TEOLOGICan Salvation Be Found In Other Religions?
A Search for a “Mid Way” Between Universality and Particularity
By Vincent Arishvara (Fuller Theological Seminary)
Research Paper
ST 502 Winter 2006, Menlo Park
Professor: Dr. Veli-Matti Karkkainen
Introduction
Christians do not live alone. Living in the pluralistic world becomes more challenging. By mid 1980 when Postmodernism had blossomed, all the grand narratives are put into question. This is the end of Western dominance, individualism, capitalism, and Christianity. According to Arnold Toynbee, all the power has shifted from the West to non-Western cultures and a new pluralist world culture. Modernity along with its myth of rationalization and its universalism has found its biggest challenge in Postmodernism. No more does one big rule to govern people’s lives, which means Christianity can no longer be the only “truth” that gives meaning to all the world: “Christianity is true for you but might not for me.”
Identity becomes the issue since people no longer have the same perception of the one same reality. Today’s society looks for something that works for them in one specific context of living. Along with the search of identity, the tension between universality and particularity, objective and subjective, becomes more crucial. If all the ideas of the universality have to be rejected, should we enter the world of subjectivism where there is no more common “truth” that we can embrace together?
In my view, the question “Can salvation be found in other religions?” is a question of identity. Along with changes in our society, we as Christians have to answer this challenge of subjectivism in postmodernism without compromising our true identity and also remains sensitive to the existence of our fellow pilgrims in other religions.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to search for a “mid way” between the polarity of universal and particulars; objective and subjective in regards of salvation. Where in reality, people always avoid themselves to fall into one of the two extremes and always seek for a “mid way”. For those two poles show their own arguments that for me, are too precious to be rejected in our effort of building strong relationship between Christians and world religions.
Borrowing Clark Pinnock’s term that universality is belief that God loves the whole world and particularity is the belief that Jesus is the only way to God. Two proponents from each view will be brought up into discussion. First is Karl Barth, who has been hailed as the most significant voice of modern Christian theology , representing the Western view of salvation. Secondly, Raimon Panikkar, an Indian-Catalan Catholic thinker who has been known as the most creative and most difficult to understand theologian of our time representing postmodernism-pluralistic view of salvation. The biggest hope is by examining the overview of each proponent’s theology of salvation, we can take action of how we as Christians should act in the challenge of the new era.
Two Polarities
Between Christians, there are two opposition teams that stand against each other whenever the question of salvation rises. First, the people who believes that salvation is unique and only happens through the life of Jesus Christ and anyone who does not believe in Jesus will be forever lost. Second, the people who believes that salvation is available for all human religion. They basically believe that all religions on earth go to the same direction, to God, and it would be ridiculous for God not to save them.
But in terms of salvation, proponents of each pole agree that the harmony between humans and God needs to be restored. Humankind has sinned and continually falls short, and all the religions including Christianity are never the means of salvation. The reason for this is that no human can be saved by the quality of there life. If no religion can do such a job, it must be only God alone who can bring us near to Him. But the question goes further: “which God?” If we need the “mediator” to gain this unity with God, “which mediator?” Can it be Mohammad, Buddha Gautama, Krishna, or Jesus Christ? The particularity in context, culture, and people of each religion has become the main problem of viewing the universal truth of salvation.
Salvation only through Jesus Christ: the Particularity
For years Christian religion is believed to be the exclusive religion through which salvation can be achieved. The whole controversy relies on Jesus’ claim about Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life, that no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Karl Barth, a twentieth century church father wrote: “ The peace between God and man and the salvation which comes to us men is not something general, but the specific thing itself: that concrete thing which is indicated by the name of Jesus Christ and not by any other name.” Peter, before the Sanhedrin clearly stated: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts14:2) The implication is clear, that only Christians can be saved since Christianity cannot be separated from its proclamation of Christ as the Savior. A church cannot separate itself from the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Eliminating this name, Christianity will find itself weakened and lost having its raison d’etre . Moreover in regard to Christianity as the true religion that will lead every man to the salvation, Barth strongly suggests:
“Because it was and is and shall be through the name of Jesus Christ, it was and is and shall be the true religion: the knowledge of God, and the worship of God, and the service of God, in which man is not alone in defiance of God, but walks before God in peace with God.”
