4F - Religious Identity through Responses to Poverty and Injustice

What is liberation theology?

▪ A synthesis of Christian theology and Marxist socio-economic analyses that emphasises social concern for the poor and the political liberation for oppressed peoples

Where and when did liberation theology develop?

▪ Latin America
▪ 1960s

Which two thinkers does the spec associate with liberation theology?

▪ Gustavo Gutiérrez
▪ Leonardo Boff

What is Gutiérrez's book called, and when did he publish it?
What did he state?

▪ 'A Theology of Liberation'
▪ 1971
▪ Theology should start with human suffering rather than with intellectual/rational reflection

What does Gutiérrez contrast liberation theology with?

▪ European theology
▪ The context of Euro. theology = scientific + technical progress
▪ The context of liberation theology = people dying; springs from work of priests observing suffering in shadow of scientific + technical progress

What do Leonardo and Clodovis Boff state that liberation theology is the result of?

▪ "faith confronted by oppression"

Give a quote from Gutiérrez about the Kingdom of God and social injustice.

▪ "The Kingdom [of God] and social injustice are incompatible"

What does Gutiérrez say that we need to abolish?

▪ The status quo that has led to suffering
▪ Need to replace it with different set of relationships with production + economy ∴ liberation theology has a political edge (criticised by governments opposed to socialism/communism

What did Reagan's advisors tell him in 1982 relating to liberation theology?

▪ "American foreign policy must begin to counterattack liberation theology."

Explain the political basis of Latin American theology.

▪ Latin America has faced eco. exploitation for 500 years + during this time, the C.ch = associated with ruling classes

▪ 1950s: hope that economic development would result as Latin American countries became less dependent on imports and instead produced more of own goods
- However, capitalism demanded that goods/labour = cheap ∴ no development of middle-class in Latin America + continued impoverishment

▪ 1954 CIA takeover of government of Guatemala = seen as motivated only by US wanting to protect US-owned United Fruit Company
- Played into the socialist movements of Fidel Castro + Che Guevara

▪ 1970s: inspired by liberation theology, priests in Nicaragua launched a rebellion which influenced other rebellions in Mexico + Columbia (executions of members of c.ch)

▪ Liberation theologians e.g. Gut., have not promoted violence, but have been sympathetic to socialist + comm. movements

▪ 1968: LA Bishops met in Medellín + issued a statement in accordance with Vat. II; denounced "institutionalised injustice" and "institutionalised violence."

Liberation theologians are inspired by many Bible passages which reveal that God desires all people to be liberated from structures that cause oppression.
Give three examples of these Bible passages.

▪ Gut. described liberation theology as a "critical reflection on Christian praxis in light of the word of God."

- Exodus 1-14
God leads his oppressed people from Egypt to a "promised land"

- Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus announces that the future judgement of humanity will be based on whether those in need were helped in practical ways

- Acts 2:43-47
a liberating C.ch practicing a form of communism: "they would sell their possessions [...] and distribute the proceeds to all."

How do liberation theologians argue that the church has reinforced a passive attitude to human suffering?

▪ Christology has emphasised images of Jesus which place him outside of history and reinforce a passive attitude to human suffering
- E.g. helpless baby Jesus, suffering of Jesus

According to liberation theologians, what three aspects of Jesus' life stand out?

1) Complex relationships with Zealots
2) Critical attitudes towards religious leaders especially when they burdened people with excessive demands
3) Jesus' death at hands of political authority
▪ These three reveal that there was a political dimension to Jesus' ministry

Why does Gutiérrez say that we should not spiritualise Jesus?

▪ Jesus was perceived as a threat to Roman authorities ∴ should not spiritualise

▪ Though Jesus fought for liberation, he did not organise his movement for the long-term application of love + justice
- Gut. says the reason for this is ∵ Jesus was affected by his culture's belief in apocalypticism
- As this did not happen, we should apply Jesus' attitude and teaching to the task of building a less oppressive society
- In Bible, eschatology = viewed as transforming our attitudes/actions in the present, rather than presenting a future reality

Explain Gutiérrez's views on orthodoxy and orthopraxy.

