4F- Liberation theology Flashcards
(16 cards)
Give an introduction to liberation theology
Movement that developed in the 1960s Latin America to help liberate Christians from poverty
Gutierrez says its about abolishing the status quo that has led to suffering and replace it with a different set of relationships
Believe God is partisan- on the side of the oppressed
Explain the political basis for liberation theology
Latin America has faced economic exploitation for 500 years and despite economic development there was no development of middle class for Latin America
Liberation theologians haven’t promoted violence but have been sympathetic to socialist movements
Capitalism meant demands that goods and labour be cheap- private ownership of goods
What does the religious basis of liberation theology mean?
God desires all people to be liberated from structures that cause oppression
Explain the religious basis of liberation theology: bible passages
Accounts of Exodus- God hears the cries of his oppressed people and leads them from Egypt to the ‘promised land’
Luke 4- ‘he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor’- an announcement of liberation
God has worked through prophets, his son and apostles to bring freedom in historical situations
1 John 4- impossible to love God without loving human beings
Explain the religious basis of liberation theology: Jesus’ life
There’s 3 ways Jesus’ which Jesus’ life relates to liberation theology
1) his complex relationships with the zealots (a Jewish group)
2) critical attitudes towards religious leaders
3) Jesus’ death at the hands of political authority- Jesus suffered
Explain the religious basis of liberation theology: orthodoxy and orthopraxy
Orthodoxy- ‘right teaching’- when one starts with the bible of intellectual thought and seeks to determine the truth
Orthopraxy- practice of faith applied to life- comes before orthodoxy eg in judaism
Explain the ethical basis of liberation theology
Distinguishes between 3 types of poverty
Material poverty
Consistently condemned in the bible
Poverty contradicts the heart of the message in genesis that all humans created in God’s likeness
Spiritual poverty
Unethical to assume that just because someone is spiritual they are happy, despite being poor
Voluntary poverty
The act of the church choosing to be poor so to identify with the poor
Should all volunteer to empty ourselves- should give if have too much
Explain base communities
Base communities- Boff
Are small groups of 15-20 families who meet to support one another and apply insights to their struggles against oppression
‘Base’ refers to the basic building blocks of the church
Believes the church needs both small communities and larger structures to support
Developed due to factors such as a shortage of priests and a movement in populist education
Believes trinity lives in a perfect fellowship- koinonia
Explain liberation theology and marxism
Liberation theology and Marxism
Marx says that historical change has come about conflict of upper classes and lower classes- root of this lies in economics- need to change to a classless society
Gutierrez appreciates this but doesn’t feel that those who are poor will discover a better life
What’s Boff’s 4 expressions of marxism he points out
Boff points out that Pope Paul VI distinguished between 4 expressions of marxism
1) a historical practice of class struggle- boff notes both xtians and marxists share dream of society where there’s neither rich nor poor
2) an economic and political practice
3) an atheist and materialistic viewpoint- boff says xtians simply reject the atheist that comes with the marx model
4) form of social and material analysis
What’s the RCC response to liberation theology
At the Vatican it had a mixed reception- Pope Paul II said how he was concerned with the potential of liberation theology to reduce evangelism to social justice. But he said a spiritual change was needed . he condemned the use of violence to bring change
Give Ratzinger’s view on liberation theology
Criticises Liberation theo
Theology is bigger than economic structures- spiritual solutions are needed
Marxism isn’t a science but an atheist ideology
Marxism makes everyone an enemy who is outside of the fight for the poor and oppressed- also brings about violence for change which isn’t xtian - how can you support an ideology that contradicts faith?
Bible only given a political interpretation- eg only seeing exodus as political misses the point
Give 3 points that agree with ‘ the political and ethical foundations of liberation theology are more important than religious foundations’
Liberation theology is clear about appreciation for marxist social analysis
Criticised teaching of putting ‘praxis’ first- theology shouldn’t be about finding right intellectual truths but taking action to end suffering
LT views social justice as main aim of the church
Give 3 points that disagree with ‘ the political and ethical foundations of liberation theology are more important than religious foundations’
Vatican points out marxism is an ideology- false promise to society
LT is heavily informed by the bible- Boff and Gutierrez take inspiration from the bible
Informed by religion and politics same amount as to porcede on a purely intellectual basis seems to lack love
Give 3 points that agree with ‘Liberation theology wholly offered a cultural challenge to the RCC’
Ratzinger criticised LT due to its marxist undertones
LT views social justice as main aim of the church
It expects voluntary poverty
Give 3 points that disagree with ‘Liberation theology wholly offered a cultural challenge to the RCC’
LT was warmly received by the Bishops of Latin America
Phrases coined by liberation theologians mirror those said by the RCC such as ‘preferential option for the poor’
Still requires priests more the eucharist and traditional aspects eg structural dependance on one man
