Liberation Theology A02 Flashcards
1
Q
Christian theology should engage with atheist secular ideologies
A
- Christianity has a strong record of engaging with new insights and will not be corrupted if it borrows from Marxist thinking
- e.g. science led to re-evaluation of Genesis creations story
- God can be encountered in all things including human thought making Christian Marxism possible
- can engage as long as don’t adopt it all
- Bonino - “the Marxist scheme cannot be taken as a dogma but rather a method which has to be applied to our own reality in terms of this reality”
- if Christian theology applies to all aspects of human life it must engage with secular thought
2
Q
Christian theology should NOT engage with atheist secular ideologies
A
- Marxism articulates how workers can liberate themselves from oppression by developing a socialist society which contradicts Christianity
- Christianity offers account of world centred on creation of human beings by a loving God
- humans sin and turn away from God but he seeks to bring people back to him with Christ
- Marxism is an economic analysis
- Christianity is a spiritual analysis
- Marxism makes no space for God or the Bible
- Boff - Marxism can never be allowed to become a central principle of Christian thinking
- it denies God and the dignity of the human person
- its in opposition to Christianity
3
Q
Christianity tackles social issues more effectively than Marxism
A
- Marx identified many are oppressed and marginalised by those in power who control the means of production
- believes struggle at centre of life
- Marx claimed through revolution many social problems would ultimately lead to a socialist classless society
- yet many today would argue that communism was unable to respond effectively to suffering and poverty in society
- e.g. it was unable to hold back the tide of globalisation
- in contrast Christianity with its emphasis on spiritual/individual as part of community may be of more practical help for people struggling
- suffering cannot be removed from life even in a truly classless society
- Marx does not provide comfort for those who die in the struggle to achieve a classless society but Christianity can provide hope and solace by teaching that God loves you
- spiritual strength
4
Q
Christianity and Marxism in tackling social issues in relation to the Kingdom of God
A
- Christian concept of Kingdom of God
- it is both here and now in righteous actions and in the future
- realisation of a fully just, fair and loving world
- performing charitable acts for the oppressed is a manifestation of the kingdom of god
- marx said religion opiate of the people
- helps people live with life as it really is supporting them in hard times
- for marx this means it helps to maintain the status quo and limits people’s desire for revolutionary change
- but religion also helps people to live in the present and not spend their lives wishing for a future that might never happen
5
Q
why does Denys Turner argue that LT should go further and embrace the apophatic way to more effectively engage with marx
A
- via (-) uses negation to speak of God
- Turner shows how an apophatic theology need not affirm or deny the essence of God and if Christian thought asserts that God does not exist then Marxism has no God to deny
- if theology disposes of its language of affirmation then Marxism can dispose of its atheist language of denial
- Turner is not arguing that Christian theology abandons belief in God
- but that it abandons its attempts to describe God
- only a theology based around a God that is beyond language and experience can have many meaningful interaction with Marxism
- but arguably not enough Christians are willing to give up speaking positively and attempting to understand and describe god otherwise we risk losing the essential link between him and humanity that makes Christianity so special
6
Q
liberation theology has not engaged with Marxism fully enough
A
- LT fails to fully appreciate the significance of Marx’ fundamental belief in the need for revolution
- many LT adopt a Marxist analysis of society to promote social change without engaging with the wider aspects of Marxism
- LT uses Marxism purely as an instrument - it does not venerate it as it venerates the Gospel
- Miranda - “real life conversion is needed, not lukewarm concealment of changes which are made underhandedly”
- with the decline of communism Marxist thinking is seen as less relevant
- but there is an indication of a revival of Marxist socialism
- recent years many South American countries have been led by socialist leaders
- similarities between the two - compelling dialogue is possible
- both emphasise history
- both have sense that an coming event will bring about change - revolution v the kingdom of God
7
Q
the Boff brothers of the preferential option for the poor
A
- Christianity is and should be centrally focused on the poor
- begin with biblical observations of Jesus’ teachings which emphasise God is close to the poor
- argue God does not sit back, dispassionate and disengaged with the world but gets involved and takes sides with the poor
“God is especially close to those who are oppressed, hears their cry and resolves to set them free”
“God is a father of all but most particularly father and defender of those who are oppressed and treated unjustly”
- prioritise all but especially the poor
- e.g. bleeding woman/ man with the withered hand
8
Q
what do liberation theologians think about the preferential option for the poor
A
- God purposefully takes the side of the poor against the rich and actively works for the poor
- “he is a god who takes sides with the poor and liberates them from slavery and oppression. The reciprocal relationship between God and the poor is at the very heart of biblical faith”
- Gutierrez
9
Q
how have some liberations theologians been criticised by the Vatican for focusing on the poor in opposition to the wealthy
A
- on Sobrino, the Vatican says he manifests a dangerous preoccupation with the poor and oppressed in LA and whilst that preoccupation is shared by the Catholic Church it believes it is wrong to prioritise one group over the needs of others
- for all are to be saved
10
Q
what does John Paul II argue about the preferential option for the poor
A
- wealth does not shelter people from spiritual poverty and this was as much of a concern for the Gospel writers as material poverty
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mathew 5:3)
- the message of salvation that Jesus brings is a message for all of humanity not just the poor
- emphasising one group puts us in danger of forgetting the universal nature of salvation
- however it is difficult to make a case that churches shouldn’t be deeply concerned with the poor/oppressed
- equally the Catholic Church invests poverty with special status through e.g. the vows of poverty taken by many in religious orders - the renouncing of personal property and wealth
11
Q
what is one solution to making the preferential option for the poor fairer
A
- to define poverty widely to encompass material and spiritual poverty
- if Christians work to reduce poverty of all kinds then they will make the world a better place
- if work to reduce spiritual poverty encourages the wealthy to live more socially responsibly then it will operate alongside efforts to alleviate economic poverty to improve the lives of the poor and oppressed
12
Q
liberation theologians on the kingdom of God in reference to the preferential option for the poor
A
- clear it belong to the poor and the rich have no part in it because money is an idol which becomes an absolute value
- private property is by definition exclusivism - you cannot serve God and Mammon (money)
- Jesus does not idealise the poor because poverty is the consequence of the sin of exclusive possession
- but rather his aim is abundance for everyone expressed symbolically by the banquet of the kingdom
- teaches us to abandon the goods of this earth and share what we have with the poor
13
Q
similarities between Marxism and Liberation Theology
A
- both reject the patterns of alienation
- both challenge the injustices of capitalism
