Liberation Theology: Reflecting from the Underside of History INTRODUCTION
In this short essay I shall try to describe some developments that occurred i the Chur h s struggle to come to terms with her role in the modern world, and particularly to accept one of her own children, liberation theology. This theology was born of the fruitful union of some of her pastors and the poor and oppressed in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Further, I shall describe some ways of doing liberation theology, and look at how we as individuals might be involved.
INITIAL OPPOSITION Much of the initial opposition in the Church to liberation theology arose from a dualist view in which the spiritual and the mundane worlds are contrasted and seen as spheres apart. Religion and politics did ot i ; the Chur h s task la i the for er, the sal atio of i di idual souls. Many people never question this, particularly since God has slowly been squeezed out of public life and confined to the private life of the individual. But God does not want to be kept out of public life. Scripture and the social teaching of the Church confirm this. Of course, the Church is not a political organisation entering the area of politics as a party with its own policies and manifesto aimed at gaining the popular vote. No, the Church comes to fulfil a mandate – to preach the good news, to condemn sin, to challenge injustice and to be a sign of hope for the poor and oppressed, taking Jesus as model. Jesus offered peace, yet he did not hesitate to challenge those in authority. He took the side of the disadvantaged, making people aware of and concerned about the needs of others (Matthew 25:31-46).
TWO INSTRUCTIONS Accusations were made against liberation theologians in the first of two Instructions1 issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Some theologians were said to have borrowed concepts from Marxist ideology uncritically, and more specifically, to have made use of a deterministic concept of class struggle which entails a denial of Christian faith. After bannings, protests and delegations, these accusations were seen to be unfounded, and a second Instruction2 actually encouraged theologians to engage in this kind of theology, and provided guidelines for doing so. The second Instru tio states that the po erful a d al ost irresisti le aspiratio that people ha e for li eratio o stitutes o e of the pri ipal sig s of the ti es. This aspiratio is stre gthe ed the a ake i g of the o s ious ess of the oppressed. Li eratio theology arises out of this in conjunction with the need to deepen the biblical theme of liberation which is fundamental to both Old and New Testaments. The gospel is indeed a message of freedom and a force for true liberation.
DOING LIBERATION THEOLOGY
Li eratio theolog is i the first pla e a refle tio o faith fro the u derside of histor . It is a people s theolog o i g fro the grass roots, here refle tio is i tert i ed ith pra is or riti al
1 2
Instruction on Certain Aspects of the Theology of Liberation (6 August 1984) Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation (22 March 1986)