Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism [Paperback]

Christopher W. Morgan (Editor), Robert A. Peterson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 18, 2008

What about those who have never heard? The debate swirls and feelings run deep. What is the fate of the unevangelized? The traditional position--that apart from an explicit faith in Jesus no one is saved--seems to have fallen out of favor with many evangelicals. Here is a passionate but irenic response to the arguments of those who believe that the unevangelized can (or might) be saved apart from knowledge of Jesus Christ. Building on the insights of others, nine scholars introduce readers, even those with little background, to the ongoing discussion. Key questions--Is general revelation sufficient? Are other religions salvific? Do holy pagans exist? Must faith be explicit? Is exclusivism unjust?--are probed and answered from a biblical, theological and historical perspective. The book's positive thrust is summed up by editors Robert Peterson and Christopher Morgan : "God is passionately engaged in gathering people to know, love and worship him from every tribe, language, people and nation. And he has called us to join him on this mission."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Meticulously crisscrossing the arena of recent evangelical debate, these essays make a compelling case against Christian hypotheses of salvation for some apart from faith in Christ. This is the book against which self-styled inclusivists will henceforth have to argue." (J. I. Packer, Regent College )

"Is personal faith in Jesus Christ the only way of salvation, and what does this mean for this mission of the church in the twenty-first century? No two questions are more urgent on the evangelical agenda today, and this book deals honestly and forthrightly with both of them. A superb collection of essays reflecting biblical wisdom and churchly theology in the service of the gospel." (Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, and senior editor, Christianity Today )

"Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism is a refreshing voice in an increasingly confusing evangelical literary output on matters pertaining to human religions. This timely book is a very helpful guide to Christians who want to seriously examine the biblical and theological issues for themselves. Useful to specialists and nonspecialists." (Tite Tiénou, Dean and Professor of Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School )

"These thoughtful, irenic and informed essays provide an important response to more 'inclusivist' perspectives on the question of the destiny of the unevangelized. This is a helpful contribution to a complex and controversial set of issues." (Harold Netland, Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Intercultural Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School )

"For those who are more interested in faithful alignment with what Scripture says than in sentimentality on this extraordinarily challenging subject, this is now the book to read. Courteous in tone yet thoroughly engaged with those who take contrary positions, the contributors lead us with exegetical care, theological poise and pastoral sensitivity through a thicket of common objections. I warmly recommend this book." (D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School )

"No greater challenge faces the church of Jesus Christ than religious inclusivism--the belief that sincere people of many religions have enough truth to be saved from spiritual ruin. In an age of tolerance for all that does not seem to hurt or inhibit, no note sounds more discordant than an exclusivistic requirement of faith in Jesus Christ. Yet--with patience, respect and biblical rigor--Morgan, Peterson et al. show such an exclusive claim is in the Bible. Nothing could be more insensitive and arrogant than repeating this claim--unless it is true. Then, nothing could be more gracious and necessary than this book's message." (Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological Seminary )

"A helpful, scholarly critique of inclusivism by various evangelical authors." (Donald G. Bloesch, Professor of Theology Emeritus, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa )

"The fate of those who have never heard the gospel is one of the great mysteries of our faith. Christians have long speculated about whether and how God may have spoken to those who have not been exposed to the church's preaching of salvation through Christ alone. This book deals respectfully with the different views of the subject which are found among evangelical believers while seeking to remain faithful to the teaching of Jesus himself. It is a model of how we should discuss such a delicate matter and come to a decision which upholds the uniqueness of the one and only Savior of mankind." (Gerald Bray, Research Professor, Beeson Divinity School )

About the Author

Editors:

Christopher W. Morgan (Ph.D., Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate dean and associate professor of theology at California Baptist University in Riverside, California. He is senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Barstow, California. He is author of Jonathan Edwards and Hell and general editor (with Robert Peterson) of Hell Under Fire.

Robert A. Peterson (Ph.D., Drew University) is professor of systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He was formerly professor of New Testament and theology at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. His books include Getting to Know John's Gospel: A Fresh Look at Its Main Ideas, Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment, Calvin's Doctrine of the Atonement, Adopted by God: From Wayward Sinners to Cherished Children (all Presbyterian & Reformed) and Hell Under Fire (coedited with Chris Morgan, Zondervan). He has written numerous articles, was a contributor to the second edition of the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker) and edits Covenant Seminary's journal, Presbyterion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (February 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830825908
• ISBN-13: 978-0830825905
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The case for exclusivism, July 24, 2008

By 

William Muehlenberg (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism (Paperback)

Biblically Christianity is clearly exclusivist in its insistence that Christianity is the one true religion, and that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation. This is not exactly what a multicultural, pluralistic society wants to hear. But it is what biblical Christians are obligated to proclaim.

While it is obvious that many non-Christians (whether religious or nonreligious) will find the exclusiveness of Christianity's truth claims to be burdensome and objectionable, there are some Christians who also question the traditional understanding.

Some evangelical Christians, for example, have sought to widen the parameters when it comes to who can be saved and how. It is to these sorts of issues that this book is addressed. Eleven meaty chapters written by nine biblical scholars tackle the many complex issues involved.

Traditionally there have been three main approaches to these issues. The exclusivist camp argues that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour, and salvation only comes in response to the Gospel of Christ. The inclusivist camp argues that Christ is indeed the only Saviour, but people can be saved apart from hearing the Gospel message. Pluralism teaches that there are many religious roads to God.

