세계화와 산업화가 이 세상을 축소시킴에 따라 기독교를 포함한 종교의 지형도 역시 변하고 있다. 이 변화는 현대인들이 이제 일상생활 속에서 타종교인들을 이전보다 훨씬 더 빈번하게 만날 수 있게 만들었다. 그래서 이제 종교에 관한 연구는 단순히 목회자나 선교사와 같은 기독교 전문가만의 영역이 아닌, 교회에 출석하는 일반 교인들에게도 중요한 영역이 되었다. 종교에 대한 연구의 기초 연구로서 복음주의 종교 신학은 지금까지 주로 구원론적 혹은 기독론적 관점에서 논의 되어 왔다. 그러나 일단의 현대 기독교 종교 신학자들은 이렇게 종교 신학의 과제를 구원론과 기독론에만 국한시키는 것은 종교 신학을 너무 편협한 학문 영역으로 환원시키는 것이라고 생각하게 되었고, 그들은 종교 신학 연구의 범위를 넓히기 위한 시도를 하게 되었는데, 특별히 성령론적 접근법이 새로운 방법론으로 등장 하게 되었다. 지금까지의 연구를 보았을 때, 성령론적 종교 신학은 창의적이 고 연구의 가치가 있음은 확실하다. 하지만, 이 방법론은 여전히 더 깊은 많은 연구를 필요로 한다. 이것은 미래의 복음주의 종교 신학의 과제다.

The theology of religions, which examines theologically the meaning of other religions and their relationships, is important, but controversial issue in theological world. In the religiously pluralistic society, Christians who are participating in the interaction with other religions should be attentive to the theology of religions and have rules and principles. In the era of the Enlightenment and modernism, the radical continuity between the natural and supernatural and between God and humans was also connected to continuity among religions, and relativity and the seeds of pluralism were highly fostered beyond Augustinian exclusivism. However, Karl Barth rejected mancentered theology in modern context and liberalism, which made religion a matter of this world by magnifying humans at the expense of God. For Barth, there is no natural theology as a point of contact between God and humanity, and rather there is total discontinuity between them standing in opposition to each other. This article especially focuses on Barth’s theology of religions which is described as complex and self-contradictory and gives some missiological implications. On the one hand, in Barth’s rejecting natural theology or general revelation and regarding religion, which is contradicted to revelation, as unbelief, his theology does not seem to be helpful for the dialogical basis with other religions. However, on the other hand, by the view in his later writings, Barth’s theology provides for a more positive and implicit view of the religions. In the doctrine of reconciliation of Barth, God’s self-revelation could not be confined to the realm of the Christianity, and other lights and words which come from outside the Christian church are in some sense represent a view on God’s revelation. Furthermore, relational aspects in Barth’s theology based on imago Dei builds a common ground for inter-religious interaction. On the whole, Barth is not only in commitment to the Christian faith, but also in profound openness toward other religions beyond outright denial. However, in making theology relevant to contexts, Barth cautions against losing the faithfulness to the Word of God or the distinctiveness of the Christian message. Barth’s theology of religions is a guidepost in this respect today.