John Hick's Pluralist Philosophy of World Religions

According to John Hick's model of religious pluralism, all the world's great religions present equally valid ways of understanding and responding to the same ultimate Reality. This book offers an exposition of, and critical response to, Hick's model. Following an introductory chapter that surveys dominant approaches to religious diversity, the rise and development of Hick's pluralist interpretation of religions is traced. Finally, a critical assessment of Hick's mature pluralist model is offered. The conclusion: Hick's model is ultimately unsuccessful in overcoming the pluralist's most difficult conceptual problem, namely providing an adequate account of the fact that the world's religions understand the divine Reality in often contradictory ways. Ultimately, Hick's own solution threatens two of his long-cherished goals: a robust religious realism and a tradition-neutral religious pluralism. ""In this very valuable book, Paul Eddy explores some alternatives to pluralism, the origins and development of Hick's pluralistic hypothesis, and numerous objections to this hypothesis. Eddy's book is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in these topics."" --Robert McKim, Professor of Religion and of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Paul Rhodes Eddy is Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has coauthored and edited a number of books, including The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition; Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology; and The Historical Jesus: Five Views.