Alan Race

This chapter is in two parts. The first part explores why it has become convenient for critics of pluralist theologies of religions to accuse its advocates of postmodern relativism. I explain why it is a wilful misplaced judgement to confuse pluralism with relativism, and that the real fear behind the dismissal of pluralism is the anticipated loss of Christian absolutism with both its implied uniqueness in a world of religious diversity and its perceived need as a marker of Christian identity. The second part of this chapter illustrates how and why pluralist theology best resolves the tangle of epistemological and social issues situated at the heart of practical interreligious encounter and relations. I choose three contexts of interreligious relations to illustrate this proposition: (1) public square; (2) interreligious dialogue; and (3) discussions of religious experience. Each context represents a ‘pointer to pluralism’ and provides a lived practical grounding for the pluralist theological thinking outlined in Part One.

Amid concern about the changing world order, the post-Cold War anatomy of war and conflict, and the destruction of the ecological basis of all life, secular analysts and Christian theologians have collaborated to present this collection of essays reflecting on global problems. Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the end of World War II, and the founding of the United Nations, the book is arranged in parallel themes so that the theological commentaries in Part Two respond appropriately to the global analyses presented in Part One.