Oscar Cullman, one of the Karl Barth’colleagues, asserts that the New Testament talks primarily about Jesus’ role in salvation history. The whole existence and the purpose of Jesus ministry on earth is to save the whole world (John 3:16). If we are going to stretch this particularity of salvation, we would find that the Christians whole belief is constructed in specific history, specific people, and specific culture. Every book of the Bible from Old Testament to New Testament talks about the history of the people of Israel and how God through His chosen people has called the whole world to be united with Him. (Romans 3:2). In other words, like it or not, the Bible supports all the reason for Christians to be particular.
Every religion has access to salvation: the Universality
The opposite side of the particularity of salvation stands the universality of salvation. Proponents of this view start their argument from the book of Genesis, as Wesley Arairajah, a pluralist from Srilanka states: “It is only one God for all faiths. The Book of Genesis starts with the creation of cosmos and not the creation of the church” .
Nicky Gumbel, an ordained Anglican minister from Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London and a writer of best selling book “Searching Issues” states three reasons that all religions in the world seem to have some degree of similarity: First, God’s partial revelation in His creation (Psalm 19:1). Second, human beings are made in the image of God, and God has given us a conscience to distinguish right from wrong (Romans 2:14,15). Third, every heart hungers for God (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We have to admit that there is “truth” in other religions and we cannot simply reject and putting them into a box of “unsaved.”
Postmodernism phenomenon marks the end of a single, universal worldview. Pluralistic view has marked the existence of Postmodernism where its foundation lies in the concept that “truth is many-faceted” the “truth” depends totally on our understanding and our interpretation. In many aspects, the pluralist tries to maintain the authenticity of each religion and avoids a universal voice from one particular religion where all the religions in the world should be judged according to it. The background of pluralism is clearly stated by Raimon Panikkar: “Pluralistic because no single culture, model, ideology, or whatnot can any longer raise a convincing claim to be the one, unique, or even best system in an absolute sense.” Many pluralistic thinkers wonder if someone from another religion can find their salvation if they believe in the God of creation and not in the life of Jesus? Assume that all religions have different paths but go in to the same direction, seeking the same God. How can thousands of years of history along with journeys of faith of millions of people be measured and judged according to the life and work of one person, Jesus Christ? Does not God desire all humans to be saved? (1Timothy 2:4)
In his book “Intra-religious Dialogue”, Raimon Panikkar develops a model religion as a language tool of expressing everything that needs to be expressed. Thus, it is making less sense to say one religion is more perfect than another, for we can, in our language say all that we feel the need to say. He argues that every religion is crystallization of human experience that varies with people, places, ages, and so on as Pannikar writes:
“A Christian cannot assume at the outset that he knows what a Buddhist means when speaking about nirvana and anatman, just as a Buddhist cannot immediately be expected to understand what a Christian means by God and Christ before they have encountered not just the concepts but their living contexts, which include different ways of looking at reality.”
For Panikkar, salvation happens only through faith, but it never meant to be monopoly of Christian faith. All religion has access to salvation because a man follows a particular religion because in it he believes he finds the ultimate fulfillment of his life.
The Issues in Universality and Particularity
The particularity of universality can be found in Raimon Panikkar’s statement that Christ (even though for him, Christ is only the symbol) is the only Mediator of salvation and He is present and effective in any authentic religion. For Panikkar, the way Christ saves other religions is a mystery and perhaps if Christ would save them, He would do it in anonymous way since we, as Christians never possess an exhaustive knowledge of Christ. But he also firmly believes that Christ is the universal redeemer; Christ saves a good Hindu person, through Hinduism as Christ would save Moslems through Islam.
