A God of Many Understandings?: The Gospel and Theology of Religions

by Todd Miles

Western Christianity’s interaction with world religions used to be, for the most part, overseas. Today, “religious others” often live next door. At a changing time when one public prayer spoken during the 2009 U.S. presidential inauguration festivities was addressed to “O god of our many understandings,” the evangelical Christian church should do more than simply dismiss non-Christian religions as pagan without argument or comment. The Church needs a theology of religions that is Christ-honoring, biblically faithful, intellectually satisfying, compassionate, and that will encourage Spirit-powered mission. Oregon-based theology professor Todd Miles writes to that end in A God of Many Understandings ?, attempting, as the scholar Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen puts it, “to think theologically about what it means for Christians to live with people of other faiths and about the relationship of Christianity to other religions.”

Genres: Theology, Christian

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[David Clouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this book many years ago for an intensive on apologetics and remembered really liking it. So I picked it back up to do a rare re-read. The content of this book is excellent. Miles is very comprehensive in his evaluation of Christian inclusivists and what they believe and how they defend it. He is also very clear and argues extremely well why that view just doesn’t cut it when you look at the Bible. It’s definitely a scholarly read which makes it a bit boring and repetitive at times which knocked it down from a five for me, but one could learn a lot about pluralism and some of the ways in which society would be inclined to believe that all will go to heaven, even if they haven’t consciously accepted Christ.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We live in odd times. We live in an age in which tolerance means equal acceptance of each and every truth claim — except those, of course, that claim be the one and only truth.

This book by Todd Miles is a bastion for the cause of truth, particularly for those evangelicals who, in submission to the Word of God and sober deference to two millennia of church history, face a renewed challenge to upholding and defending the exclusive claims of the Christian gospel. As Miles acknowledges, we face nothing new in this regard. After all, Christianity was birthed in pluralistic world that continuously presented challenge and yet incalculable opportunities. What is different, Miles notes, is “the rise of the global village, increased communications technology, and the relativistic mind-set of postmodernity.

As the author delineates in the introductory chapter, he sets out to accomplish several goals:

(1) to defend the biblical assertion that there is one supreme God who is sovereign over all; (2) to maintain that conscious faith in the gospel is necessary for salvation; (3) to demonstrate the ministry of the Spirit is focuses on the glorification of the Son (the “roles of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are inextricably linked” [4]); (4) to present a positive model for how a Christian theology of religions should be developed; and (5) to convince the readers to preach the gospel. The author unashamedly identifies with evangelicalism, which he views as nothing less than “historic orthodox Christianity” (7).

Many books have been written on the need for conscious faith in Christ for salvation; where this books stands out is that he argues “for the necessity of Christ-glorifying, Spirit-empowered faith in Christ based upon biblical-theological and Trinitarian foundations” (28).

In chapter two Miles instructs us on how to think “Christianly” about other religions. He lays a sturdy foundation by surveying the whole of the Bible as it presents one God who created all things and, out of his own free will, chooses to save unworthy creatures. Moreover, he looks at how idolatry was a constant temptation for Israel and how time and again God’s jealous love meant that he and he alone was worthy of worship.

In chapter three the author looks as universalism, hell, and conditional immortality, and shows how often people, however well-meaning, come to the Scriptures with presuppositions that ultimately gut the Bible of its own message, particularly the notion of God’s love which is often reduced to a mushy sentimentalism that eclipses God’s justice.

In chapter four Miles interacts with pluralism which holds that all religions are valid and thus they all lead to God since the Spirit gives light to all people.

In chapters five and six, Miles looks at inclusivism which argues that while Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world one does not need to believe in him explicitly in order to be saved. Inclusivists maintain that general revelation provides saving knowledge and evangelicals in this camp affirm their belief in Jesus Christ while at the same time insisting on the universal accessibility of salvation, which for them entails that God’s Spirit is at work using elements within their belief systems to guide them to Christ.

The strength and particular achievement of this book comes in chapter seven as Miles responds to the “pneumatological inclusivism” so prevalent among many evangelicals, particularly the notion that one should have a “pneumatological lens” and draw a separation between the work of the Spirit and that of Jesus Christ. He seeks to combat this error positively in chapter eight. In chapter nine Miles answers a host of pertinent questions regarding general and special revelation, arguing that they should be viewed together and never seperate. Of special help is how Miles offers pastoral encouragement in how to dialogue with others, honestly listening, without abandoning Christian conviction, with the hope that God might open their eyes to the light of the gospel.

