Dr Paul Allen

RELIGIOUS PLURALISM By the late twentieth century, however, there were growing numbers of those identifying themselves as Christians who explicitly rejected such inclusivist views and called for a radical pluralism in which Christianity is just one among many possible ways of responding to the divine.  Religious pluralism, as understood by these thinkers, means that all the major religions are more or less equally true and effective ways of responding to the religious ultimate; no single religion—including Christianity—can claim legitimately to be superior to others in terms of truth or in relating appropriately to the divine. There are many reasons that religious pluralism, as defined above, is so attractive today. We are much more aware of religious diversity today, due to globalization, increased immigration, international travel, and the impact of media and the internet.  As the West encounters religious others, there is often the realization that Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs are n

Despite the predictions of some in the nineteenth century that religion would eventually wither away under the onslaught of modernization and science, the world today remains vigorously religious. Eighty percent of people worldwide profess some religious affiliation.5 There are today roughly 2.1 billion Christians, 1.3 billion Muslims, 860 million Hindus, 380 million Buddhists, 25 million Sikhs, and 15 million Jews.6 A complete picture of religion today would also include the many millions who follow one of the thousands of new religious movements.7 TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY: RELIGIOUS EXCLUSIVISM Until the modern era, Christians largely took it for granted that Christianity is the one true religion for all humankind. Allowing for minor modifications for Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant distinctives, the common understanding went something like this: God has revealed himself in a special manner to the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, and his self-revelation culminates in t