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<p>Preface ix</p> <p><b>Part I: Charting the Territory: Theology of Religions 1</b></p> <p><b>1 Early Map Making 3</b></p> <p>Introduction 3</p> <p>Pluralism 9</p> <p>Inclusivism 19</p> <p>Exclusivism 25</p> <p><b>2 Changing the Angle: Recent Maps 34</b></p> <p>Some Criticisms of the Threefold Typology 34</p> <p>Comparative Theology 37</p> <p>Postmodern Postliberalism 45</p> <p><b>Part II: The Making and Meaning of Religions 55</b></p> <p><b>3 Modernity’s Story 57</b></p> <p>Introduction 57</p> <p>Modernity’s Story about Religions 58</p> <p><b>4 An Alternative: The Secular Construction of the Sacred </b><b>Modernity as the Establishment of a New Ruling 74</b></p> <p>Religion 74</p> <p>Conclusion 102</p> <p><b>Part III: Religions in the Public Square 103</b></p> <p><b>5 Whose Religion and Which Public Square? 105</b></p> <p>The Public Square 105</p> <p>A Taxonomy of Secular Modernity and Postmodernity 107</p> <p><b>6 Christian and Muslim Public Squares 128</b></p> <p>Roman Catholicism, Modernity and Religious Plurality 128</p> <p>Islam, Reasoned Debate, and Religious Plurality 136</p> <p><b>Part IV: Christ’s Descent into Hell 159</b></p> <p><b>7 Old Doctrines for New Jobs 161</b></p> <p>Introduction 161</p> <p>“The Descent”: Introduction to the “Circles of Hell” 165</p> <p>The Limbo of the Just and the Unevangelized 167</p> <p><b>8 Further into the Inferno 188</b></p> <p>Purgatory and the Non-Christian 188</p> <p>The Children’s Limbo 194</p> <p>The Descent into Hell 201</p> <p>Bibliography 212</p> <p>Subject Index 225</p> <p>Index of Works 233</p>

<p>“All in all, D’Costa should be commended for writing an excellent book. This work is a wonderful contribution to the conversation regarding Christianity and non-Christian religions. I highly recommend it for all persons interested in the theology of religions, as well as any Christian looking for new ways to understand the possibility of salvation for non-Christians.”  (<i>The International Journal of Public Theology</i>, 1 December 2012)</p> <p>"I warmly encourage readers in each to take it up and read." (<i>One in Christ</i>, July 2010) "[D'Costa] finds convincing substantiation for his position in biblical, patristic, and medieval Christian doctrine." (<i>CHOICE,</i> September 2009)"For a generation which is reasserting its Catholic identity, this thesis may serve a valuable purpose, calming the anxieties of those who, admirable, have managed to maintain an interest in the salvation of non-Christians yet are as hard put to win converts as their more pluralist co-religionists." (<i>The Way</i>, January 2010)</p> <p>"His gazetteer of these regions at the edge of the eschatological map is fascinating. The closing pages are as perceptive a meditation on what the dereliction of the cross can and cannot mean as we might expect to find in a first-rate book devoted entirely to that subject." (<i>Chruch Times</i>, December 2009)</p>

<b>Gavin D’Costa</b> is Professor of Christian Theology at Bristol University. He also works with the Church of England and Roman Catholic Committees on Other Faiths, and the Pontifical Council for Other Faiths, Vatican City, advising these communities on theological issues. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including <i>Theology and the Public Square</i> (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), <i>Sexing the Trinity</i> (2000), and <i>The Meeting of Religions and the Trinity</i> (2000).

Why has the reality of other religions become a big problem for Christianity? In the past, Christianity has been able to largely ignore other religions but in recent decades, not just the reality, but the vitality of other religions has become a challenge. This accessible book tackles a number of questions arising from these changes: is belonging to one religion rather than another merely a matter of cultural preference?; is salvation the same among all religions?; and what can be learned from other religions? Considering wider issues of how modernity has defined “religion,” Gavin D’Costa provides a substantial critique of secular ways of controlling religions, and shows how Christianity is very well suited to deal with religious plurality at the doctrinal and social level. <p>The book makes a decisive contribution to debates about the clash between Islam and the West, arguing that the major threat to religious freedoms come from secularism, and that Islam and Christianity both have the resources to develop a vibrant and pluralist “public square” informed by intellectual debate. By engaging with the core questions and suggesting a pathway through the various answers that have been proposed in recent years, this is an ideal introduction to the field, and one which will help stimulate ideas and discussions.</p>

"The deepest challenge to global Christianity is in its relation to world religions. Informative and thought-provoking, this book tackles one of the most heated issues of the time: the interactions within religious pluralism. Old-timers and newcomers to disputes over these 'disputed questions' will not walk away from this book casually or apathetically. It is provocative and, yes, challenging."<br /> –<i>Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago</i> <p>“In this book, Gavin D'Costa continues to push and stretch established categories and traditional doctrines to provide highly original and deeply provocative thoughts on the relationship between Christianity and other religions and on the role of religion in the public square.  And his approach to the question of the salvation of non-Christians in terms of Christ's descent into hell will undoubtedly be the focus of heated discussion in the theology of religions for years to come.” <i><br /> –Catherine Cornille, Associate Professor of Comparative Theology at Boston College, Author of The Im-Possibility of Interreligious Dialogue.</i></p>

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