ABSTRACT
Hans Küng was a strong protagonist for the new Roman Catholic approach detailed in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. This chapter gives some consideration to Küng's original inclusivist position and a critique of that and moves on to a thorough analysis of his contemporary pluralist approach. It notes that there is a discernible shift in emphasis in Küng's inclusivism, even between the publication of The World Religions in God's Plan of Salvation in 1967 and of OnBeing a Christian in 1974. The inclusivist Küng was very critical of the way in which he saw the doctrine of reincarnation undergirding the perpetuation of the caste system and of what he called the unparalleled traditionalism of Confucianism. The chapter identifies Kng as a classical pluralist. The pluralist Küng, of all the theologians, has offered the most balanced perspective. He is willing to incorporate not only the ideals of religion but the obvious realities that exist in our contemporary world.