Meanwhile, Karl Barth’s doctrine of double predestination, putting Jesus as an elected God and elected Man, has also some degree of universality. In many occasions, he often uses term “universal election” , where through Christ, all the condemnation of the human race is taken away. Every man, no matter what his religion is, is elected into a Divine realm through Jesus Christ.
Neither Panikkar nor Barth can maintain the purity of each pole. They both have some degree of each aspect of universality and particularity. It can be understood, since we, as humans perceive things through the dialectical meaning of its opposites. There is no bad without good, no dark without light, and so on. Becoming purely universal in regard of salvation would deny the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation; in the other hand, becoming purely particular in regard of salvation would deny the fact that Jesus Christ is also God of the Universe who is able to save the whole world. Thus, to talk about the vastness of God is to talk about His particularity in the life of Jesus Christ and vice-versa.
Salvation, the Work of Love
Love has to be the point of departure of both views. The proponent of particularity view of salvation tries to preserve the unique love of Jesus as God and Man, while the proponent of universality view of salvation attempts to seek the common ground where all religions of the world can also be included in salvation; concerning billions of people who would be lost if they never heard anything about Jesus. Both representative theologians speak particularly in the same language of love. Love can be both particular and exclusive, and universal. In universality, love can be understood from the creation of the universe and human being, only because of love God created us. In particularity, the Word becomes flesh: God’s love for humanity becomes historical. For love fulfills itself in the object of its love.
Salvation is the desire of God to have an intimate relationship with humankind. In other words, salvation is a union between God and humankind. It has to be first initiated by God as the subject, as a shepherd looks after the lost sheep.
In Choan Seng Song words: “Jesus’ mission is the mission of the lonely God who continues the search for reunion with the homeless human being until God’s boundless love fills all in all. God is love (1John 4:8), both in universality and particularity.
A Mid Way, Conclusion.
The tensions between the universality view and particularity view in regards of salvation have proved us that there is no single absolute model that able to perfectly explain the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. Every pole of view comes as the attempt to answer every challenge of each era, as particularity for Modern era and universality for postmodern era, where every pole has to be seen in the light of the context of each time.
The main challenge of living in the pluralistic world where all the changes become the main ideology is how we can maintain a solid standard of our life. Postmodernism professes that there is nothing absolute except change which it creates a huge confusion where people start losing their identities. If Postmodernism is a search for identity, the identity of Christianity that puts Jesus Christ as God and Savior cannot be changed. Despite any changes that might happen regarding the interpretations and differences in perspectives, we should maintain our integrity by holding up Jesus Christ as the true God.
Universality and Particularity in our concept of viewing the role of Jesus Christ in regard to salvation cannot solve their own contradictions. But, there is a mid way in the midst of contradictions. Clark Pinnock, an Evangelical Theologian, feels that both views have some degree of truth that cannot merely be avoided by the Christians. The new possibility of looking at two polarities is to see them as both-and not either-or. This is the scenario he offers: “Christ, the only mediator, sustains particularity, while Spirit, the presence of God everywhere, safeguards universality. Christ represents particularity by being the only mediator between God and humanity (1Timothy 2:5-6), while Spirit upholds universality because no soul is beyond the sphere of the Spirit’s operation.” So that I will never be surprised if I would see a devout Moslem, Hindu, or Buddhist in the heaven.
Finally, it is so obvious what the Bible says about the whole thing. The whole creation of the world is the creation of love, for God is love. The same love made God the Father to sent His only Son Jesus Christ, so that He can be the only way, the truth, and life where no one can be saved unless through Him. The one Spirit, the Spirit of love who guides the Christian faith will also guide the world religions, since the same Spirit has created all humankind in the very image of God Almighty so that all religions in the world can also have access to salvation.