Karl Rahner And The "Anonymous Christian" Flashcards
Rahner explained that Christianity has a unique position in being the religion that’s founded on God’s ultimate act of ?, when God came to earth in the person of Jesus. Rahner described Christianity as the “?” religion, seeing it as normative.
Revelation.
Absolute.
An understanding of Christianity as absolute seems to exclude from salvation anyone who lived before Jesus came to Earth, and anyone who hasn’t been able to hear about God’s revelation through ?
Christ.
Rahner rejected the ? idea that there can be no salvation outside Christianity, arguing that religions other than Christianity might hold a partial truth.
Exclusivist.
Rahner rejected the idea that all religions are equal as oaths to God. ? holds the truth but the grace of God makes allowance for those who haven’t been able to access this truth.
Christianity.
“No fault of their own, don’t know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace” (Lumen ?).
Gentium.
Rahner’s thinking on ? as a Christian response to world religions’ often credited as being influential in bringing the Catholic Church to this view.
Inclusivism.
Kraemer, exclusivist thinker, argued that non-Christian religions are little more than misguided attempts by some people to try and find the truth for themselves. ?-? religions are, for Kraemer, cultural constructs rather than responses to the revelation of God in Christ. ? disagreed and thought that non-Christian religions can hold some degree of truth.
Non-Christian.
Rahner.
Rahner used the ? ? examples to argue that the Bible supports the view that people who don’t know Christ can have genuine faith in God, and that God recognises this. Rahner called such people “? ?”.
Old Testament.
Anonymous Christians.
Exclusivists often refer to biblical passages to support the view that there can be no salvation for ?-?, but inclusivists also find support for their position in the Bible.
Non-Christians.
Another passage representing an inclusivist view comes from the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew’s Gospel (“whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for ?”).
Me.
Rahner’s inclusivist thinking hasn’t been universally accepted by the Catholic Church. ? ? writings emphasise what he saw as the absolute centrality for human salvation of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
Von Balthasar.
? ? argued that the Church shouldn’t go into hiding in the modern ? world or present a watered-down version of the Christian message in order to appease people of other faiths or no faith. It should be courageous in its claim that salvation’s found only in Christ.
Von Balthasar.
Secular.
