christianity, migration and religious pluralism

Question 1

What is exclusivism

Answer 1

Exclusivism is the view that one religion alone is the only true one (in this case Christianity)

Question 2

John 14:6

Answer 2

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me”
(John 14:6)

Taken at face value, John 14:6 seems to say that salvation depends on absolute and explicit commitment to Jesus: truth is to be found exclusively in his teaching an way of life

Question 3

Acts 4:12

Answer 3

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”

Question 4

Criticisms of Exclusivism

Answer 4

It limit’s God’s unconditional love and forgiveness by tying him to a fundamentalist interpretation of certain biblical texts

It lacks balance - This interpretation conflicts with the teaching of Jesus recorded in Luke’s Gospel in particular and with the unconditional friendship he showed to those who were generally despised by Jewish society

Question 5

What is Inclusivism?

Answer 5

Inclusivism in Christianity says that other religions (or Christian denominations) may have aspects of belief that are the same or compatible with Christianity (or the ‘true’ denomination) and are therefore themselves ‘true’

Question 6

What is closed inclusivism?

Answer 6

Closed inclusivism takes the approach that one religion does contain all truth, but that other religions have some aspect of it

Question 7

What is open Inclusivism

Answer 7

Open inclusivism adopts the approach that one religion has a better grasp of the truth than others, but not all aspects, so it can learn from others

Question 8

Karl Barth

Answer 8

Barth’s view is based on his belief that all human nature has been so corrupted by the Fall that everyone, regardless of religion, is totally dependent for salvation on God’s grace

Question 9

Karl Rahner’s concept of ‘anonymous’ Christians

Answer 9

This is an attempt to reflect the inclusive teachings and lifestyle of Jesus, as seen in the Gospels. Anonymous Christians refers to Karl Rahner’s view that non-Christians are able to experience grace and salvation as …

. God’s grace is at work in all people; it is not limited to Christians

. Non-Christians may be saved through good moral conduct, which is not dependent on belief in Christ. This is reminiscent of the belief in justification by works

Question 10

How do Christian denominations view one another?

Answer 10

There has never been uniformity in the Church – the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letters show that even in the early days there were disagreements. Disagreements relate to a range of issues such as leadership, the authority and interpretation of the Bible, Church organisation, forms of worship and lifestyle

Question 11

The Catholic Church

Answer 11

• The Apostolic Succession is the means of continuity with the teaching of Jesus’ Apostles as the Church passes on their teaching in the Apostolic Tradition
• The Sacraments are the gifts bestowed on the Church as an act of divine grace

Question 12

The Church of England

Answer 12

The position of the Church of England is more difficult to pin down as it includes members with a wide range of views. It could be said to be inclusivist for the following reasons:

• Its ability, despite all the tensions, to hold together Christians varying widely in outlook, through discussions and a willingness to compromise on non-essentials
• Its recognition of other Churches, despite differences in structures, etc.
• Its unwillingness to exclude other Christians from the possibility of salvation

Question 13

The ecumenical movement

Answer 13

• This is a movement aimed at promoting Christian unity
• In the UK, there is an annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity led in January
• In 1948, the World Council of Churches was set up, which seeks to promote dialogue between the member Churches and a greater shared understanding of the Christian faith. The Catholic Church is not a member but it does have representations at its Assemblies, which are held every six to eight years

Question 14

Protestant Evangelical Churches

Answer 14

Protestant evangelical Churches tend to adopt an exclusivist position, based on the primacy of faith, which is a personal commitment to Christ as saviour

• The threefold ministry of the Church and the sacraments are viewed as unbiblical and so the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches are in error
• Those who do not make this personal commitment to God have rejected God’s offer of salvation

Question 15

Pluralism with reference to John Hick

Answer 15

John Hick’s starting point on Pluralism is his view that the religion of an individual is almost always an accident of birth:

-The relationship between humans and what he thought of as ultimate reality is shaped by history and culture

-It is a mistake to understand salvation in terms of the sacred writings of one particular religion and to adopt an exclusivist position

-He thought that religion was about self-transformation rather than about believing certain teachings and practices are true. This means that differences and so-called incompatibilities between religions are insignificant

Question 16

Hick’s universalism

Answer 16

• Universalism is the view promoted by John Hick that all humans will be saved by God
• Hick viewed the purpose of human life as one of soul-making or spiritual growth
• That raised the question of those who died without having fulfilled their purpose and in some cases, having wreaked misery on the earth
• Hick believed that after death there would be future lives, in this or other worlds, to enable the spiritual growth that would result in eternity with God
• He rejected the teaching relating to everlasting suffering In Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats

Question 17

Why have Hick’s ideas not been widely accepted?

Answer 17

• His claim that apparent incompatibilities between religions are insignificant is not a valid one. The views and practices of some religious groups (e.g. of suicide cults) seem totally incompatible with those of any mainstream religion or society
• Christianity traditionally thinks in terms of life, death, judgement and final state. Hick’s idea of future states of existence after death does not fit in with this, so many Christians would reject it. The concept of universalism is unacceptable to evangelical Protestants, though acceptable to some liberal Protestants

Question 18

How do Hick’s ideas promote interfaith and interdenominational relations?

Answer 18

• His views about the cultural links between individuals and their religion encourage people to think about the one-ness of human religious understanding and not just about the differences between religions
• His view on the nature of religion and on universalism could strengthen interfaith and interdenominational relations

Question 19

Britain response to poverty