The Unique and Universal Christ

There are tremendous pressures on Christians in the contemporary world to conform to a libertarian vision of a multi-faith society where no one makes truth-claims about their faith. In such a situation Christians need to think afresh about the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ and what this might mean in today's plural world. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali shows how Jesus' understanding of himself and his work bears on contemporary cultures and their values. He explores critical questions Christians must face: - What does the gospel affirm in contemporary cultures? - What does the gospel fulfil in contemporary cultures? - What does the gospel challenge in contemporary cultures? - How does our understanding of the crucified and risen Lord affect our view of the human condition? - How can we evaluate the different religious traditions of the world in the light of Christ? - How can we be welcoming and hospitable but also committed to that conversion and transformation of individuals and of human societies which has been revealed as God's purpose in Christ? Christian claims of uniqueness have a direct bearing on what informs the social order. Consequently this book takes on the challenge of relativism in the contemporary social and political arena. 'Drawing on unparalleled cross-cultural experiences and wide-ranging scholarship, Michael Nazir-Ali offers a powerful challenge to Christians tempted to dilute their faith in Christ to render it ""relevant."" Instead, these meditations are a fresh and compelling demonstration that Christ's universal relevance rests on his absolute uniqueness - a uniqueness that both delivers and demands far more than we are culturally conditioned to expect.' --Timothy Samuel Shah, Senior Research Scholar, Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs, Boston University 'Bishop Nazir-Ali, the most trusted bishop in the Anglican Communion, speaks to both secularism and Islam from the vantage of impressive, judicious and readable scholarship, world-wide experience and knowledge of Islam, as well as from a thorough grounding in biblical and orthodox faith.' Bishop Fitzsimmons Allison, retired Bishop of South Carolina, USA Michael Nazir-Al is the Bishop of Rochester. He was previously General Secretary of the Church Mission Society and, before that, the Bishop of Raiwind in Pakistan. He is the author of several books and of numerous articles.