The American theologian Langdon Brown Gilkey argued that the political situation of the West following World War II left a need for Christian thinkers to reconsider the place of other religions specifically because of the changing political world: The most common model of the views that Christians take of other religions is a simple three-point model first articulated by Alan Race.
[3] Pluralism is the belief that multiple religions are true and equally valid in their communication of the truth about God, the world, and salvation.
The chief expounder of this view is John Hick of Claremont Graduate School in California, who first propounded it in his book God and the Universe of Faiths (1973).
[4] John Hick's argument has been notably criticized in the declaration Dominus Iesus by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
[6] Some have pointed out similarities between Hick's theo-centrism and Hindu pluralism as propounded in the Bhagavad Gita: By whatsoever way men worship Me, even so do I accept them; for, in all ways, O Partha, men walk in My path" (IV.11)[7]Another common evangelical criticism of pluralism is that the religions of the world are fundamentally and irreconcilably different, and that to value them equally requires a devaluation of propositional truth claims.
[4] Christian inclusivism is based on two axioms: the first is that salvation is through Christ alone, the second is that God wills the whole world to be saved.
[4] Citing the Aristotelian concept of truth as one and not many, exclusivists regard all religious claims other than Christianity as false and invalid.
Thus, though being very vociferous in his attacks on Hinduism, Nehemiah Goreh could say that ‘Most erroneous as is the teaching of such books as the Bhagvadgita, the Bhagvata, etc., yet they teach something of ananyabhakti (undivided devotedness to God), of vairagya (giving up the world), of namrata (humility), of ksama (forbearance), etc., which enables one to appreciate the precepts of Christianity.’[12] Hendrik Kraemer's exclusivism is based on a skepticism towards claims of similarity between religions: "Every religion is an individisble, and not to be divided".
[13] A significant expansion of the three-point model was proposed by Paul F. Knitter in his 2002 book Introducing Theologies of Religions.
The Total Replacement model is most frequently found in Fundamentalist/Evangelical churches, and largely represents the work of Karl Barth.
This view is also held by some forms of Islam with respect to Christianity and Judaism before them, as well as by Mormonism and all other faiths who feel they have a later clarification from God.