pacific University.

John Hick is a Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Research in Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. He has taught philosophy of religion at Cornell University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Claremont Graduate University in California, as well as Cambridge and Birmingham Universities in the United Kingdom. He is the author of sixteen and editor of nine books, and his writings have been translated into sixteen languages. He gave the Gifford Lectures in 1986-87 and received the Grawemeyer Award for significant new thinking in religion in 1991.

Clark H. Pinnockwas professor of theology at McMaster Divinity College.

Alister E. McGrath is a historian, biochemist, and Christian theologian born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. McGrath, a longtime professor at Oxford University, now holds the Chair in theology, ministry, and education at the University of London. He is the author of several books on theology and history, including Christianity’s Dangerous Idea; In the Beginning, and The Twilight of Atheism. He lives in Oxford, England and lectures regularly in the United States.