Pluralism
Introduction
The question of whether Christianity is the only true religion is one that is in the mind of many. Even Christians have the same query as well. The main reason behind such thoughts is because of the increasing religion plurality. Claiming Jesus as the only savior in a world full of many faiths may seem as ignorance and sheer arrogance to the other religions. Ronald Nash, a professor of theology and philosophy at a Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, thinks that pluralism is a very critical threat to Christianity and therefore needs to be discussed. The best way to discuss the matter is through his book- Is Jesus the Only Savior. The book is one of the most religious informative and alluring sets in the face of the earth today. In the book, Nash confronts John Hick’s pluralism and inclusivism of John Sanders and Clack Pinnock.
He begins by saying that his mission is to evaluate if pluralists have established and indisputable facts that can validate the rejection of exclusivity of Jesus as the only savior. Ronald structures his work by looking into questions such as if there is salvation in any other religion and what happens to those who have never heard about Jesus after when they die. He discusses inclusivism, which is a loophole for religious plurality. Inclusivists studies revolve on the thought of what happens to those who have probably not heard about Jesus. Therefore exclusivism throughout in his work appears to be in contrast of both pluralism and inclusivism. Nash summarizes the ideas of the pluralists such as Hick, Sanders, and Pinnock. He not only helps the reader to understand their approaches but also what culminated into their arguments. His theme in challenging Pluralism throughout the book is that religious feeling, personal encounter, obedience, and trust have replaced theology.
Analysis
Pluralists argue that many ways lead to eternal life. Ronald, therefore, confronts such kind of belief as advocated by John Hick. Nash focuses on the Exclusivity of Jesus as the only savior at the beginning of his book. At the onset of his works, he endeavors to explain the meaning of the words exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism. Nash relies on the authority of the bible and the scriptures throughout his arguments in the article. Nash arguments are also based on the death of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. He also embarks on handling the plight of the unreached as he argues for exclusivism. Ronald also finds fault in Clark Pinnock and John Sanders Inclusivism and Pluralism by John Hick. He shows how such theories deny and undermine the authenticity of the bible and statements that have propositional truth. He also points out how they as well ignore the deity of Christ.
Nash defines exclusivism as the view that Jesus is the only savior and that explicit belief in Jesus Christ is very significant for salvation. It is in the discussion of Exclusivism that he introduces the audience to John Hick’s Pluralism approach on the subject of salvation. John Hick like Ronald Nash was also a philosopher and a theologian teaching in the United States for the longest time although he was born in England. Hick suggests that asserting that Christianity is the only way of salvation is degrading other religions in the universe and only seek to cause the crisis. Hick is one of the most popular religion plurality advocates. He thinks that the religions in the world should be perceived as a deferent response of humanity to a solitary divine reality. His pluralism theory argues that all faiths in the universe will ultimately lead to the same destination.
John Hick rejects the exclusivism theory and holds on to pluralism of religion. He says that there ought to be tangible evidence for one to believe in the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only savior. The Pluralists are those individuals and scholars who answer with a negative answer as to the question of if Jesus is the only savior. In discussing pluralism, Nash studies how Hick developed his theory. He provides that Hick believed in the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus before he transformed into a pluralist after visiting different religions such as Hindu and Islam. However, the pluralism theory faces a lot of threat and is attacked by many philosophers, including Ronald Nash. The question that the scholars ask is if all religions lead to one ultimate destiny or be an expression of relation with one supreme deity when they are full of contradictions.
To counter John Hick’s pluralism theory, Nash uses certain Scriptures from the bible to support Exclusivism. The key verses include John 3:16-18, 36. The others are John 14: 6, Acts 4:12, and 1Timothy 2:5. John: 3:16 supports the exclusivity of Jesus Christ by asserting that God gave His only son Jesus for the salvation of the world out of his great love for his people. Verse 18 states that whoever believes in Jesus is saved and will not be condemned, but anyone who has not believed is already judged for not believing in the only way given out by God for salvation. This verses, as used by Nash, make it clear that those who do not believe in Jesus do not have salvation. Ronald uses the words of Jesus Christ in John 14:6 to counter pluralism. Jesus, in the scriptures, emphasizes his authority as the only way to salvation. Thus Ronald argues that countering the subject of Jesus as the savior by other religions shows contradictions of religious pluralism and therefore it is not possible for the differing doctrines to lead to the same reality being.
Jesus also says no one gets to God the Father except through him. Therefore Nash believes that Hick’s theory is an error when it suggests that there can be a connection to God in other religions without Jesus. Acts 4:12 is also another verse that helps Nash to counter pluralism. The verse put more emphasis on the exclusivity of Jesus as the only savior on earth. 1Timothy 2:5 asserts that there is only one mediator between the only God and man whom according to Christianity and the teachings of the Bible is Jesus Christ. Therefore the teachings of the bible are against pluralism according to the study by Nash. In focusing on Hick’s theory, Nash also points out the 1980s pluralism. During those times, Hick attempted to alter how people perceived God and also how they are saved. His ideas thus shifted from a theocentric approach to salvation- focused theory.
