Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT “A Declaration of Inter‐Religious Commitment,” a policy statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is not shy about telling us how to act toward our interreligious neighbor; but it does not want to tell us how to think theologically about her. To support this statement, this article makes three points. First, the Declaration's descriptions of “evangelism” leave us wanting, especially as we might seek to move beyond the “exclusive/inclusive” binary when it comes to theological articulation of the salvation of those who are not Christian. Second, we should lean more optimistically, rather than so cautiously, into the idea that there are “limits on our knowing,” such that we can be eagerly inquisitive rather than “neutral.” Third, we can adopt a posture of hopeful anticipation regarding salvation, in light of the relational character of Lutheran theology described in the Declaration.
Source: Dialog
DOI: 10.1111/dial.12882
Author: Kristin Johnston Largen
Institution: Wartburg Theological Seminary
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4409303371