‘Can Christocentrism be sustained in the face of competing religious claims and pluralist Christian objections?’

Abstract

'Christocentrism' may not be an elegant word, but it well describes the traditional Christian view that the fullness of divine revelation and the finality of humanity’s redemption centre upon Christ.2 In recent decades, however, it has often been asserted that, for a number of reasons, such christocentrism impedes or even destroys the prospect of dialogue with people of other faiths. This paper will argue a contrary view: namely, that christocentrism (at least when stated with some minor qualifications) rarely impedes dialogue and, in fact, actually enables a fruitful encounter – with Hindus, for example – in a way that diminished christological alternatives do not.