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In his lecture, which was followed by a lively question-period, Sanders took pains to emphasize that his view can be placed in a long Christian tradition that includes C.S. Lewis, John Wesley, and Saint Thomas Aquinas. Whatever its merits, it cannot therefore be dismissed, as some would wish, as a capitulation to the fashions of contemporary culture. Here, as in his work on the openness of God, Sanders is engaging issues of vital concern to the church. Those who wish to pursue this conversation may want to take in the next MacManis Lecture at Wheaton, on April 13, at 7:00 pm in the Billy Graham Center, Room 136, where George Hunsberger will speak on "the Myth of Religious Pluralism: The Missionary Approach of Lesslie Newbigin."

John Wilson is Editor of Books & Culture: A Christian Review.

Visit Books & Culture online at BooksandCulture.com or subscribe here.

John Sanders 1990 Christianity Today article, " The Perennial Debate | Christians have never agreed on the salvation for those who have never heard of Christ" also appears today at ChristianityToday.com.

For more of John Sanders on inclusivism, see his books No Other Name: An Investigation into the Destiny of the Unevangelized (Eerdmans, 1992), and What About Those Who Have Never Heard?: Three Views on the Destiny of the Unevangelized (IVP, 1995).

Books & Culture Corner appears Mondays at ChristianityToday.com. Earlier Books & Culture Corners include:

My Cab Ride With Gloria | Meeting a legend, tearfully. By Frederica Mathewes-Green (Apr. 3, 2000)

I Read the News Today | Finding the most important story in headlines' sum. By John Wilson (Mar. 27, 2000)

Peace Be With You | Looking beyond naivete and cynicism about peacemaking at Wheaton's Christianity and Violence conference (Mar. 20, 2000)

Putting the Poor on the National Agenda | Ron Sider's timely proposals. By Amy L. Sherman (Mar. 13, 2000)

"To Know the Universe" | Well, sort of. By John Wilson (Mar. 2, 2000)

Guelzo's Lincoln Book a Winner | Established by Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman to honor the best historical work each year on Lincoln and the Civil War era, the prize is now in its tenth year. By Allen C. Guelzo (Feb. 21, 2000)

Nancy Drew and the Wine-Dark Sea | The importance of good literature—and how to get young people to read it. By Sarah Cowie (Feb. 14, 2000)

Spring in Purgatory: Dante, Botticelli, C. S. Lewis, and a Lost Masterpiece | The most popular illustration of Dante's "Divine Comedy" has remained effectively "lost" for 500 years—although millions have seen it and admired it. By Kathryn Lindskoog (Feb. 7, 2000)

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April (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44