▪ In traditional theology, one starts with Bible or with intellectual thought, and seeks to determine the truth (orthodoxy - 'right-thinking') and apply that to life

▪ Gut: from 12th Century, theology considered itself to be a science that presented faith in clear, rational categories - to become more religious meant devoting oneself to study/withdrawing to a monastery

▪ But, we must remember that for centuries, the C.ch did nothing to help the world: it was involved in creating/reinforcing itself as 'Christendom' - what is needed now is to see the c.ch as the place where theology happens, not monasteries, academies, cathedrals
- It is in pastoral situations that the C.ch encounters human suffering, which calls forth a response ∴ orthopraxis ('right practice') must come before orthodoxy ∵ praxis = practice of faith applied to life

▪ Gut says that he has been impacted by the Marxist insight
- Marx: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world [...] the point is to change it."
- Theology should not have an intellectual starting point, but rather a situation: we discover the truth through praxis

The chief concern of liberation theologians is the suffering caused by poverty and economic exploitation.
How is it also a vital concern for the Vatican?

▪ Pope John XXIII declared that the C.ch = to be called a Church of the Poor
- Reflected in Vat. II documents which urge C.ch to walk in poverty
- Pope Francis rejected papal apartment

What three kinds of poverty does Gutiérrez say that it is important to distinguish between?

▪ Material
▪ Spiritual
▪ Voluntary

According to Gutiérrez, what is material poverty?

▪ Lack of sufficient material means to meet basic needs, e.g. food, drinking water, shelter, clothing, or medicine.

▪ Consistently condemned in Bible as being outside of God's plan for humanity

▪ Genesis: all = created equal

According to Gutiérrez, what is spiritual poverty?

▪ Inner attitude of being completely ready + available to do God's will

▪ However, sometimes material poverty has been confused with spiritual poverty, meaning that poor people = considered to be more spiritual (less distracted by material things ∴ closer to God)

▪ It is a popular interpretation of "Blessed are the poor", but this interpretation simply serves interests of a rich minority

▪ Gut: the true interpretation = Jesus saw his task as liberation + promotion of a community of justice; the poor had reason to be happy ∵ their poverty = about to end

According to Gutiérrez, what is voluntary poverty?

▪ C.ch choosing to be poor so as to identify with the poor

▪ Kenosis: Jesus self-emptied to become poor and relate to God's love and justice for human race

▪ Phrase, 'preferential option for the poor' began to be used by liberation theologians in 1970s - now viewed as an integral part of Catholic social teaching
- Does not mean that others are excluded, means that Christians must make the free choice to prioritise needs of poor
- Gut: the poor = "lowest rung" + God's wisdom is that "the last shall be first"

According to liberation theologians, why are people poor?

▪ Political explanations to maintain capitalistic exploitation:
1) ∵ of vice, laziness, ignorance, wickedness
- Solution = offer economical aid, but they cannot be trusted with that
2) Due to eco./soc. backwardness, reforms may help
▪ Poverty = logical outcome of cheap labour and goods required as part of the capitalistic enterprise - only a dramatic change in the system can lead to a better life

What are base ecclesial communities?

▪ Groups of 15-20 families who meet to support each other, read Bible, apply insights to struggles against oppression
▪ 'base' - refers to nature as basic building blocks of C.ch
▪ 'ecclesial' - link to wider c.ch (e/g when priests are available, they have Eucharist)
▪ 'communities' - sharing/mutual support

The number of base ecclesial communities exploded through the 60s/70s.
In the 80s, how many were there in Brazil alone?

▪ 1-2 million

Why did base ecclesial communities develop in the 1960s?

▪ As a result of at least 2 factors:
- Movement in populist education across Latin America which brought together small communities for literacy and skill building
- Shortage of priests, making it necessary for the lay leadership of Catholic communities to form

Base ecclesial communities have been accepted by the Vatican as valid expressions of the C.ch if they...:

▪ centre of the Word of God
▪ avoid a hyper-critical attitude towards larger c.ch
▪ maintain link with wider c.ch
▪ remain aware of benefits of their link to c.ch in Rome

What is Boff's view of base ecclesial communities?

▪ Even though they have sprung from lack of priests, they represent the most imp. building blocks of C.ch

▪ He asks if the entire C.ch should be transformed into base ecclesial communities
- His answer: the C.ch needs both small communities and larger structures to support/serve them to keep them from utopian errors
- The larger C.ch needs these communities to renew its faith

According to Boff, what are the two models of the Church?

1) As a grand institution with all its services/resources contained in cultural centres in affluent areas where it enjoys social power
2) Centred in the network of basic communities which are composed of the poor - the institutional C.ch sees its main task as serving those communities

Liberation theologians go beyond merely extolling base ecclesial communities.
How do they see them as highlighting the deep problems with the institutional church?