This book is a tour de force in positively presenting the exclusive claims of the Christian gospel. Miles charitably but incisively interacts with opponents of every kind. As noted above, the noteworthy contribution of this book is the emphasis on the Trinitarian foundation of Christian exclusivity. If there is one shortfall to this book, it would have to be its length. It is apparent that this was originally a PhD dissertation. This is by no means to denigrate the book, but perhaps it limits the scope and usefulness of the work to the average layman who might feel intimidated and overwhelmed with the host of footnotes across the book. The obvious contribution is that Miles spends a considerable amount of ink to quote his opponents in their own words without caricature or dismissive gloss; but one downfall is that the author follows many tangents that, while important, are not immediately required in support of his overall argument. That said, it does serve the church, especially those preparing to serve in the ministry to think carefully about the many intellectual attacks being leveled against the Christian gospel on many fronts. This book by Todd Miles, then, is a worthy contribution to the larger church of the Lord Jesus that seeks to love people and honor Christ by proclaiming his exclusive gospel to all people.

One cannot finish reading this book without a sudden boost to one’s confidence and boldness in the gospel of Christ. We live in a day in age in which it is unpopular to take a stand on Christianity’s exclusive truth claims, and yet if we are to remain faithful to the Word of God and to the God who in his marvelous grace saved us through Christ’s accomplished work and applied through the Spirit, we must uphold the need of conscious faith in the gospel of Christ for salvation — and all this grounded in the Trinitarian work of God in redemptive history.

[John Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been interested in the Christian mission of global evangelization. As such, the way that Christianity relates to other religions is of prime importance. Is the advance of the kingdom of Jesus to the ends of the Earth necessary? Isn't that too imperial? Aren't we being arrogant in thinking that we have the gospel for all the world?

It is these kind of questions that Todd Miles, a professor here in Portland and elder of my previous church community, aims to answer in his book, A God of Many Understandings? The Gospel and a Theology of Religions.

Miles begins his work by establishing his thesis. He argues for an exclusivist understanding of world religions that demands conscious faith in the gospel of Jesus (for those unaware, in a city like Portland this is perhaps the chief sin. Say this in Powell's and hipsters will stone you with books). This thesis guides the rest of the volume.

He briefly surveys the way that Scripture speaks about and responds to, what he terms, "religious others". Miles is adamant that the consistent refrain in the Hebrew Bible is a call for exclusive worship of YHWH. He states, "There is not even a hint that anything other than exclusive worship of the Lord, on his terms, is acceptable" (58). Upon evaluation of the New Testament, Miles concludes, the evidence is univocal in how the early Church responded to religious others: They preached the gospel. The times of ignorance had been overlooked, but now God was calling all people, everywhere to repent and look to His Messiah.

After he lays his Biblical foundation on which he constructs the rest of his argument, Miles assesses the available options for a theology of religions. He uses the familiar fourfold typology of Universalism, Pluralism, Inclusivism, and Exclusivism, with the exception of evaluating Inclusivism within both evangelical and non-evangelical expressions.

Beginning with Universalism, Miles, drawing largely from an article by Richard Bauckham, details the history of Universalism, as well as its current resurgence amongst evangelicals. As is expected, Miles rejects Universalism on both theological and Biblical-exegetical grounds. He includes a short excursus on the doctrine of hell, which, though largely convincing, may have overstated its case a bit regarding Annihilationism. I concede a bit more ambiguity than Miles would.

Next in line, Miles addresses Pluralism. He rightly notes that the pluralistic nature of our society is nothing new, the New Testament was written in an environment just a pluralistic as our own. As such, it can speak very adequately to our present situation without much need for analogy making. Miles notes two sorts of pluralism:
[1] Reductionism occurs when the claim is made that the major religions are essentially the same and ultimately teach the same things. [2] Obfuscation occurs when the assertion is made that because God is complex and mysterious, any claims to particularity are finally impossible. (pp. 141)
In counteracting these two forms, Miles engages with the thought of John Hick, Peter Hodgson, Paul Knitter, and Stanley Samartha. He offer acute analysis of the trends and developments necessitated in Pluralist theology. For example, the tendency to subscribe to a low Christology, In denying Jesus divine identity, Pluralists are free to reject the exclusivism entailed in Particular Revelation. Likewise, Christian Pluralists tend to work from a Theo-Centric perspective, rather than Christo-centric. Miles handily rejects the Pluralist claims, finding them wanting on Biblical (which, most Pluralists aren't concerned with anyways) and philosophical/theological grounds. Essentially, the concessions made by Pluralists result in a theology that is often unrecognizable to the Christian tradition.

