ABSTRACT
This contribution develops a humble exclusivism that respects religious Others in their Otherness. It focuses on truth‐geared rather than salvation‐geared religious exclusivism. It argues that there is nothing wrong with exclusivism but that it can become wrong when held in situations of cognitive ambiguity. In those situations, it needs to be reconstructed in humble rather than triumphalistic ways. Religious exclusivism should be maintained in a humble spirit since religion is characterized by cognitive ambiguity. A justificationist rather than a bivalent theoretical framework allows for cognitive humbleness. Reconstructed under justificationist parameters, religious exclusivism allows one to claim cognitive superiority for one’s own religion – but in a ‘broken’ way. Broken superiority and a humble exclusivism fit best with Christianity’s emphasis upon ‘fallenness’.
