Abstract:
The article traces Hans Küng’s view on religious plurality over four decades: from “theocentrism” (the earlier Küng) to critical ecumenical dialogue (the later Küng). Küng’s approach to religious plurality portrays a growing openness towards non-Christian religions. However, his approach is not quite as accommodative as it may appear on face value. On closer inspection, the “theocentrism” of the earlier Küng turns out to be (merely) christocentrism, and the “maximal” openness that supposedly informs the later Küng’s critical ecumenical dialogue (and concomitant ecumenical criteria) turns out to be a “committed” openness. Although Küng’s approach seemingly constitutes a shifting of the Christian criterion, it is therefore best understood as merely a movement in the Christian criterion. This prompts the question as to whether an unbiased assessment of religions is possible at all.