Nash argues that for one to be pluralists, he or she must abandon logical principles that render all action, significant thought, and communication possible about the bible. Nash insists in his study that Jesus Christ is the only savior and that no one can be saved without knowing Jesus, His works and exercising unwavering faith in Him. Pluralists reject both of the assertions, but inclusivists accept the idea that Jesus is the savior, but they do not believe that those who have never heard about Jesus will not be saved. Nash also depicts how inclusivism and pluralism have the difficulty of proving their claims in the first chapters of his book. He majors on criticism of John Hick’s theory in the second chapter. Some of Ronald’s characters, such as respect are evident as Nash criticizes Hick’s works. He as well demonstrates a high level of understanding Hick’s theory. He uses the knowledge to show how John Hick contradicts himself in his pluralism theory. In other words, Nash allows Hick to criticize his work. Nash succeeds in making the reader understand and see Hick’s inadequacy in his pluralism argument. It, therefore, dismissing him from the accusation that his attack on John Hick’s theory is only about difference and opinion.
Ronald Nash also talks about pluralism in the form of John Sanders inclusivism approach. The argument of John Sanders that Ronald Nash confronts is on the thoughts of the souls that died way before the coming of Jesus. Sanders seems not to find reality in the words of Jesus Christ where He says that He is the way of salvation and that no one can go to God except through Him. Saunders wonders how God would send to hell all those people who have not heard about Jesus. Inclusivists agenda is to maintain that salvation exists in other religions, but the uniqueness of Jesus Christ counts. In refuting inclusivism, Nash introduces other scholar’s research work. Nash uses Thomas Guterbock approach in countering inclusivism. Thomas provides that the logic behind inclusivism seek only to reduce the motivation to evangelize. Ronald Nash also uses the authority of the Bible, especially the book of Acts.
The book- Is Jesus the Only Savior by Ronald Nash is one that builds confidence in the readers concerning the exclusivists theory. Nash exclusivism theory is irresistible because it has a weighty logic supported by the bible. On the other hand, the Hick and Pinnock theories, according to Nash evaluations, are full of fallacies and are also inadequate in their arguments. Nash succeeds in identifying such inadequacies by using his method of correction and criticism. Although it is worth noting that Nash is very respectful and courteous even when rebuking the fallacies in the pluralist’s approaches. Nash respectfully makes the reader aware of the views that the critics of exclusivism hold. For instance, he let the audience know that the inclusivists regard their position as the balance between pluralism and exclusivism that safeguard the most significant views of the two ideas. In other words, salvation is not restricted to only a few people who hear the gospel of Jesus and believe it. They nonetheless also hold the view that salvation is, however, based on the person of Christ, Jesus, and his works of redemption. Nash helps the reader to understand the opinions held by inclusivist in giving such kind of information. By doing that, the audiences can make conclusions on which ideologies contain heresies and fallacies.
Personal Conclusion
Ronald Nash’s book is one that gives the reader high confidence in the exclusivists views. The reason why he succeeds in building confidence to the audience about exclusivism is the weighty knowledge and logic behind his approaches. The authentic and infallible Bible supports his work. Most of the people’s challenge that makes them confused about which ideology to view as genuine is a lack of understanding of the various religious doctrines. Thus Ronald Nash helps his readers to come out of such kind of ignorance by providing clear accounts of pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivism. The knowledge in Nash’s book, therefore, provides the ability to profoundly and concisely analyze the pluralist’s claims.
Most importantly, Nash has also used his rebuke and correction respectfully to provide an alluring analysis. While conducting the study, Nash was not only respectful but also exhibited exceeding kindness to the antagonists. His style of education is one that most Christian should embrace.
The exposition of the scriptures by Nash in the book despite supporting his views is also edifying. Nash also depicts an exceptional understanding of the contexts of the scriptures, which is very significant for avoiding contradiction and deviance from the truth. Using scripture contents knowledge helps Nash to undercut the opposition wisely. Scholastic attestation is usually critical during the biblical study and theological studies. The truth is that many men and women are better suited to offer biblical academia, which can provide significant information for such kind of studies. Nash, therefore, shows that he does not only rely on his studies but also incorporates views from other scholars. Thomas Guterbock is an excellent example of the researchers that have a necessary implication in Ronald’s book.
The use of other scholar’s works by Nash shows that it is vital to value the researchers who have spent more time and used their efforts to conduct researches from which they accumulate the knowledge for relevant studies. Nash employs excellent writing styles. At the beginning of his work, he introduces his main argument and defines the key terms in the book, which makes it easy for the reader to understand the scope of his work. The brief and detailed outline of pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivism sets the readers up for success. Nash also establishes the significance of creating a stable view in the bible in a simple way. He also makes the audience understand the importance of what they believe and what they do not. In the world today, most authors write books intending to hurt the groups that hold a contrary opinion. Therefore it is an excellent feeling to encounter an article like Nash’s that does not focus on destroying a particular group.
Nash focus is presenting facts and truths and not gathering supporters or being liked by the public. The wisdom he uses in the book is one that can influence his critics because he has used tactics that can trigger the opposition to read the book. Nash also posses credentials such as being a professor, which helps him in the writing of the book. Although he does not boast about his qualifications, he qualifies to write theological articles that will be widely used for reference. The professor also uses the wisdom of analyzing the pluralist’s materials and identifying the fallacies surrounding them. He does that in a way that the authors criticize their works. Nash also uses the scriptures to oppose pluralist’s views and also to support his ideas. The complete book also shows that he took a lot of time researching and compiling his insights into the book.