Skip to main content

Liberation Theology and Hermeneutics

I haven't really done much reading in theology, but a friend lent me a book on liberation theology, a theology which had its source in Latin America and stresses liberation of the oppressed (most importantly, but not exclusively, the economically poor). Especially because liberal theologians emphasize class conflict as a cause of poverty, and because they believe revolution to be the solution to that poverty, observers have interpreted it as Marxist. Liberal theologians themselves see the relationship to Marxism, but believe the "poor" to be broader in scope than Marx's proletariat. Marx's proletariat is a group of wage workers who do not own the means of production and who sell their labor to live. Liberal theologians would include the unemployed and underemployed as those needing liberation; and they also consider racial, ethnic, and gender oppression, albeit as secondary to economic oppression.

Liberal theologians' emphasis on liberating the oppressed is Biblical, as seen in verses like Isaiah 58:66, Jeremiah 22:3, and (in relation to kings) Proverbs 31:8. I know, however, that Christ's purpose was broader than the economic oppression highlighted by liberal theologians. His liberation is centrally a spiritual one, from the bondage of sin and condemnation (John 8:34-36, Romans 6:17-22, Colossians 1:22, and Hebrews 2:14-15, for example).

In line with liberal theologians' central purpose is their method of interpreting scripture. Look at the following words from my friend's book:
"Liberative hermeneutics seeks to discover and activate the transforming energy of biblical texts [emphasis theirs]. In the end, this is a question of finding an interpretation that will lead to individual change (conversion) and change in history (revolution)."*
Because liberating the poor is central to liberation theology, it is understandable that liberal theologians would search specifically for scripture that fits liberating the poor. Approaching scripture in this way, however, at best minimizes the grander message of the Bible, and at worst ignores it. It seems its proponents reduce as secondary Christ's purpose in coming and dying: to "give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Liberal theologians' efforts are crucial, then, but perhaps minimize the importance of spiritual freedom offered in Christ.

*Boff, Leonardo and Clodovis Boff. Introducing Liberation Theology. Wellwood, UK: Burns & Oats/Search Press Ltd, 1987.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heroes

Although we have several examples of heroes in our day, one of the best known is of a woman named Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (“Gonja Bojaju”), who devoted her life to sustaining the “poor, sick, orphaned, and dying.” Her venue was Calcutta, India, where she served as a teacher until she began to take notice of the poverty there. Seeking to do something about it, she began an organization that consisted of just thirteen members at its inception. Called the “Missionaries of Charity,” the organization would eventually burgeon into well over 5,000 members worldwide, running approximately 600 missions, schools and shelters in 120 countries; and caring for the orphaned, blind, aged, disabled, and poor. As her personal work expanded, she traveled to countries like Lebanon, where she rescued 37 children from a hospital by pressing for peace between Israel and Palestine; to Ethiopia, where she traveled to help the hungry; to Chernobyl, Russia, to assist victims of the nuclear meltdown there; and to
2 comments
Read more

Comparative Medical Care

One thing I'd like to understand is why there is such a difference between medical costs here and those in Haiti. At the time the book Mountains Beyond Mountains was written, in 2003, it often cost $15,000 to $20,000 annually to treat a patient with tuberculosis, while it cost one one-hundredth of that-- $150 to $200-- to treat a patient for the disease in Haiti. Even if the figures aren't completely accurate, the sheer difference would still be there. Indeed, the United States pays more per capita for medical care than any other country on Earth. My first guess for why the disparity exists is that there is a market willing and able to pay more for medical treatment, so suppliers see the demand and respond with higher prices. According to at least one doctor (go to http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2009/05/what_is_the_cause_of_excess_co.php), part of the reason is administrative prices here. People here have a higher standard of living, and so the cost of care is shifted to
2 comments
Read more

Movie Night

We did it again. My leadership class and I put together another event. We invited the school to watch Dispicable Me . The movie was a hit, so much so that one little girl got up to dance with the main character at the end of the movie. It was a wholesome family night, and on a Monday no less! There were very few issues. It was just a relaxing evening. We're going to use the proceeds to pay for our leadership conference in late March and early April. It should make for a meanigful experience. Signing off...
1 comment
Read more