Liberation Theology and Justice

1
Liberation Theology and Justice

• Does God care about injustice?

2
Liberation Theology and Justice

• Liberation theology looks at justice from the
  point of view of the oppressed in light of
  standards of love and justice envisioned in
  Christianity.
• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is interpreted in
  light of the condition of the poor and oppressed.

3
Liberation Theology

• God is God of the oppressed.
• It affirms the cultural contributions made by the
  oppressed in music, sermons, folk tales and
  stories as valid ways of talking about God.

4
More than this . . .

• Liberation theology seeks to address the needs of
  the poor by helping them liberate from
  oppression. It moves beyond aid and beyond
  reforming a system it seeks to have the poor
  understand their strength and power in
  self-liberation.
• To be a Christian is to help the poor by working
  out the gospel of liberation.
• Liberation theology is faith confronted with
  oppression.

5
Traditional Liberation
Theology Theology

• God
• God is triune, omnipotent, omnipresent,
  omniscient, just, immutable, sovereign and loving
• Jesus Christ
• Is very God and fully human, he gave his life for
  others and was resurrected.
• Bible
• The infallible word of God.

• God
• although all powerful, works in behalf of the
  oppressed.
• Jesus
• demonstrated Gods concern for the poor with his
  life. Jesus is liberator.
• Bible
• Is interpreted in light of Gods dealing with the
  oppressed. Passages such as Matt. 2531-46 are
  important.

6
Traditional Liberation Theology
Theology

• Sin
• Transgression against Gods laws, decrees, to do
  wrong, to rebel which leads to a broken
  relationship between God and humans,
• Church
• Is the body of Christ whose goal is to carry out
  Gods will on earth.
• Salvation
• is the application of the work of Christ to the
  life of the individual.

• Sin
• It is a social and historical fact . . . It is
  breached relationship with God and others and
  therefore affects personal life.
• Church
• Denounces injustices, raises the conscience of
  the poor about injustice and their power to
  change it. It, along with the clergy seek to
  develop programs that meet the needs of the
  poor..
• Salvation
• One demonstrates ones salvation by ministering
  to the downtrodden.

7
Partners in Liberation Theology

• Gustavo Gutierrez
• James Cone

• Mary Daily
• early proponents of Liberation Theology.

8
Liberation Theologies

• Black Theology
• Feminist Theology
• Womanist Theology
• Hispanic/Latino Theology

9
Black Theology

• Gods concern for Gods people

10
Black Theology Black Power

• Black Power . . . mean(s) complete emancipation
  of black people from white oppression by whatever
  means black people deem necessary.
• It could mean economic boycotts, protests or
  rebellion.
• A protest might draw worldwide attention to the
  cause. For example, Mexico City 1968

11
Black Theology

• Black theology is an attempt to analyze the
  nature of that reality reality of God, asking
  what we can say about the nature of God in view
  of Gods self-disclosure in biblical history and
  the oppressed condition of black Americans.
• James Cone

12
Feminist Theology

• Must God Be Male?

13
Feminist Theology

• Feminist theology, as a theology of liberation,
  is concerned about exposing this false
  universalism the idea that the masculine
  experience applies to everyone and
  reinterpreting the experiences of women.
• Valerie Saiving Goldstein from Jacquelyn Grant
• "Feminism is a social vision, rooted in women's
  experience of sexually based discrimination and
  oppression, a movement seeking the liberation of
  women from all forms of sexism, and an academic
  method of analysis being used in virtually every
  discipline."
• Anne M. Clifford

14
Types of Feminist Theology

• There are three basic types of feminist
  theologies
• Revolutionary Feminist Theology
• Reformist Feminist Theology
• Reconstructionist Feminist Theology

15
Feminist Theologies Explained

• Revolutionary Feminist Theology
• Wants to totally revolutionize Christian
  theology it advocates worship of Goddess and
  woman centered culture among other things. A
  male centered God is problematic and
  Christianity is irredeemable.
• Reformist Feminist Theology
• Advocates modest changes in the current church
  structure, usually believes in the more
  traditional aspects of Christian theology but
  oppose gender bias and unequal power.
• Reconstructionist Feminist Theology
• Recognizes that the church must undergo a
  thorough change beyond merely sharing power with
  men and at the same time maintain Christian
  traditions.