Having dealt with Pluralism, Miles moves on to consider both non-evangelical and evangelical expressions of Inclusivism. I was very pleased with the breadth of conversation partners that Miles chose. He engages with Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant theologians. A distinct trend is revealed in almost all Inclusivist expressions: a theology of religions that is thoroughly Pneumatological. The Spirit is of prime importance to Inclusivist theology. Jesus is too particular of a focus, he is bound by the confines of the Church, however, the Spirit is universal, and as such, is able to reach all peoples, even those who are untouched by the gospel of Jesus. It is this pneumatological foundation that allows inclusivist to open salvation, though still grounded in the work of Jesus, to religious others. Miles engages with important thinkers such as Clark Pinnock, Amos Yong, Karl Rahner, and Greg Khodr, as well as the important Vatican II statements.

Miles responds to the Inclusivist claims, which he certainly sees as the most significant challenge to Exclusivism, in the final three chapters of his book. First, he addresses a hermeneutical concern. According to Miles, Scripture is Christocentric. To read the Bible in a way that places prime significance on the Spirit, over the Son, is to choose a non-Biblical hermeneutic. My studies in early Christianity certainly confirm Miles point that the New Testament writers were explicitly Christocentric. Even their pneumatology was Christocentric. Which leads to his discussion on pneumatology itself. He rightly states that we must not separate the work of the Spirit from the work of the Son, because the primary role of the Spirit is to witness to Jesus. The Spirit does not bring salvation apart from His witness to the Son. Neither the Son, nor the Spirit, are independent of one another - as many Inclusivists imply. Thus, Miles concludes that the Inclusivist claims must be rejected, once again, on Biblical-Theological grounds.

What then should a Christian theology of religions look like? How are Christians to relate to religious others? Miles closing his book by looking at six questions:
(1) Is general revelation sufficient for salvation? (2) Does special revelation require a human messenger? (3) Is there truth in other religions? (4) Is there salvation in other religions? (5) Is interreligous dialoge beneficial? (6) Is interrreligious social cooperation legitimate? (pp. 330)
With risk of oversimplication, I will answer these questions very briefly, though, I suggest one buys the book to understand how these answers were reached, along with the proper nuance Miles provides. In response, (1) no, general revelation is only sufficient to condemn, not save. (2) No, however, the primary means that God uses is humanity to reach humanity. This provides no excuse for laziness in regards to global missions. (3) Yes, general revelation accounts for this, "God is rich in mercy and not stingy with knowledge of Himself" (pp. 330). However, all truth must be judged by God's special revelation in the Bible. (4) No, salvation is in Messiah Jesus alone. (5) Yes, however, the intent is to persuade, not just to learn. We ought to preach the gospel as Paul preached it. (6) Yes, however, not when the witness of the Church is suppressed. We must always be explicit representatives of Jesus, in order that He be praised.

Todd Miles has written a great book. It is very thorough and convincing, however, I would have liked engagement with Romans 2, which I think provides the greatest challenge to Exclusivism. Likewise, some of the questions of the unevangelized remained unanswered, such as, what of the faithful Jews who lived and died in the diaspora between Jesus' resurrection and the Church's proclamation? Admittedly, these are difficult questions that likely do not have answers, however, I think they are important in such a work. Overall, I highly recommend this and I share Miles concern that wide acceptance of Inclusivism may result in diminished church-planting efforts across the world. Miles clearly has the heart of an evangelist and a missionary which is to be commended. This is a work that is erudite and demands consideration by those wondering how to be Christians in a pluralistic world. Ultimately, we must preach the Gospel.

Good work, Todd!

