In many quarters today inter-religious dialogue is identified as “the esse” of Christian mission. This emphasis on dialogue is increasingly generating a euphoria that is buttressed by much extravagant language: the Gospel of Jesus Christ “need not be exclusive”; the “wider ecumenism” to which we are called only demands that the world's diverse peoples “share each other's spirituality” — they do not need to be “converted.” On and on. However, by this paper Professor De Ridder confronts us with the stark biblical witness to God — and also the gods — data that can easily be overlooked in the current debate.
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