pluralism and diversity

Question 1

exclusivism
Deuteronomy 6:5

Answer 1

‘love the Lord your God with all your heart’

Question 2

exclusivism
Joshua 23:16

Answer 2

‘if you violate the covenant of the Lord your God […] the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land’

Question 3

exclusivism
John 14:6

Answer 3

‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

Question 4

exclusivism
Acts 4:12

Answer 4

‘there is salvation in no one else’

Question 5

Timothy Keller

Answer 5

exclusivist scholar
said in an interview with Martin Bashir that Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs won’t ‘get Jesus’ or his salvation in an afterlife

Question 6

Karl Rahner

Answer 6

20th century Roman Catholic theologian, key figure in developing the RC view on salvation for non-Christians. For Rahner, all human beings have an awareness of something beyond the finite realm. Promoted ‘anonymous Christianity’ whereby God is everywhere in all experiences - everyone is either a Christian or an anonymous Christian

Question 7

Rahner’s essay devising anonymous Christianity

Answer 7

‘Christianity and the Non-Christian Religions’

Question 8

Rahner’s 1st thesis

Answer 8

‘Christianity understands itself as the absolute religion, intended for all men, which cannot recognise any other religion beside itself as of equal right’ - even prior to his incarnation, there were ways to get to God - can there be other ways to come to God in the present?

Question 9

Rahner’s 2nd thesis

Answer 9

‘a non-Christian religion can be recognised as a lawful religion (although only in different degrees) without thereby denying the error and depravity contained in it’ - in Acts 17 Paul refers positively to pagan religion - therefore there can be some good outside of Christianity

Question 10

Rahner’s 3rd thesis

Answer 10

‘if the second thesis is correct, then Christianity does not simply confront the member of an extra-Christian religion as a mere non-Christian but as someone who can and must already be regarded in this or that respect as an anonymous Christian’ - becoming a Christian is the final step of a process that begins with anonymous Christianity - the Church should have an attitude of respect for those it is trying to reach with its message

Question 11

Rahner’s 4th thesis

Answer 11

‘the Church will not so much regard herself today as the exclusive community of those who have a claim to salvation but rather as the historically tangible vanguard and the historically and socially constituted explicit expression of what the Christian hopes is present as a hidden reality even outside the visible Church’ - the church should not see itself as the sole possessor of truth and goodness as God is greater than the Church