C h r i s t i a n i t y          A long term walk with Jesus

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Christian positions on being exclusive:

Schools of Thought

1. No salvation outside the Church.
Value: Sets a forceful line of exclusion and inclusion.
Problem: What about grace for people before Christ or outside of the church? Is the love of God limited?
2. Divine revelation is not limited to the Church.
Value: Recognizes human limitations and opens the door to mutual conversation. 
Problem: Will substitutes for salvation through Jesus Christ  arise resulting in vague universalism?
3. Positive values in other religions.
Value: Honors world religions and may open the doors of understanding and peaceful co-existence.
Problem: Are these values adequate for  the salvation of persons in the other religions?
4. God has a plan for other religions.
Value: Opens the door to ongoing revelations and places no limits on the loving grace of God. 
Problem: Is there any more need then for Jesus in the concrete realities of daily life now?

This page is based greatly on the analysis made by Jacques Dupuis, S.J. in "Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism", Orbis Books 2001  The page is being written now so changes will come day by day.

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Update on October 6, 2003