▪ Boff + Gut. see the C.ch as having been open/inclusive until 4th Century when it became a part of the political establishment under Constantine

▪ At this point, ecclesio-centrism emerged: to be for/against Christ = interpreted as being for/against C.ch
▪ This started a process where the focus of C.ch life = placed on hierarchy, sacred powers, dogmas, rites, tradition, clericalism
▪ In this institutional C.ch, Jesus = transformed from suffering servant to an emperor - Pope became thought of as God on earth as the C.ch became a conservative force attempting to protect its power rather than seeking to bring about real solutions to human liberation

What does Boff regard as the solution to the problems of the institutional church?

▪ Solution = found by reflecting on the doctrine of the Trinity
- They live together in a perfect fellowship (koinonia) where each shares in the life of the others yet retains their uniqueness
- Humans = created in likeness of God ∴ are also a mystery ∴ should also have a koinonia which is marked by both individual uniqueness and perfect sharing
- However, this is not the case: the inst. c.ch denies participation and equality to many who remain oppressed

▪ The institutional c.ch = organised along a monotheistic line rather than along Trinitarian lines: there is "a single church body, a single head, a single Christ, a single God"
- Solution = abandon paternalistic attitude + subkit all strength + power to service of all people, then it will fulfil model of Trinity

What is the relationship between Gutiérrez's work and Marxism?

▪ In Gut.'s 'A Theology of Liberation', Marxism is seldom mentioned

▪ Gut focuses on how capitalist models of development exploit the poor in contrast to God's will for society

▪ Notes that in LA, there are two classes: those dominating and those who are dominated

▪ Capitalism will not lead to a better life ∴ the answer = socialism

▪ "only by elimination of the private appropriation of wealth created by human toil, can we build the foundation of a more just society."

Boff states that Marxism is not a monolithic reality and notes that Pope Paul VI distinguished between four types of expression of Marxism.
What are these four expressions and what is Boff's opinion on them?

1) A historical practice of class struggle
- Christians and Marxists share the dream of a society where there is neither rich nor poor
- Also share desire to fight against the kinds of class oppression that create an unjust society (though Marxists view this as a fight to the death, while Christians = non-violent)

2) An economic and material analysis
- Liberation theologians = critical of Soviet forms of Marxism, especially when it turns into a bureaucratic tyranny + suppresses individual liberties

3) An atheistic and material analysis
- Christians simply reject that atheism accompanies the Marxist model

4) A form of social and material analysis
- Marxism examines social reality from viewpoint of historical materialism
- Christians view that all truth science reveals = God's truth
- Marxism = to be valued for its criticism of capitalism and its proposal that a more socialistic society has the potential to be more humane

Where do liberation theologians feel that the answer to poverty lies?

▪ In socialism

What do liberation theologians claim that their views are?

▪ A logical extension of the God revealed in Bible + C.ch traditions, especially those articulated at Vat.II

In Latin America, which two key conferences of Bishops strongly supported liberation theology?

▪ 1968 - Medellín
▪ Puebla

Explain Pope John Paul II's views on liberation theology.

▪ 1975: document, on theme of evangelisation (Evangelii Nuntiandi), highlighted the link between evangelism + human advancement - "how [...] can one proclaim the new commandment w/o promoting justice?

- But, he was concerned about the potential of liberation theology to reduce evangelism to social justice and to ignore the spiritual and eschatological dimensions of salvation
- The primary thrust of evangelism = spiritual + preparation for future; these dimensions must not be lost by those in Latin America
- Condemned violence to bring about social change

In what four ways did Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) expand on Pope John Paul II's criticism?

1) Liberation theology = deluded if it believes that a structural / economic change can bring about salvation
▪ Sin = a larger issue than the challenges caused by eco. structures
▪ History teaches that those who fight for liberation often become oppressors ∴ spiritual solutions = needed

2) Marxism ≠ a science, but an atheistic ideology ∴ "terrible contradictions"

3) Marxism makes everyone outside the fight of the oppressed an enemy ∴ enc. violence to bring change

4) Bible = given only a political interpretation e.g. interpreting Exodus as only a political liberation misses importance of Israel's relationship with God
▪ The Exodus does not end suffering, God provides spiritual liberation + purification
▪ Psalms addresses suffering from a spiritual perspective

Give a quote from Ratzinger.

▪ "the management of forces in the soul determines the fate of the community more than the management of economic means."

What is Pope Francis' link to liberation theology?

▪ He has spoken out against the evils involved in capitalistic excess
▪ As a young priest, he was a harsh critic of liberation theology + sought to prevent priests from involvement with political organisations; devoted himself to acts of charity instead
▪ His views softened later: 2015, invited Gutiérrez to Vat. as a guest of honour