The Uniqueness of Jesus: A Dialogue with Paul F. Knitter

Since publication of his landmark book, No Other Name?, Paul Knitter’s work has crystallized discussions and defined some of the most basic questions in Christian theology. This is so particularly in the debate over the uniqueness of Jesus as God’s son and as all of humankind’s sole redeemer. In The Uniqueness of Jesus, Knitter responds to the request of editors Leonard Swidler and Paul Mojzes to state the most adequate case for a viable Christian theology of religions and for the demands of living ecumenically in a religiously plural world. The result is Knitter’s five basic theses on the uniqueness of Jesus that comprise the opening statement in this dialogue. In response, a score of influential women and men comment on these five theses, including Harvey Cox, Monika Hellweg, Hans Kung, Wesley Ariarahah, Clark H. Pinnock, Jose Miguez Bonino, John McQuarrie, Raimon Panikkar, John Sanders, John Mbiti, Ingred Shafer, Michael Alamadoss, Kajsa Ahlstrand, Michael von Bruck, John B. Cobb Jr., Kenneth Cragg, Antony Fernando, John Hick, Karl-Josef Kuschel, and Seiichi Yagi. Knitter then responds to his critics, some of whom, he concedes, make substantial points that reveal the difficulties in the road ahead.