Jesus Christ, Scandal of Particularity: Vatican II, a Catholic Theology of Religions, Justification, and Truth

In this book, in view of the light of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and hence the scandal of particularity, the author explores the relationship between the Second Vatican Council and a Catholic theology of religions, the standard by which the unevangelized will be judged, the ideology of dialogue and the corresponding idea of religious relativism, the truth-oriented dynamic of interreligious dialogue, the necessity of interreligious apologetics, truth and epistemic justification, and the orientation of dialogue to evangelization. The key figures discussed in this book are, inter alia, Gerald O’Collins, SJ, St. John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Bernard Lonergan, SJ, Marianne Moyaert, Edward Schillebeeckx, OP, and Wolfhart Pannenberg.Testimonials:“’Clarity before all else; the dialogue demands that what is said should be intelligible.’ These words of Pope Paul VI animate Eduardo Echeverria’s spirited dialogue and debate in this book. Taking issue with Gerald O’Collins’s views on religious pluralism and universal salvation, with Marianne Moyaert’s dialogic take on divine revelation, and with Pope Francis’s approach to interreligious dialogue, Jesus Christ, Scandal of Particularity offers a reading of the Second Vatican Council that is in continuity with the preceding tradition and aims to restore missionary proclamation as the church’s primary calling. This book is vintage Echeverria: intrepidly gospel-centered, well-informed, genuinely ecumenical, and—without fail—eminently clear.” – Hans Boersma, Nashotah House Theological Seminary“I am grateful to be a colleague of Dr. Echeverria at Sacred Heart Seminary where we both teach. I am very familiar with his work and consider him one of the most able of sophisticated theological and philosophical defenders of foundational Catholic doctrines that are massively under attack. His work on authentic development of doctrine, the uniqueness of Jesus, the propositional content of Divine Revelation, and the theology of world religions is absolutely first-rate. This is a very important book. Highly recommended.” – Ralph Martin, Professor of Theology / Director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit“Is Christian theology losing its distinctive voice amidst a climate of shallow, arbitrary, religious pluralism? This text draws not only from Roman Catholic theologians and the Magisterium, but also from the richness of Reformed, Anglican, Lutheran, and evangelical scholarship to address this question. In a deftly postliberal fashion, this book provides a robustly argued voice for the unique, particular revelation of God in Jesus Christ. While acknowledging our pluralist context and espousing religious dialogue, it equally eschews the reduction of general revelation to that of natural theology. Contra the tendency of some theologians who advocate a broad religious inclusivism, instead Echeverria astutely defends accessibilism, where the hope of God’s salvation in Christ is present for all, without suggesting that non-Christian religions are instrumental in salvation. He insists that revelation of salvation must not be confused with salvation efficacy. Indeed, this is a ‘scandal of particularity’ that also renews the particular voice of the hope of Jesus Christ and his Incarnation into a world of confusion and despair.” – Prof. Dr. Ronald T. Michener, Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, BELGIUM Read more