Dr. Eduardo Echeverria discusses his new book on the scandal of particularity with Larry Chapp
Linked is my latest interview. Many have asked me, in light of my interview with Fr. Lusvardi, if I have changed my views on Balthasar and his proposal that we can hope for the salvation of all. And the answer to that is a resounding "No". I still maintain that position. However, in my interview with Fr. Lusvardi, and now in my interview with Dr. Echeverria, it is important to reassert the full dogmatic traditions of the Church on this topic in order to avoid any hint of religious relativism or indifferentism. Balthasar was a resolute enemy of religious relativism and his entire theological corpus was geared toward maintaining the scandal of christological particularity in the face of all of the Neo-Gnostic tendencies of modernity. My view, and that of Balthasar, is that both the progressive view of a pluralism of religions and the ultra traditionalist view of a strong ecclesial exclusivism are false. Therefore, even if we are allowed to hope for the salvation of all, such a hope must be a moment within a strong assertion of a soteriological christological exclusivism. These are obviously open and burning questions. I do not think Dr. Echeverria shares my Balthasarian views. Nevertheless, his voice on this matter is an important one.
