Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

The quest of the historical Jesus -- The Jesus Seminar -- How reliable is the New Testament as a historical document? -- What can we know about the Jesus of history? -- Did Jesus consider himself God? -- Jesus, the savior of the world -- Can the gospel compete in a pluralistic world?-- Is a savior from sin meaningful in a day of moral relativism? -- The gospel and postmodernism -- Does an exclusive savior threaten world peace? -- How should Christians think about other religions? -- The mystery of the incarnation.

After tracing the currents of modernity from the Enlightenment to the Jesus Seminar, Edwards contends that the assumptions of the most skeptical historical-Jesus scholars are no more intellectually defensible than the claims of faith. He then assembles extensive support to show that Jesus considered himself the unique and saving mission of God to the world." Edwards devotes the second half of the book to discussing Jesus as savior in light of contemporary cultural currents, specifically addressing the thorny issues of religious pluralism, moral relativism, postmodernism, and the quest for world peace.--From publisher's description.