Eck’s Unanswered Question, Essay Example

Diana Eck begins her chapter on the question of God’s actually listening to those calling to Him with a lengthy examination of how the plurality of faiths begs a relevant question: is God listening to all?  As she more directly expresses it, the question takes on social, theological, and political aspects because differences in religion account for different understandings of such a reality.  She discusses how exclusivism, incluvism, and plurality in faith affect all arenas of living, and then Eck moves onto how exclusivism so powerfully marks multiple faiths.  Eck then notes, however, that exclusivism need not preclude: “Deep conviction about one’s own path need not be exclusivist” (178).  The focus on exclusivism moves Eck to alter the question to, is “our God” listening, and this remains an issue as she addresses inclusivism, which she perceives as suspect because it relies on the individual’s own interpretations as accepting other faiths.  Finally, Eck argues that in true pluralism lies the answer, because it retains the convictions of the individual while being open to that beyond it.

The challenge here is twofold. To begin with, and while her writing is strong, Eck misnames her chapter because she does not ever address the question asked.  Instead, she explores the multiple dimensions, contrasts, and similarities of exclusivism, inclusivism, plurality, and diversity as they pertain to faith.  Then, Eck’s analysis here tends to be self-defeating, in that she is able to pose challenges to each idea she presents; exclusivism, for example, has merits but it also denies other views, while plurality itself is dangerously mistaken for diversity.  The challenge, in plain terms, is to comprehend why Eck chooses to ask the title question when her subject matter is removed from it.

My first question would then be if the author is aware of straying so far from her subject, because there is a sense that she continually wants to near it, but is diverted by her other focus.  Then, I wonder at the analysis itself, only because I feel it goes deeper than is explored here. That is, “possession” of God by a particular faith is a hallmark of Catholicism and other faiths, and I question if this is not in fact a foundation of the faith for many.  Eck probes the processes of exclusivism, but she neglects a possible and crucial importance of it, in that many are likely not interested in a God who listens to all.

Works Cited

Eck, Diana L.  Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras. Boston: Beacon Press, 2003. Print.