Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World

Rating:
Summary: John Hick and others are not editors but contributors.
Review: Dear Editor, it has been some time since I came accross this book in your catalogue, which was really misleading. None of the authors the catalogue shows is the editor of the book, rather they are all contributors. The editors are Okholm & Phillips, to be able to find out this, I had to see the book. Hope you correct your records accordingly. Yours sincerely, Rifat Atay

Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: Finally! A book published by an evangelical publishing house that gives pluralism a fair hearing. Zondervan is to be commended for taking this bold step.

John Hick shines brilliantly. I can think of no other theologian anywhere who is better qualified to explain the pluralist view. His argument is delivered with great equanimity, and is absolutely devastating to the "Christ is the only way" argument in all its guises. Hick reveals that the only way one can continue to hold that view is by remaining ignorant of the history of the world's great religions (including Christianity).

It is important to remember that Christianity itself stands on the shoulders of Judaism. That is, Christian belief in the uniqueness of the Incarnation relies on the belief that God originally revealed himself in full only to Israel.

The more one learns about world history, however, the more it stretches the bounds of credibility to believe that God, the creative source of the entire universe and all who dwell here, chose to fully reveal himself only to the tiny nation of Israel, effectively ignoring the peoples of India, China, Egypt, etc. (not to mention indigenous tribes everywhere), all of whom were seeking the Divine just as surely as were the Israelis. Indeed, to believe that God has a "favorite" people is to take the anthropomorphism of God a bit too far.

Although this book deals primarily with theological issues, I will add that the ultimate arena in which all religions converge is that of experience, not theology. That is, in reading the mystics within each tradition, one is struck by the similarities in the language they use to describe their experiences of the Divine. Christianity also has a very strong mystical tradition. The Medieval mystics such as John of the Cross and Meister Eckhart are fairly well known. However, there are also a number of modern Christian mystics who mostly share Hick's theology, but who place a great emphasis on the experience of the Divine in prayer. For more info on that, read anything by Bede Griffiths, John Main, or Thomas Keating. Also check out Wayne Teasdale's book _The Mystic Heart_.

Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: Finally! A book published by an evangelical publishing house that gives pluralism a fair hearing. Zondervan is to be commended for taking this bold step.

John Hick shines brilliantly. I can think of no other theologian anywhere who is better qualified to explain the pluralist view. His argument is delivered with great equanimity, and is absolutely devastating to the "Christ is the only way" argument in all its guises. Hick reveals that the only way one can continue to hold that view is by remaining ignorant of the history of the world's great religions (including Christianity).

It is important to remember that Christianity itself stands on the shoulders of Judaism. That is, Christian belief in the uniqueness of the Incarnation relies on the belief that God originally revealed himself in full only to Israel.

The more one learns about world history, however, the more it stretches the bounds of credibility to believe that God, the creative source of the entire universe and all who dwell here, chose to fully reveal himself only to the tiny nation of Israel, effectively ignoring the peoples of India, China, Egypt, etc. (not to mention indigenous tribes everywhere), all of whom were seeking the Divine just as surely as were the Israelis. Indeed, to believe that God has a "favorite" people is to take the anthropomorphism of God a bit too far.

Although this book deals primarily with theological issues, I will add that the ultimate arena in which all religions converge is that of experience, not theology. That is, in reading the mystics within each tradition, one is struck by the similarities in the language they use to describe their experiences of the Divine. Christianity also has a very strong mystical tradition. The Medieval mystics such as John of the Cross and Meister Eckhart are fairly well known. However, there are also a number of modern Christian mystics who mostly share Hick's theology, but who place a great emphasis on the experience of the Divine in prayer. For more info on that, read anything by Bede Griffiths, John Main, or Thomas Keating. Also check out Wayne Teasdale's book _The Mystic Heart_.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Compilation -- Should Have Been More Readable
Review: Having studied these four views previously, I was disappointed after finishing this particular title. All of these authors could have made their arguments much more concise and readable, but none of them chose to do so.

Hick basically states that many different religions lead to the same God. Pinnock holds that salvation in Christ may be found through other religions. McGrath asserts salvation is found in a relationship with Christ, and persons who have had no chance to enter that relationship MIGHT receive God's mercy in some unknown way. Geivett and Phillips maintain salvation is ONLY found in a relationship with Christ, and persons who have had no chance to enter that relationship will spend eternity separated from God.

This book could have and should have been written in such a manner to appeal to the average layperson. These individuals are the ones who struggle with these issues and want to be better informed. Instead, all of these essays are directed towards other scholars. The overly-technical manner in which they are written will not appeal to most persons without professional theological training.

For pastors and well-versed teachers, this book provides a helpful summary of four current views on salvation. For everyone else, this volume will be confusing and hard to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Still Fun To Read
Review: I like all the differing views. While I am a conservative, I like the other points of view. This series is usually good for exposing differing views.

