Inclusivism is one of several approaches in religious studies, anthropology, or civics to understand the relationship between different religions, societies, cultures, political factions etc.
[1] Broadly speaking, there are two schools of Inclusivist thought: Interpretatio graeca was the tendency of ancient Greek writers to equate foreign divinities to members of their own pantheon.
A well-known hymn in the Hindu Rigveda claims that "Truth is One, though the sages know it variously", proclaiming a pluralistic view of religion.
At the same time, they argue, some non-Christian believers of other religions, traditions, and disciplines would partially trust in the same one and only truth but under a different linguistic name.
[citation needed] Christian supporters of inclusivism include Augustus Hopkins Strong,[8] C. S. Lewis,[9][10][11] Clark Pinnock,[12] Karl Rahner, John E. Sanders, Terrance L. Tiessen, and Robert Brush (contributor to The Arminian Magazine).
While Billy Graham mostly preached "salvation by faith in Christ alone" throughout his 60-year ministry as an evangelist, he later made controversial comments that bordered on inclusivism.
[15] By Romans 1:19–20, inclusive Christians often argue that this description would imply that God—in parts—can be recognized by any human being, no matter their religion or cultural background, as well as independent from its geographic and/or its chronologic whereabouts.
[15] Inclusive Christians from various denominations argue that Colossians 1:16 suggests the universe, in its creatureliness, is part of God's being and integral to the eternal reality of the Christ.
[17] Another Christian Biblical proof text inclusive believers use is Acts 10:1–48, which would state that whoever fears God and does good works is accepted by him, regardless of nation.
However, these interpretations typically emphasize that to experience a deep and intimate relationship with God, connecting with the person of Jesus and acknowledging the reality of the Logos is essential.
In all Catholic Church institutions, relationships with other disciplines and religions are nurtured due to the Bible's fundamental inclusivist theological understanding.
[24] Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century, stated: The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, the followers of His Faith firmly believe, is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society.