This volume argues that the consistent Biblical position is that of exclusivism. It mainly interacts with other Christians who seek to argue for the remaining two positions, especially the inclusivists. Many of the leading evangelical inclusivists are those associated with the open theism movement. Thus open theists such as Clark Pinnock and John Sanders receive a great deal of attention in this volume, along with others. Terrance Tiessen, an inclusivist of the Reformed persuasion, also gets a wide hearing.

Morgan does a good job in his opening chapter listing the various details and nuances of the main positions involved. Indeed, he admits that the three traditional camps may be insufficient, and breaks things down into nine specific positions.

Daniel Strange offers a helpful overview of the claim that general revelation (God's self-disclosure in creation and conscience) is sufficient to condemn sinners, but not sufficient to save them. The special revelation of God (his Word and Jesus Christ) is necessary to make salvation possible to fallen mankind. Key texts such as Psalm 19 and Romans 1-2 are carefully examined, along with inclusivist assessments of them.

Walter Kaiser looks at salvation in the Old Testament, and argues that so-called holy pagans or believing Gentiles were saved just as we are, by response to the specific revelation of God. True, the OT saints did not have a clear understanding of Christ and his work, but they did have Yahweh's self-disclosure in general, and his specific revelation of a promised Saviour, going back to Genesis 3:15.

Eckhard Schnabel discusses how the Bible understands other religions. He reminds us that both Israel and the early Christians believed that competing religious worldviews were false religions and manmade belief systems. They both also recognised the spiritual dimension to other religions, which includes some elements of the demonic and satanic

William Edgar examines the charge that exclusivism is unjust. In his discussion he covers a number of major issues such as theodicy, the nature of evil, the sovereignty of God and the entrance of sin into the world. He reminds us that if God saved no one, he would still be absolutely just and fair. But the fact that many are saved speaks to the great mercy and grace of God.

Other chapters examine such topics as the nature of saving faith, the necessity of preaching the Gospel, and the missionary heart of God. The authors here argue that the best thing we can do for those who are worried about the fate of those who have not heard the Gospel is to encourage them to be more active in proclaiming the Gospel to all mankind.

A concluding chapter deals with notable objections to the notion of exclusivism, such as the fairness and justice of hell, and various pastoral concerns

In sum, there is a wealth of biblical, theological and hermeneutical material covered here, which is presented in a fair and gracious manner. Extensive quotations from, and arguments by, the inclusivists are presented and carefully dealt with. The authors meticulously and graciously interact with the inclusivists, but make it clear that the exclusivist position seems to best do justice to the biblical data.

And they make clear the priority of the Christian Gospel, and the urgency and importance of worldwide evangelisation. While a number of other volumes have covered these topics, this is perhaps the best recent volume to present the biblical and theological case for exclusivism. An important and vital volume.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough answers to the question of inclusivism, April 9, 2008

By 

wisdomofthepages.com (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism (Paperback)

Is explicit faith in Christ necessary for eternal salvation?

Without a doubt, a question like this is provocative and elicits passion from all religious corners. Depending on the answer given, the church will either go forth in evangelistic endeavors or will jettison both the message and the mission of the gospel.

In this brand new book, nine Christian theologians give us an excellent introduction to this topic, arguing against the idea that salvation can take place apart from knowledge of Jesus Christ.

One of the editors, Robert Peterson, is a professor of theology here in my hometown of St. Louis at Covenant Theological Seminary. There are a lot of new terms to get a handle on in this discussion, so Peterson opens with an introduction that defines the terms for us:

"Pluralism is the view that all religions lead to God. It denies that Jesus Christ is the worlds only Savior. People may be saved, therefore, as adherents of Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam, to cite the big three non-Christian religions as examples.

"Exclusivism, sometimes called restrictivism or particularism, is the view that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world and that one must believe God's special revelation that culminates in the gospel of Christ in order to be saved.

"Inclusivism is the view that, although Jesus is the only Savior of the world, one does not have to believe in the gospel to be saved.
For a Christian, the primary question is - regarding eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, which of the "isms" is the teaching of the Bible?

Each of the individual contributors to this book argue in favor of the exclusivist view of Jesus Christ. However, some Christians wrongly believe it is necessary for them to abandon the exclusivist position.

In an excellent online essay, theologian Dr. R. Albert Mohler, writes:
"The fact is that many persons are embarrassed by the Gospel as revealed in the Bible and taught by Christ. The central issue of offense is the exclusivity of the Gospel of Christ, And yet, Christ left no doubt about the matter. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The first sentence is not the ground of offense. The second sentence is. The "but by Me" statement leaves no room for confusion."

A sampling of the content includes Stephen Wellum's discussion on whether saving faith is implicit or explicit, Walter Kaiser tackles the subject of "Holy pagans", and Andreas Köstenberger takes us through the New Testament teaching that the gospel of Christ is the only means of salvation for all people and hence the church must go forth in witness to the world.

The editors of this book conclude their work with a word to Christians:
"God is passionately engaged in gathering people to know, love and worship him from every tribe, language, people and nation. And he has called us to join him on this mission."

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection of Essays!, September 15, 2008

By 

Josh Sullivan "joshlsulli" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism (Paperback)

This is a great book to understand the exclusivist point of view. People find it hard to believe that not all people will go to heaven. This books presents the biblical truth of man's sinfullness and the work of the Holy Spirit.