Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

salvation. Here again we see how God’s own have conceded to the broader culture.
Views about salvation are varied. Fundamentally, there is universalism and
particularism. With universalism, all people are ‘saved;’ while with particularism, only
those are saved who [somehow] partake of God’s salvation. There are also the generally
accepted divisions of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism. The exclusivist believes
that God’s salvation is only appropriated via Christ’s work and faith in Him alone (soli
fide). The inclusivist believes in salvation via Christ, but that God has provided
exceptions; and the pluralist believes God’s salvation can be through Christ, or via any
number of other spiritual paths.
Another contemporary debate among Christians involves the difference between
accessibilism and restrictivism. In accessibilism, people can respond to God through
general revelation (cf., Rom. 1), and can be saved without special revelation (cf., Rom.
10). In restrictivism, salvation is available only via special revelation (Rom. 10) and a
faith response to Christ is required. The pluralist and the postmodern both argue that
such matters must be left to the individual, that others cannot impose such judgments on
others. Are individuals subject to what the larger group (e.g., institutional church)
decides, or are these matters entirely between the individual and God There seems no
end to these arguments.
Of course, religious pluralists believe there are many ways to be saved, or get to
heaven, or please god -- depending upon one’s personal views and goals. According to
Lesslie Newbigin, religious pluralism is the “belief that differences between religions are
not a matter of truth and falsehood, but of different perceptions of the one truth; that to
speak of religious beliefs as true or false is inadmissible” (Newbigin, 1989:14). People
like John Hick and Bishop Spong have argued for years that the exclusivity of Christ is
utter foolishness and the teachings of Scripture are mere metaphor. They want to
universalize religion and the particular claims each make. Love and peace are the
ultimate goals, but in the process, truth claims are relegated to the garbage heap.
It doesn’t make too much difference whether
you are Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish, or for
that matter, Hindu or Mohammedan. They are
all different ways to the same goal. Basically
they follow the same moral code and the
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University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa