Christian Theology and Religious Pluralism: A Critical Evaluation of John Hick

Description: The question of religious pluralism is the most significant yet thorniest of issues in theology today and John Hick (1922-2012) has long been recognized as its most important scholar. However while much has been written analyzing the philosophical basis of Hicks pluralism very little attention has been devoted to the theological foundations of his argument. Filling this gap this book examines Hicks theological attempts to systematically deconstruct the churchs traditional incarnational Christology. Special attention is given to evaluating Hicks foundational theses that Jesus himself did not teach what was to become the orthodox Christian understanding of him and that the dogma of Jesus two natures . . . has proved to be incapable of being explicated in any satisfactory way. By elucidating the ways in which Hicks arguments fail David Nah demonstrates that Hick was unwarranted in breaking away from the churchs incarnational Christology that has been at the core of Christianity for almost two thousand years. Endorsements: David Nah must be congratulated for producing both a most thorough analysis of John Hicks brand of religious pluralism and a most competent defense of traditional two-natures Christology against Hicks critique and his proposed alternative of metaphorical Christology. I heartily recommend this recent addition to the literature on John Hick to all interested in both sides of the issue. --Anselm K. Min Claremont Graduate University David Nah systematically weakens John Hicks paradigms offered in solution to problems of twentieth-century religious pluralism . . . [Nahs] work fills an unmet need for a more extensive assessment of Hicks last and most mature theology of religions. The tone is irenic rather than disputational and even religious others will find in Nah a friend who contra-Hick takes with metaphysical not merely metaphorical seriousness their claims of Ultimacy. --James F. Lewis Bethel University (St. Paul MN) About the Contributor(s): David S. Nah is Associate Professor of Theology at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota. He obtained his PhD from the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University Claremont California.