Religious Pluralism And The Modern World

This fascinating and nuanced volume engages with the innovative and at the same time contentious debate on religious pluralism mooted by John Hick, one of the most prominent British philosophers of religion. In celebrating Hick's voluminous work, a team of eminent and emerging scholars, representing a broad range of philosophical and theological perspectives, offer a succinct and incisive analysis of Hick's ideas and their enduring relevance for a world which is becoming increasingly polarized.

These essays not only deal with theoretical and doctrinal aspects of interreligious discourse, but also focus on developing a discourse that challenges any form of religious absolutism.They address important questions such as how to articulate a philosophy or theology of religious pluralism that is not triumphalistic, how to affirm a spirituality that is not restrictive, how to speak about liberation that does not smack of theological finality.

Besides issues related to religious pluralism, this volume also contains illuminating essays on themes such as suffering and theodicy. This insightful volume should be of immense interest and value to scholars and students of religion and lay readers. Review: 'This book is a welcome tribute to Professor John Hick on his ninetieth birthday, [and] further amplifies his refreshing message for our modern age, so characterized by plurality, that the truth may not lie so much with any one of us as between and among us.' - Arvind Sharma, Birks Professor of Comparative Religion, McGill University, Canada 'Religious pluralism by John Hick is influential over many Japanese including Shusaku Endo, a well-known Catholic novelist whose last novel was Deep River.

In the novel, the pluralist theme was expressed. Not only Christians but also Buddhists in Japan now recognize Hick's way of understanding religion as compelling importance for building a peaceful world. In this sense, the essays collected here and reflecting Hick's legacy, looking especially at his philosophical and theological concerns are a real and valuable contribution.' - Hiromasa Mase, Professor Emeritus of Keio University in Tokyo, Japan 'John Hick's wide ranging and important contributions to the philosophy of religion are fittingly recognised in these essays.

Collectively and individually, they testify to the enduring significance of Hick's treatment of such issues as religious pluralism, the problem of evil and the nature of salvation. They will be of interest to students of religion in general and of John Hick in particular.' - Peter Byrne, Emeritus Professor of Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, King's College London