liberation theology

background on marx

• humans are unable to fufil lives due to being dehumanises resulting in alienation

• treating people as a means to an end

• used by liberation theology ro analyise the stuctural causes of social sin, such as capitalism and institutions

• prefreneital opition for the poor - left for a call for christians to act in solidarty with the poor, this is rooted in the gospel

• implication of this is to place othropraxis (right action) before oxthrodoxy (offical church teachings)

• work is a living death, labour becomes forced because without work we dont have the money that we need to buy the basic necessities for us to live

• factory system as seperated people away from their work, they have no sense to relate to the process that they make

capitalist stuctures

• human society reaches a point that it can create a surplus, this leads to a class division emerging between those who have control over the means of production and those who dont

• factory technological movements lead to reducing costs and making things cheaper overall

• whilst products may be cheaper today, this has ultimately come at a cost - the explotation of others

problems with capitalism

• class strugle between the different groups in society and eventually in order to create a fairer society, those who were repressed would begin to violently resist stuctures

• capitalism siezes the priduces of others, alienating them from their own labour

• but out happiness comes at a price the expliotation of others

marx and basis for liberation theology

• latin america was undeveloped where many lived in poverty and at a crossroads between capitalism and communism

• ideology impacted politics, and the violent uprising that marx predicited seem to be apart

what is liberation theology

• began as an interellectual and practical theology movement amoungst those who worked with the poor

• paulio fiere → conscientaisation - a process by which someone becomes aware of the power stuctures in societies (something that you cannot know)

• fiere argued that education should teach people to head the power stuctures and should work to transform society and not just transmit information

• traditionally theology has focused on passing information liberation focuses on action before explanation - oxthropraxy before orthodoxt

• became the theology of action, solving someone physically before spritually from sin

gutierrez 2 fold liberation theology

• proposes that the kingdom of God is something that we work for in this life

• 1) social and economic → poverty + oppostion are a consquence of human chouces and therefore humans resolve to social sin

• 2) from sin → to be reconcilled with the divine

• these must happen together, political liberation is the work of salavation

oscar romero

• el salvador in the 1970’s - many lived in extreme poverty and violence was used agaisnt those who tired to stand up against such issues

• archbishop in 1977

• ‘word of God is like the light of the sun’

• his friend was killed and from this each week he used his services to condemm power stuctures and human abuse

• church needs to challenge social sin and re find itself within the community

• he too was eventually shot and killed however from this he became a maytr for the moovement

• it is controveisal → active engagement with sociological and political analysis of socierty and outspoken critque of secular cultute as well as the church

lukes gospel

• themes of social justice and the social retrobution that christanity has promised

• to read chrsitianty means - theology starts with early peace and the poor become drivers of action

christian theology shouldnt engage with atheist secular ideologies

• christians should stay away from atheist ideologies

• LT → theology and marxism there is suspicion about a world view that begins with a rejection of God

• direct contradiction between the fundemental aspect of church teaching and key elements of marixsm

• church should be prepated to remain distincitive and not try and assume with such beliefs because it would suggest that the truth can be found outside of the revelations of jc and the bible

christianity should engage with atheist secular ideologies

• natural theology approach, research can be accurate outside of the church

• christanity can engage with ideologies even if only to use them as tools to help its own reflection

• what does it mean to engage with an ideology

• christians would say that we should not be afraid is dicucussion and debate

christanity cannot tackle social issuse more effectively than marxism

• christanity has been to gentle when it comes to tackling poverty and opression

• a marxist approach through revolutionary change may actually have a bigger impact, marx is trying to adress the root cause of poverty whilst christanity may be a more short term solution

• theology doesnt have the tool for praxis to occur and foe the analysis of stuctures in societies that have caused injustice

christanity can tackle social issuses

• accepts that suffering is part of life and tries to engage with that at every level, but it is most effective when it does so at a community level

• where christianity is most effective is where each individuals respoinds to the need to build the kingdom of God in their own context rather than marx approach to tackling society on a larger scale

• the spritual dimenasion of christanity argues that the realitly of God can touch peoples lives in a very real way

• romero highloghts how theology cannot be purely theoretical but also must include agitation agaisnt injustice and suport the marginlised

comparision to marx

• marx centeral idea of historical materialism establishes liberation theology as a contextual bottom up theology

• marx - understands history and its material and economic basis - we can then understand what insitutions are based on and thus how to reform them from the bottom up

• lib theos find such analysis very useful

• idea of reversal → theology should begin with the condition of the poor as the underside of history rather than the top down abstract doctrunes such as nature of god

• starting with actual human experience of suffering alienation and hope, in this way christian historical materialists argue the kingdom of God isnt heaven but a transformation of material society based on christian values

historical materialism

• change over time of material realitly

• production over time and control of resources

• economny foundation - everything built on top

• model of production - history and societal development

• status in society build around means of production

bonaventure

• criticsed lib theo for priortisting action over the gospel - equaed theology with politics which sidelined the christian principle of evangelicalism

• liberation theology focuses on stuctural and not personal sin - despite jc empathsis in personal reconcillation with God

counter to bonaventure

• for the starving and opressed however social liberation is far more important than liberation from sin

• jc taught the importance of inner spritual change but also called for real action

• parable of the sheep and the goats

• election of pope francis from latin amercia signals the impact of liberation theo espeically as he named romero a matrytr

boff brothers

• there are 5 motovation for preferntial treatment of the poor

• theological → God hears cry of people and seeks justice which the church should mirror

• christological → jc sided with the poor and marginlised

• eschataological → God judges based of siding with poor

• apolostolistic → first apostles organised christian groups to raise money for the poor

• ecdesiological → all church members out of faith faith should seek transformation