• Christianity and World Religions – Disrupted Questions in the Theology of Religions (Paperback / softback) 9781405176736
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Christianity and World Religions
Disputed Questions in the Theology of Religions

"The deepest challenge to global Christianity is in its relation to world religions. Informative and thought-provoking, this book tackles one of the most heated issues of the time: the interactions within religious pluralism. Old-timers and newcomers to disputes over these 'disputed questions' will not walk away from this book casually or apathetically. It is provocative and, yes, challenging."
–Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago

“In this book, Gavin D'Costa continues to push and stretch established categories and traditional doctrines to provide highly original and deeply provocative thoughts on the relationship between Christianity and other religions and on the role of religion in the public square.  And his approach to the question of the salvation of non-Christians in terms of Christ's descent into hell will undoubtedly be the focus of heated discussion in the theology of religions for years to come.”
–Catherine Cornille, Associate Professor of Comparative Theology at Boston College, Author of The Im-Possibility of Interreligious Dialogue.

Gavin D'Costa (Author)

9781405176736, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 13 February 2009

256 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.372 kg

“All in all, D’Costa should be commended for writing an excellent book. This work is a wonderful contribution to the conversation regarding Christianity and non-Christian religions. I highly recommend it for all persons interested in the theology of religions, as well as any Christian looking for new ways to understand the possibility of salvation for non-Christians.”  (The International Journal of Public Theology, 1 December 2012)

"I warmly encourage readers in each to take it up and read." (One in Christ, July 2010) "[D'Costa] finds convincing substantiation for his position in biblical, patristic, and medieval Christian doctrine." (CHOICE, September 2009)"For a generation which is reasserting its Catholic identity, this thesis may serve a valuable purpose, calming the anxieties of those who, admirable, have managed to maintain an interest in the salvation of non-Christians yet are as hard put to win converts as their more pluralist co-religionists." (The Way, January 2010)

"His gazetteer of these regions at the edge of the eschatological map is fascinating. The closing pages are as perceptive a meditation on what the dereliction of the cross can and cannot mean as we might expect to find in a first-rate book devoted entirely to that subject." (Chruch Times, December 2009)

An engaging and accessible introduction to Christianity’s relationship with other world religions, addressing the questions of why the reality, and vitality, of other religions has become a challenge, and showing how Christianity is equipped to deal with religious plurality at both the doctrinal and social level.

  • Timely and accessible, this book tackles the question of why the reality, and vitality, of other religions has become a challenge for Christianity
  • Makes a decisive contribution to debates about the clash between Islam and the West, arguing that the major threat to religious freedoms come from secularism, and that Islam and Christianity both have the resources to develop a vibrant and pluralist public square; one informed by intellectual rigor and debate
  • Considers the wider issue of how modernity has defined ‘religion’, and provides a substantial critique of secular ways of controlling religions
  • Shows how Christianity is very well suited to deal with religious plurality at the doctrinal and social level
  • Addresses the core issues and describes the various answers that have been proposed in recent years – making it an ideal introduction to the field, and one which will stimulate ideas and discussions

Preface ix

Part I: Charting the Territory: Theology of Religions 1

1 Early Map Making 3

Introduction 3

Pluralism 9

Inclusivism 19

Exclusivism 25

2 Changing the Angle: Recent Maps 34

Some Criticisms of the Threefold Typology 34

Comparative Theology 37

Postmodern Postliberalism 45

Part II: The Making and Meaning of Religions 55

3 Modernity’s Story 57

Introduction 57

Modernity’s Story about Religions 58

4 An Alternative: The Secular Construction of the Sacred Modernity as the Establishment of a New Ruling 74

Religion 74

Conclusion 102

Part III: Religions in the Public Square 103

5 Whose Religion and Which Public Square? 105

The Public Square 105

A Taxonomy of Secular Modernity and Postmodernity 107

6 Christian and Muslim Public Squares 128

Roman Catholicism, Modernity and Religious Plurality 128

Islam, Reasoned Debate, and Religious Plurality 136

Part IV: Christ’s Descent into Hell 159

7 Old Doctrines for New Jobs 161

Introduction 161

“The Descent”: Introduction to the “Circles of Hell” 165

The Limbo of the Just and the Unevangelized 167

8 Further into the Inferno 188

Purgatory and the Non-Christian 188

The Children’s Limbo 194

The Descent into Hell 201

Bibliography 212

Subject Index 225

Index of Works 233

Subject Areas: Religion & beliefs [HR]
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