Church, Salvation and Religions: A Synthesis

This book discusses, concurrently, the indispensable belief in the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ as the only “mediator” of human salvation, and the equally strong conviction that the Church is an essential instrument of this salvation. The work being discussed in this book is the proposition that non-Christians can also attain salvation, or, in particular, that non-Christian religions can “be vehicles of salvation for their adherents.” My aim in this book is to demonstrate theologically the ways in which, “the followers of non-Christian religions who do not accept or even specifically reject Christ and the claims of Christianity [can] be saved … in and through their religion(s).” It is my intention to show that the theological proposition regarding the divine will for universal salvation is not at odds with the assertion concerning the necessity of the redemptive work of Christ and the obligation of salvation through him has enjoyed long-standing approval in the church. Rather than being contradictory, the two assertions are complementary, according to correct interpretation; the one confirms the other.