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Christianity As a Historical Religion

  Among the modern scholars, Karl Barth was the first one to realize that theology cannot go on endlessly looking back and forth between the two separate poles of the absolute and the historical. His answer was to place theology ‘beyond the contamination of the historical virus.’ 1  He said about resurrection, the axis of the historical claims of Christianity: Were there a direct and casual connection be t ween the historical “facts” of the resurrection – the empty tomb, for example, or the appearanc e s detailed in 1 Cor. 15- and the resurrection itself; was it in any sense of the word a “fact” in history, then no profession of faith or refinement of devotion could prevent it being involved  in the see-saw of Yes and No in history, life and death……Therefore, if the resurrection be brought within the context of history, it must share in its obscurity and error and essential questionableness. 2 Barth still wanted to secure the central place of Christianity in the salvation of humankind
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Dispensationalism and the Fate of the Unsaved

            The theology of discontinuity, often called dispensationalism, is one of the branches of evangelical theologies. Ramesh Richard believes resources of such a theology can answer the question of the fate of the unevangelized well. He also believes the Scriptures favor such a position. Theological support for the inclusivist position mostly comes from the Old Testament where some people were saved without personally confessing Christ. Another piece of theological support for it comes from the “holy pagan” tradition of Melchizedek, Abimelech, Job and other non-Jewish people who had encounters with the true living God of the Bible. This has led to a position that ‘a person who is informationally messianic, whether living in ancient or modern times, is in exactly the same spiritual situation,1 in an inclusivist’s thinking.           Covenant theology, inclusivist theology, and dispensational theology agree on the ontology of salvation. They all agree that anyone who is saved
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Is Christianity the Absolute Religion?

       Hegel  was the first prominent person  to highlight the absolu teness of the Christian message as part of his philosophy of religion and he refers to Christianity as the “absolute religion” in many places in his writings. 1  Martin Luther called Christianity the true and only religion. The traditional Protestant understanding of this concept is based on John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me.” It was Ephraim Lenning who raised  a number of  doubts about the absoluteness of Christi a nity and its superiority over other religions.  According to him, all religions may be true, or all may be false. But the proof is millions of years away.  He talked about the “ugly b a d ditch” Christianity faces with history on one side and the absolute on the other. He said Christianity should be judged not by a historical apologetics, but by an experience of the heart. Kierkegaard’s leap of faith contained the same idea. Kant separated
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Does Paul Teach That the Death of Jesus Was Substitutionary?

       The major biblical witness to Christ’s saving work as a penal substitution is the Apostle Paul. He uses at least five passages to convey this truth: Romans 3:25-26, 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; and Colossians 2:14. These same passages has been used by Peterson to prove other aspects about the saving work of Christ. 1           Paul starts the book of Romans by stating that in the gospel “the righteousness of God is revealed” (1:17). From there he writes extensively to show how the whole world is accountable to God and why the wrath of God is justified. He returns to the theme of righteousness of God in Romans 3:21.           Paul tells us that everyone needs this righteousness “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23) and that we receive it “through faith in Jesus Christ” (3:22).           In 1935, C. H. Dodd in his book “The Bible and the Greeks” used critical orthodoxy to overturn the traditional understanding of the words rendered pr
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Did Jesus Become a Ransom for Many?

                   One of the foundational statements in Christian theology is found in Mark 10:45 where Jesus claimed, " For even   the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and   to give His life a ransom for many.” This verse is often used to prove the exclusivist claims of Christianity when it comes to salvation.                      Critical New Testament scholarship has raised considerable doubt on whether Mark 10:45 should be accepted as an authentic saying of Jesus Christ. 1 It is alleged that this saying was created by the early church and read back into the life of Jesus. They present four arguments to support their claim.              First, the critics say that it is out of context. The preceding text shows Jesus teaching his disciples how to live a life of humble service. Peterson asks why Jesus could not present his own life as a model of service and his self-offering in death as the epitome of his service? 2 This is an argument also explained well by
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Is It Important to Uphold the Belief in a Triune God in our Pluralistic World?

                 Today we are confronted with two types of theology. One anchors itself in the biblical witness to God’s salvation-historical dealings with the world, centered in the revelation of Christ and elaborated in the doctrine of Trinity as a ‘tripersonal communion of reciprocal relations.’ 1 The second one bases itself not on the biblical witness but an alleged shift in contemporary Christian consciousness. Paul Knitter called it a ‘paradigm shift’ in Christian thinking. 2 John Hick called it a ‘Copernican revolution’ in Christianity. 3 This view calls for a wider ecumenism that will integrate all the religions into a pluralistic theocentric model with none occupying the center. God is placed at the center of this universe of faiths.             Moltmann made the new thinking clear when he stated, “If the biblical testimony is chosen as the point of departure, then we shall have to start from the three Persons of the history of Christ. If philosophical logic is made the s
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Christianity and Tolerance

            The Evangelicals have always maintained that God has revealed himself definitely through the Incarnation in Jesus Christ. They have always embraced the biblical stand that salvation is available only in the person and work of Jesus Christ. They maintain that if the claims of other religions contradict the teachings of the Bible, they must be rejected by a Christian as false. But today there is increasing opposition to this stand. The opposition is not on theological or philosophical grounds. Many think there is something morally blameworthy about Christian exclusivism. 1             The modern mindset is that people have different religious preferences, and instead of proselytizing, we should be tolerant of their faiths and accept them as such. All the main writers who promote pluralism and interreligious dialogue have expressed their intolerance towards continuing the exclusivist arguments in our generation. Wilfred Cantwell Smith thinks ‘exclusivism strikes more and mor
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