Date of Award
1-1-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Philosophy
First Advisor
Neil Manson
Second Advisor
Timothy Yenter
Third Advisor
Drew Billings
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
This thesis is a methodology for a writing project I have undertaken on Christian inclusivism. My approach to Christian inclusivism is drawn from Paul Tillich, but it is updated and improved by postmodernism and Derrida’s “religion without religion.” To wit: Whatever relief from suffering there is to be found in comparative religion, Jesus must have in principle taught it or something comparable, else by definition he was not the Christ. This type inquiry is unavoidably a form of Christian apologetics, but one that is designed to restore and renew Christian theology in light of the truths of comparative religion rather than the other way around. The questions I grappled with in this thesis are such as these: How do I formulate a truth criterion that is both effective and tradition–neutral among the various religious traditions? How can I conduct interfaith dialogues without falling into syncretism? Most importantly, if I have not structured this inquiry with complete agnosticism and intellectual honesty such that Jesus cannot fail as the Christ, then it is not serious scholarship—hence the title.
Recommended Citation
Vining, Lonnie Marvin, "RECLAIMING APOLOGETICS AS SERIOUS SCHOLARSHIP: A METHODOLOGY FOR AN OPEN–ENDED EXPLORATION OF CHRISTIAN INCLUSIVISM" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2069.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2069