Liberation Theology
I see [liberation theology] as a 'theology of the people,' rather than of professional theologians; rising out of the cries of the oppressed; refined in the experience of those who may not even be able to read and write; clarified in thousands of base communities; embodied in lives that risk everything to be faithful to the good news that God hears their cry, sides with them in their distress, and works with them for liberation- a liberation in which they play a central role even while recognizing that the ultimate attainment of liberation will be God's gift. (McAfee).
Liberation Theology is a movement within the Catholic religion in Latin America that began around 1973 with the publication of A Theology of Liberation by Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutierrez (Hadjor). It is a unique theology, because it is one of the people. The Catholic Church in Latin America began with Spanish colonization, and has since become an integral part of the culture. There were many monks and nuns in the Church that aided in grassroots social change. However, the greater institution of the Church- a major landowner in many countries- has sided with oppressive conservative regimes that respect its power. Rather than deny the religion as a result of the oppressive institution, the proponents of liberation theology have claimed the Catholic Church as their own. They claim that Jesus was a radical liberator fighting for the interests of the poor, and that the Church should reflect this.
The best way to present the ideas of liberation theology is to hear the voices of those directly involved:
In the Gospels we discover that God is always on the side of the poorest, the most marginalized, those who don't have any value in s...
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...tical awareness of reality and, in spelling out those thematics, take possession of that reality"(Friere 87). He believes that in the current world system people are oppressed, and denied the ability to create their own reality and live as humans. Also, that "as the oppressed, fighting to be human, take away the oppressor's power to dominate and suppress, they restore to the oppressors the humanity they had lost in the exercise of oppression" (Friere 38).
Works Cited
Brown, Robert McAfee. Gustavo Gutierrez: An Introduction to Liberation Theology. Maryknoll: New York, 1990.
Friere, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum: New York, 1996
Hadjor, Kofi Buenor. The Penguin Dictionary of Third World Terms. Penguin Books: New York, 1993.
Puleo, Mev. The Struggle is One: Voices and Visions of Liberation. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994.
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Liberation theology was considered both a radical and political movement in Roman Catholic Theology. It proposes the fight of poverty and goes in depth into the relationship of Christian theology and political activism. It interpreted Jesus’ teachings in relation to liberation through economic, political and social conditions. Liberation Theology spoke on how the Christian church should act in order to bring social change as well as support itself with the working group. It also explains how the church should be a movement for people who were denied their rights which resulted in poverty and being stripped of human beings. Liberation theology also caused up rise in which many important people involved in Christianity did not approve of it.
The broadest definition of Christianity is also perhaps the simplest. Across the history and branches of the religion, “it is faith in Christ, not the scrupulous and religious keeping of the law...which is the basis of salvation” (McGrath 15). The religion that is now a major global force has grown out of a small group tucked away in one corner of the world, breaking and changing over time, yet united by a faith in this revolutionary man who claimed to be the son of God, Jesus Christ.
Rhodes, Ron. "Liberation Theology." Liberation Theology. Reasoning from Scriptures Ministries, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
In every society, there is a social ladder, and at the bottom of every ladder or totem pole is the poor. As I interpret Liberation Theology, is a belief system constructed for and around the poor, including the poor who were suffering within the Roman Catholic religion. If we take a look at the word liberation, it literally means the act of gaining (or trying to gain) rights for the oppressed (or poor) and poverty stricken. So Liberation Theology refers to the poor and the relationship they share with trying to find religious freedoms, rights, and social justice from those who oppose of them.