NOTE: This book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

[Nickolas Wingholt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great guide to how Christians ought to regard world religions as they consider and apply their missiology. Miles masterfully calibrates his lenses through a biblical and rigourously Trinitarian technique. His argument that we should develop our understanding of religious theology Christocentrically rather than pneumatocentrically was paradigm shifting for me. With that said, for a book focuses on a Christian theology of religions, it didn’t really go into any kind of extensive detail as to how contemporary world religions like Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism actually work. Rather, it centers more on the theological-philosophical concepts underneath these faiths. I don’t think this is necessarily wrong, but for someone picking up this book as a Christian guide for world religions, they may be disappointed in the sense that a full-blown explanation of those religions is not really provided. 1st time read. 3/5.

[Kristina Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In A God of Many Understandings, Todd L. Miles addresses the impact of a pluralistic society on Christianity, noting that there has been a gradual shift in the perspective of many Christians away from the traditional exclusivist perspective toward universalism. The book is structured much like a debate: Miles first defines his “isms,” and then makes his case for traditional exclusivism, before going on to present the arguments contained in universalism, pluralism, and inclusivism in separate, well-organized chapters. Finally, he concludes with a robust argument against pluralism of all shades, concluding with a biblical theology of missions.

Miles presents four nonnegotiables, the first three of which are fairly uncontroversial among most Bible-believing Christians: that Jesus Christ is the authoritative standard by which all other religions are judged; that His death and resurrection are the only means of salvation; that proclamation of the gospel is central to the Christian faith. It is the fourth nonnegotiable that distinguishes exclusivism: “no one can be saved without an explicit act of repentance and faith based on the knowledge of Christ” (Acts 4:12). *

Next, Miles explores Christian* universalism, the belief that every human being will ultimately be saved. This view is based on the character of God: an all-powerful, all-loving God necessarily must save everyone. Miles points out that the universalist is problematically conflating love with mercy: while the love of God is preeminent, justice and mercy are both qualities of that love, flowing from it, and subservient to it.

Miles suggests that “pluralism is easier to identify by what it denies than by what it affirms: … any suggestion that a particular… religious truth claim is superior to another is necessarily false.” In essence, pluralism is the denial of absolute truth. Given the prevalence of pluralistic beliefs in our current age, it is telling that 52% of Christians recently surveyed “think that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life.” One argument Miles poses against pluralism comes in the contrast between man-initiated reaches toward God, and God-initiated reaches toward man: “whereas the efforts of Babel resulted in a divine curse with the nations being scattered, God promised that through Abraham ‘all people on earth will be blessed’ (Gen. 12:3).”
Since many arguments for pluralism centre on the belief that, post-Resurrection, the Holy Spirit is working independently of Christianity within all world religions, Miles devotes an entire chapter to the Christ-glorifying work of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating with Scriptural proof across both Testaments, that the work of the Spirit is intrinsically tied to and ultimately inseparable from the mission and person of Jesus Christ.

In a culture where many believe pluralism holds a monopoly on kindness and tolerance, Miles’s biblically-coherent defence of historic Christian truth is necessary and timely. Contrary to the pluralist sentiment, Jesus declared Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life, and declared that the only way to the Father is through Him. Miles’ book serves to redirect the Christian reader to Jesus, as any longing we may have for harmony across faiths cannot supersede Jesus' own longing to reconcile the world to Himself on His own terms.

* Miles presents this statement in quotations exactly as it looks above, followed by the Bible verse and a footnote, so that the quotation appears to come from Acts 4:12, making what looks like an uncontestable biblical argument for exclusivism within its very definition. I include this example of unclear sourcing for quotations because it occurs several times throughout the book. I do not contend that it is in any way purposeful, but some sentence revision would seem useful, in order to avoid the confusion of appearing to refer to a Biblical proof-text where there is none. The quote, of course, is not from Acts, but must actually belong to one of the several works listed in the attached footnote, reproduced here in its entirety: “These nonnegotiables of exclusivism are summarized in Tennant, Christianity at the Religious Roundtable, 17. Other summaries of exclusivism by those committed to the view are given in R. Douglas Geivett and W. Gary Phillips, ‘A Particularist View: An Evidentialist Approach,’ in Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World, ed. Okholm and Phillips, 214; A. E. McGrath, ‘A Particularist View: A Post-Enlightenment Approach,’ in Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World, ed. Okholm and Phillips, 163-66; Carson, Gagging of God, 278-80; Nash, Is Jesus the Only Saviour; R.C. Sproul, Reason to Believe (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 47-59”