Rating:
Summary: Counterpoint Series
Review: I'm going to apply this commentary for the entire Counterpoint Series published by Zondervan Publishing Company. My compliments to that company for creating this series. I initially purchased "Four Views on the Book of Revelation" but soon realized it was only one in a series. I got so much out of that volume, that I decided to purchase the entire set to study and keep for reference. My spiritual growth has been remarkable as a result. Seminary students and professionals would probably enjoy this series, which seems geared for them. But this series is also excellent for those college-educated laypeople who feel inclined to enhance their understanding of Christian theology. That is, with one caveat: Buy a decent theological dictionary to refer to at first. It probably won't get used much after about the third book you choose to read, but initially you will be need it to be confident of some of the terms used among advanced theologians. Then, the Counterpoint series will give you a full understanding of many different concepts and concerns of the Christian faith which have been applicable from early on until the present. I've learned a lot, and the only way I think I could do better is if I were enrolled in Seminary. A list of all the titles I am aware of from this series is:

Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?
Five Views on Law and Gospel
Five Views on Sanctification
Four Views on Hell
Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World
Four Views on the Book of Revelation
Three Views on Creation and Evolution
Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond
Three Views on the Rapture
Two Views on Women in Ministry

Rating:
Summary: Great insight into Popstmodern Soteriology
Review: If you want to see first-hand how postmodernism has infected the Doctrine of Salvation within evangelical Christianity - this is the book. Coming from a conservative evangelical background it was interesting and informative to have a concise overview on the other schools of thought all in one volume. It also provides an excellent affirmation of the exclusivity of salvation through Christ. I particularly enjoyed how the contributors interacted with each other on the four views. A must read for anyone who wants to be equipped to evangelize in the 21st century.

Rating:
Summary: Epistemically valuable & soteriologically efficacious
Review: The contributors to this book provide (for the most part) intelligent and lucid statements of their respective positions. The book (having been published by Zondervan) is obviously targeted toward an evangelical audience, so the inclusion of John Hick, a prominent religious pluralist, is a welcome feature.

The main positions offerred are: 1) Pluralism: all religions offer salvation (John Hick); 2) Inclusivism: Salvation is mediated by Christ alone, but is available universally in that God's saving grace is operative in every culture, place, and time (Clark Pinnock); 3) Particularism-Agnostic: Salvation is through Christ alone but one must ultimately remain agnostic as to who and how many, who have not heard the gospel, will be saved (Alister McGrath); 4) Particularism-Traditional: Salvation is attained only through an explicit knowledge and faith in Christ (Doug Geivett and W. Gary Phillips).

Each chapter presents one view, and then the other contributors critique the chapter's arguments. The chapter's author then responds to those critiques. This leads to a lively exchange between the various writers. The problem of those who have not explicitly heard the Christian gospel is an important one. Evangelicals who haven't thought much about it will want to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, except one essay
Review: This book is one of those popular multi-view perspective books that are quite popular in academic circles. The only essay I have problems with is John Hick's. Soteriological pluralists should realize that the Bible is the sole authority in matters of faith and practice (not emotions or fairness). Hick denies this and essentially promotes an anti-Christian and anti-biblical understanding of salvation, grace, and God's redemptive purpose. Read John 3:18. Jesus clearly states that those who do not believe in him are condemned already. In regards to those people in the jungles that never get the chance to hear the Gospel, God will judge them accordingly through his infinite wisdom and justice. Those people who hear the Gospel and reject it will be condemned. Hick should start realizing that the God of the universe is not some politically correct or liberal god. He is the God of the universe who created all things and deserve all the worship and praise from his creatures.

Rating:
Summary: Good on the Who?, ignores, What?, How? and Why?
Review: This is book is part of Zondervan's Counterpoints series. According to the editors of this work, the purpose is to bring Christian thinkers together to discuss the question of the salvation of non-Christians. The contributors are: (1) John Hick, advocating pluralism; (2) Clark Pinnock advocating inclusivism; (3) Alister McGrath advocating a somewhat exclusivistic position; and (4) R. Douglas Geivett & W. Gary Phillips advocating exclusivism.

As is often the case with this series, the book suffers from poor editing. All of the essays are worth reading, but they generally don't deal with the alleged topic of the book. For example, Prof. Hick tells us that he believes in universal salvation and that he has written a book arguing for this position, but he doesn't give his reasons in the essay. Prof. McGrath touches on the issue, but not in any great detail. Prof. Pinnock deals with the topic in a limited manner. It is only Profs. Geivett & Philips who actually go into the question in some detail. They provide an exegesis of Acts 4:12 and some other passages. However, none of the other contributors responds with any detailed exegesis. What is often seen as the key passage concerning the salvation of non-believers -- Romans 2 -- is only mentioned in passing. So, this book is really a discussion of religious pluralism, not salvation.

In spite of my criticism, I think this book is helpful to anyone who wants a background on the general issue of religious pluralism. If you are looking for a discussion of evangelical views of the salvation of non-believers, then this isn't the place to look.