Here is a ground-breaking book that suggests some new possibilities of interpretation around the challenge of religious pluralism. The subject of the book is the finality of Jesus Christ in a world of different religions. Pinnock explains succinctly the factors that have made religious pluralism a major challenge for Christian theology. Then he places the issue in the history of doctrine leading up to the present day. Five chapters follow this introductory material and cover the field very systematically: The first chapter deals with God's global reach in salvation and shows that God is concerned for all people in all nations; chapter two highlights the Christology through which God is known to be the God of grace; the third chapter shows how the Bible views other religions as they presently exist and how we can understand them; chapter four deals with religions as non-static entities and the object of divine power bringing in the kingdom; and the fifth chapter discusses eschatology, or how it is possible to understand salvation in generous and large terms. A Wideness in God's Mercy is one of the very few books to present a strong proposal on the issue of religious pluralism while maintaining a rock-solid evangelical stance. It will no doubt launch a decade of discussion on a higher level among Christians.
