ABSTRACT
John Hick’s religious pluralism offers what is, to many in our religiously diverse world, an attractive promise. It is no coincidence that those who have made suggestions to Hick regarding how to rectify his problem fall either into religious non-realism or a position which privileges either a theistic or a non-theistic religious worldview. The focus of this study has been upon an ‘immanent,’ philosophical analysis of Hick’s pluralist hypothesis. Hick’s own response to this question would likely be ‘yes and no in one sense, he would admit his hypothesis is not ‘Christian’; however, in other senses it certainly is. Beyond the question of purely dogmatic considerations, the present ferment in New Testament studies in general, and historical Jesus studies in particular, renders other aspects of Hick’s Christological conclusions suspect. In conclusion, this study may serve as one (among many that are necessary) ground-clearing exercise from which to launch out on a constructive quest for a viable Christian theology of religions.
