Title: Through No Fault of Their Own?
Description: What happens to those who have died without having heard the gospel? How could God condemn someone who has never had an opportunity to trust Christ as Savior? In this volume an impressive array of evangelical thinkers present a sturdy defense of the necessity of salvation through Christ. Theologians, biblical scholars, and missiologists bring their expertise to bear on key issues and biblical texts. Among the twenty-two contributors are Millard Erickson, Carl Henry, David Clark, Clark Pinnock, John Oswalt, Scot McKnight, Charles Van Engen, Harvie Conn, and Tite Tienou. Each author holds human standards of fairness up to God's revealed viewpoint and seeks to understand the biblical teaching about natural theology and soteriology. Most chapters discuss one question, stressing hermeneutic considerations, but bringing philosophy and other disciplines into play where appropriate. Each key biblical text is considered by one or more contributors. The full range of universalist options is clearly explained and evaluated with special attention given to those who have endeavored to expand the horizons of Christian thinking in pluralistic directions, among them Paul Knitter, John Hick, and Karl Rahner. They interact with the writings of evangelicals who reject universalism yet offer some hope for those who have never heard. - Back cover.