Between Relativism and Fundamentalism: Religious Resources for a Middle Position

Our contemporary culture is dominated by two extremes -- relativism and fundamentalism. Neither is desirable: relativism claims that all questions of truth are irrelevant, whereas fundamentalism insists on sole possession of absolute truth. Internationally renowned sociologist of religion Peter Berger has gathered a group of scholars to consider how, from out of different traditions, one can define a middle position between both extremes. / After an extensive introductory overview by Berger, three essays (-sociological descriptions-) give an objective picture of how relativism and fundamentalism play out in today's world. In the second part (-theological directions-) authors from several different Christian traditions and one conservative Jewish tradition flesh out a normative middle ground that is neither relativist -- they affirm specific truth claims -- nor fundamentalist -- their affirmations include tolerance of the claims of others.