Karl Barth and the Problem of the salvation of non-Christian nations

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Dept. Comparative Religions and Mysticism, University of Tehran

Abstract

Karl Barth, the Christian New Orthodox theologian, is one of the most influential Christian scholars of the twentieth century. Barth's theological approach is one of the three theological traditions of the new Christian theology and is a criterion for Christian theology. His theology lies between John Hick's pluralist tradition and Karl Runner's inclusivism, and is considered exclusivist in Christianity. In the discussion of salvation, of course, Barth can be regarded as exclusivist. The present article, using a content analysis methodology, examines Barthes's view of salvation, and has shown that he, although emphasizing Christ as a way of salvation, can be exclusivist, but he decisively believes in the salvation of all human beings; and, in the soteriology, has an inclusive view. He believes that all human beings, based on their possibility of being and based on the existence of Jesus Christ, are subject to divine mercy and salvation.

Keywords


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