16
Christian Feminist Reconstructionists

• Main Points

17
The Self

• 1. Conscientization
• This term is used especially in mujerista or
  "latina." In feminist theology one validates ones
  experiences. The experiences of women have been
  negated or downplayed by the patriarchal
  structure. To this end one is also sensitive to
  the experiences of others that are different from
  one's own. is. Patriarchy and androcentrism
  (male centered description) are sins. When
  people suffer because of their race, ethnicity,
  gender, class, age, status, sexual orientation it
  is sin. Therefore, social location is very
  important.

18
The Interpretation

• 2. Hermeneutics
• The Bible is interpreted in light of whether or
  not it liberates women and men. If the text does
  not liberate then "it either must not be true or
  has been misinterpreted." The hermeneutics
  (interpretation) of the Bible and church
  practices are "detecting" patriarchal and
  androgynous tendencies. Therefore, one looks at
  language, depictions of women and men, parables,
  etc. in light of women's liberation from
  oppression and to the end of empowering women.

19
The Practice

• 3. Praxis
• This theology is rooted in praxis. One needs to
  work at liberating women. One must take concrete
  steps to eradicate the oppressive structures.
  One works in the church and in society. " . . .
  Christian feminist theologies take up the love
  command of Jesus, recognizing that actively
  loving one's neighbors, especially those most in
  need, cannot separate them from the love of God .
  . . "

20
Womanist Theology

• A womanist is sometimes referred to as a Black
  feminist. Womanist theology is rooted in the
  experience of Black women who have had triple
  oppression (race, gender, class).
• The term womanist was coined by Alice Walker in
  her book In Search of Our Mothers Gardens

21
Latino/Hispanic Theology

• The Faces of Jesus

22
Latino/Hispanic Theology

• Latino/Hispanic theology is concerned with
  removing the bonds of oppression from
  Latinos/Hispanics by reinterpreting the message
  of the Bible through the eyes of the oppressed.

23
The Status of Women in Religion

• A Universal Concern?

24
Fill in the blanks

• When a kid goes to school, _________ often feels
  excited on the first day.
• As _________ walked into the coed dorm the clock
  struck twelve.
• Most people are concerned about with appearance.
  Each person knows when _________ appearance is
  unattractive.

25
Views of Women

• Traditional
• Women are below men.
• Property
• Women are viewed as property and are valued as
  much as any property is valued.
• Single Sex domination
• Men and women have spheres within in which they
  have major influences however, the spheres which
  men control are the major spheres.

26
More positions

• Hierarchical
• Although women are just as valuable as men, a
  womens place is at home with her family,
  assisting her husband.
• In public, as in the home, she submits to male
  authority.
• Egalitarian
• Women have as much right and should be accorded
  as much authority as men in any field.

27
Peace and Justice

• Can these two co-exist?

28
Ethical Justification for Coercion

• Is it ever right to use coercion or force to
  obtain justice?

29
Some Perspectives

• Nonviolence or satyagraha - Hindu, Buddhist
• obtain peace through nonviolent means
• Pacifists
• total rejection of force or wars
• Jihad - Crusades - Holy War
• Some wars are justified with Divine sanction
• Just War
• wars are taken up when circumstances meet a
  certain criteria.

30
Just War Requirements

• War must be authorized an waged under the
  authority of a legitimately established
  government.
• War can only be undertaken only if there is a
  just cause, a grave and unjustifiable injury done
  to the people of a country by the government or
  citizens of another country.
• War must be waged with right intentions.

31
Just War

• War must be waged with proper means.
• War must be undertaken as a last resort.
• War can only be undertaken when there is a
  reasonable expectation that the just side will
  prevail.
• War can only be undertaken when the good that
  will result will be greater than the destruction.