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really benefited from reading this book. It addresses a real issue: the Gospel is being warped in ways that make it not the Gospel anymore. Biblically and systematically solid, written firmly and graciously, anyone struggling with the questions of "how do I think of other religions as a Christian", "is there salvation through any besides Jesus", or "what happens to those who do not hear the Gospel", are answered. I imagine it would be a hard read for someone who is not interested or is unfamiliar with biblical scholarship, since a portion of the book is Miles responding to those (Christians and not) who say multiple religions lead to God and that faith in Jesus is not necessary for salvation.

[Cole Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good!! Deep and wide in analysis and content, with a critical emphasis concerning Clark Pinnock and Amos Yongs’ Pneumatological Inclusivism.
Here is a list of the topics covered if you are interested in this work for reading or referencing.
1 The Exclusivity of Christ and a Christian Theology of Missions.
2 The Bible and Religions.
3 Universalism, Hell, and Conditional Immortality.
4 Pluralism.
5 Inclusivism I - Nonevangelical Expressions.
6 Inclusivism II - Evangelical Expressions.
7 A Starting Point for Biblical Theology - Christ or the Spirit?
8 Son and Spirit - The Christ-Glorifying Work of the Holy Spirit.
9 A Christian Theology of Religions and Missions.

[Reid Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense in research on current thinkers, helpful in refutation.

[Jimmy]

With the recent Evangelical discussion of Rob Bell and the issue of Emergent theology, salvation and hell, this book does make a contribution even though the book was published in 2010 and a year before the whole Bell's "Love Wins" controversy. It would seem to me that the issue of "theology of religion" is largely not the subject of conscious focus in these debates, though they are foundational to the discussion. Here the author Todd Miles explore what the Old Testament and New Testament's view of other religions are, especially in regards to it as means of salvation. But don't expect that the four hundred page work to be nothing more than a glorified bible study of proof text regarding the Bible's view on other religion. The author does engage the text of Scripture in an accurate way with care and consideration of the context. Miles also interact with Universalism, Annhilationism and Inclusivism and their particulars, such as their history, scriptural arguments and what contemporary advocates are saying. Miles does an excellent job documenting and giving extensive quotations of what advocates believe in their own words. One might even fault the author's extensive quotations to a fault--it seems that at times entire chapters are devoted to quoting people multiple times when Miles has already made it the point that this is what these people believe and why they believe what they believe. Readers will also be intrigued with a footnote reference that discusses the Emergent movement and a comment on Rob Bell in a charitable light that he has not openly embrace universalism, at least in light of the literature at that point. What a difference in a year makes! The book seems to indicate that this was an adaptation of the author's doctoral dissertation with the extensive quotation of those whom Miles disagree with. The author completed his doctoral studies at Southern Seminary, where his advisor was Ben Ware. Dr. Ware's area of expertise is largely in the area of theology proper, and is known for his role in the Open Theism debate and the issue of the Trinity's ramification for the Biblical manhood and womanhood issue. Given Ware's conscious reflection on the Trinity, one sees that Miles was also very conscious of the Trinity in his critical assessment of Inclusivists make Pneumatological arguments for their view. The book provided a correction on the inclusivists and universalist's Pneumatological arguments and discusses what Scripture has to say concerning the Holy Spirit's relationship to Jesus when it comes to salvation. For the fact that Miles offers readers the paradigm of a "theology of religion" (as opposed to comparative religion, religious studies, etc) and being Trinitarian conscious in assessing soteriological views, I would recommend this book for readers to think about.

[Dustin Bagby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and helpful study/critique of pluralists, inclusivists, and universalists. Personally, I was particularly impressed by the critique of pneumatiological inclusivists (Clark Pinnock and Amos Yong) and their theological method. Miles ends by explaining his theological method, showing the relationship of the Son and Spirit, and constructing a theology of religions that is faithful to scripture.

[Kenneth Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent resource for Christians who desire a more fully developed rationale in their efforts to effectively introduce the gospel to their friends in the wildly multi-cultural/religious landscape of Amerca today.