KEY POINTS

• God’s election of Israel does not imply rejection of other nations. All nations are beneficiaries of God’s covenant with Abraham.
• The Gentiles play key roles in God’s redemptive plan for the world.
• World religions are fundamentally exclusivists.
• Non-Christian religions can function as many ways that lead to Jesus, who is the only way from God

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Why did God choose Israel as ‘His people’?
2. What redemptive roles do the gentiles play in the Biblical narrative?
3. What is “General Revelation”? How is it different from the “particular revelation”?
4. How is the Christian message of salvation both exclusive and inclusive at the same time?
5. Who is the ‘Unknown God’ in Athens? Has he revealed himself in other religions and cultures?

EXERCISE

1. Discuss an incident where God has spoken to you/others through ‘unconventional’ means? What are the ways in which God might speak to people in the absence of a religious text (such as the Bible)?
2. Ask people of different cultural and religious background about their understanding of the Christian faith? How do people’s perception of Jesus vary across religions and cultures?

FURTHER READING/REFERENCE

Prothero, Stephan God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World (Harper One, 2010)

Richardson, Don. Eternity in their Hearts (Regal, 1994)