Liberation Theology & Social Christianity

blog by Trip Glazer

I.

Liberation theology is a school of theology that focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the Oppressed. It is predominantly practiced in the “periphery” of the Catholic Church’s jurisdiction, i.e. the Third World, but it enjoys supporters world wide.

Many argue that its origins lie in the writings of the German Lutheran theologian Grant Bro-- er, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (Vatican II) is perhaps a more precise derivation of its core principles. Before delving into these “core principles” it is necessary to define a few terms (for you non-Catholics, i.e. heretics).

II.

1. An Ecumenical Council or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. The numbering of these councils differs between the Eastern and Western churches, due to fundamental dogmatic discrepancies (cf. John of Damascus versus Augustine), but Vatican II is the twenty-first for the Western, Roman Catholic Church.

2. A liturgy comprises a prescribed ceremony, according to the traditions of a particular group or event. Vatican II was significant in the development of the Catholic liturgy in that it allowed for the use of vernacular languages in the performance of the liturgy, whereas before this Latin was used exclusively:

"Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian people as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4–5), is their right and duty by reason of their baptism." (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14).

3. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei), also known as the Holy Office, is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. Among the most active of these major Curial departments, it oversees Catholic doctrine. The CDF is the modern name for what used to be the Roman Inquisition and still holds the same goal: to protect and advocate faithful Catholic teaching on matters of faith and morals and to punish whom they consider as offenders. As prefect of this office, now-Pope Benedict XVI (then Joseph Ratzinger) was the infamous opponent of Liberation Theology.

III.

What is Liberation Theology?

In essence, liberation theology explores the relationship between Christian, specifically Roman Catholic, theology and political activism, particularly in areas of social justice, poverty and human rights. The main methodological innovation of liberation theology is to approach theology (i.e. speak of God) from the viewpoint of the economically poor and oppressed of the human community. According to Jon Sobrino, S.J., the poor are a privileged channel of God's grace. According to Phillip Berryman, liberation theology is "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor".

Emphasis is placed on those parts of the Bible where Jesus' mission is described in terms of liberation and as a bringer of justice, e.g. Matthew 26:51-52 [1]. This passage is interpreted as a call to arms to carry out the Christian mission of justice -- literally by some. A number of liberation theologians, though not all, also add certain Marxist concepts such as the doctrine of perpetual class struggle.

Liberation theology also emphasizes individual self-actualization as part of God's divine purpose for humankind. In other words, we are given life so that we may pursue it to its full potential. Therefore, obstacles or oppressions put in our path must be resisted and abolished.

In addition to teaching at some Roman Catholic universities and seminaries, liberation theologians can often be found in Protestant-oriented schools. They tend to have considerable contact with the poor and interpret sacred scripture partly based on their experiences in this context -- what they label praxis. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

The focus on the humanity of Jesus is by no means unique to Liberation Theology; the so-called Antiochene School of theology of the early Church theologized in much the same way. A similar delineation between a focus on the humanity and divinity of Christ could be made of the Petrine (Mark, Luke, Catholic Epistles) and Pauline (Matthew, John, Paul’s Epistles) teachings, respectively.

Liberation Theology is considered an offshoot of the larger school of thought, Social Christianity, which focuses on how Christianity influences society. Other offshoots include Theological Realism, Radical Orthodoxy, and Christian Socialism.

IV.

Despite the generous ambition of the Liberation Theologians, they soon got themselves into trouble with Rome. On the one hand, they felt that Vatican II favored their approach to theology (A new approach to do interpretation was approved by the bishops at Vatican II. The Church was to continue to provide versions of the Bible in the "mother tongues" of the faithful, and both clergy and laity were to continue to make Bible study a central part of their lives). On the other, Vatican II reaffirmed the internal power structure of the Church hierarchy, granting greater power to the bishops and pope. Therefore when Joseph Ratzinger silenced the teachings of Brazilian Liberation Theologian Leonardo Boff, the future of Liberation Theology was uncertain.

The silencing was not due, however, to doctrinal discrepancy, but rather to theological foundation. If I may say so (Grant will surely disagree), the theology of Ratzinger (and, subsequently, that of the Church) rouged itself up to woo philosophy while Liberation Theology rouged itself up to woo sociology (forgive me for the Kierkegaardian allusion). Ratzinger felt that Liberation Theology dangerously led theology away from its true object, a Catholic and Apostolic understanding of God as revealed in the scriptures.

Many Liberation Theologians have pled the “St. Augustine/St. Francis/St. Bonaventure” line of thought, to be distinguished from the drastically opposed “[St.] Aristotle/St. Thomas” line of thought, a claim I personally find fallacious. Augustine, after all, warned Christians of the sinful effects of pity. One should not pity a man for his material conditions, he said, but only for his distance from God.

V.

Probably the most notable moment in Liberation Theology history was 24 March 1980, when Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated while saying Mass, the day after giving a radio announcement in which he asked soldiers to disobey orders to kill civilians.

The interrogation of Boff by Ratzinger is another.

VI.

Questions:

1. One tenet of Liberation Theology is that “the poor are a privileged channel of God's grace.” Give Grant the floor on this one.

2. How might Liberation Theology be construed as a Bonhoefferian theology? Again, Grant.

3. Where should the locus of the focus (hocus pocus) of a Christian’s attention lie? On oneself, on others, or on God (again, to say “others” is very un-Augustinian)?

4. Do Christians have a greater responsibility to the poor than the rich?

5. Could material conditions possibly reflect one’s favor with God?

6. To what extent should an understanding of JC differ from culture to culture?