"Inclusivism," still one of today's most debated theological issues, is not new to evangelical circles. Since the beginning of the church, people contemplating Christianity have struggled with the question of what will happen to the unevangelized. If God is loving, why will those who have never heard the gospel be sentenced to eternal punishment? In a ground-breaking evaluation of this complex controversy, Ramesh P. Richard, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and noted international leader, answers the question, "Are the masses of the world condemned to endless conscious punishment even if they have not heard the gospel of Christ during their earthly lives?" The Population of Heaven biblically examines the assumptions of inclusivism in view of current evangelical conclusions and in relation to world religions. The book evaluates important publications on the subject, placing soteriological inclusivism under a critical searchlight. Richard urges the evangelical community to consider how exclusive belief in Jesus Christ as the only God and Savior should shape the future of evangelical theology. He directs focus beyond just the academic discussions in evangelicalism to the real and urgent practical concerns: our commitment to the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ will shape the destiny of the unevangelized for all eternity.
"Inclusivism," still one of today's most debated theological issues, is not new to evangelical circles. Since the beginning of the church, people contemplating Christianity have struggled with the question of what will happen to the unevangelized. If God is loving, why will those who have never heard the gospel be sentenced to eternal punishment? In a ground-breaking evaluation of this complex controversy, Ramesh P. Richard, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and noted international leader, answers the question, "Are the masses of the world condemned to endless conscious punishment even if they have not heard the gospel of Christ during their earthly lives?" The Population of Heaven biblically examines the assumptions of inclusivism in view of current evangelical conclusions and in relation to world religions. The book evaluates important publications on the subject, placing soteriological inclusivism under a critical searchlight. Richard urges the evangelical community to consider how exclusive belief in Jesus Christ as the only God and Savior should shape the future of evangelical theology. He directs focus beyond just the academic discussions in evangelicalism to the real and urgent practical concerns: our commitment to the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ will shape the destiny of the unevangelized for all eternity.
