Jean Zaru, who identifies herself as, “. . . a Christian, a Palestinian, a woman, an Arab, and a Quaker. . .” (Zaru 124), has acted as a longtime activist for peace and justice in Palestine, served on numerous community boards in Palestine, and authored two books on Palestinian life as a Christian. Zaru’s article in Hope Abundant, presents and argues for a theology of liberation from oppression (123), rooted in peace, and accomplished through loving your neighbor as yourself through embracing the differences and similarities of each other (137). Zaru begins the article by addressing the oppression she has faced throughout life. As a Christian Palestinian woman, she experienced judgement in Christianity due to her nationality, oppression …show more content…
Lastly, regarding women, Zaru presents that the …show more content…
The personal insight and experience Zaru brings to the article provides an insightful perspective into the subject of oppression and liberation. The author states her argument clearly, but with obvious presuppositions deriving from her life as a Quaker (Zaru 123), thus making her argument slightly confusing at times. For example, as a Quaker, Zaru calls for justice, peace, and nonviolence in all situations, but fails to account for how justice should be sought, and simply acknowledges that a tension exists between peace and justice (135). Additionally, Zaru paints a relatively bleak picture of Old Testament accounts, even claiming that “the God of that portion of the biblical account is the God of people’s consciousness and perception rather than the God who really is” (125). This claim proves incredibly bold and seems to suggest inconsistency between the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament, a claim quite abrasive to those who, like myself, view the Bible as authoritative. Additionally, throughout the article, the author read her own experience into several Biblical accounts (Zaru 127), a practice that can provide clarity into one’s own experience, but should carefully avoid presentism. Despite these few critiques, Zaru offer incredible insight and perspective into the life of someone often viewed as “unchosen” and oppressed due to such views. In her
Howard Thurman in his book, “Jesus and the Disinherited” presented Jesus as a role model for the oppressed on how to find strength, freedom and peace within God and oneself. Thurman shares the story of how Jesus offered an alternative to accepting the Roman rules, like the Sadducees did in hope of being allowed to maintain their Jewish traditions; A solution to remaining silently obedient, like the Pharisees, as hatred and resentment destroyed them from within. Jesus provided an alternative solution to the Zealots of his day who resorted to physical force to advance their justified cause, often paying the ultimate cost, their life. Jesus taught love. Love of God, self, neighbor and especially your enemy. Thurman stresses that Jesus know that “it is man’s reaction to things that determines their ability to exercise power over them”.(Thurman, 18) Jesus taught and modeled the art of strength through humility. He
Dave Eggers’ novel Zeitoun is labeled as a work of non-fiction. It tells the story of a Syrian-American man named Abdulrahman Zeitoun, also known as Zeitoun, who chose to stay in New Orleans to ride out one of the worst natural disasters in American history, Hurricane Katrina. Zeitoun, a family man and devoted to his business stayed in the city as the hurricane approached to protect not only his home and business, but also his neighbors’ and friends’ properties. After the storm he traveled the flooded city in a secondhand canoe rescuing neighbors, caring for abandoned pets and distributing fresh water. Soon after the storm, Zeitoun and three others were arrested without reason or explanation at one of his rental houses by a mixed group of U.S. Army National Guard soldiers and local police officers. In the novel Eggers created an accurate portrayal of the events of racial profiling and looting this becomes apparent if one views the documentary by Spike Lee, When the Levees Broke.
Douglass continues to describe the severity of the manipulation of Christianity. Slave owners use generations of slavery and mental control to convert slaves to the belief God sanctions and supports slavery. They teach that, “ man may properly be a slave; that the relation of master and slave is ordained by God” (Douglass 13). In order to justify their own wrongdoings, slaveowners convert the slaves themselves to Christianity, either by force or gentle coercion over generations. The slaves are therefore under the impression that slavery is a necessary evil. With no other source of information other than their slave owners, and no other supernatural explanation for the horrors they face other than the ones provided by Christianity, generations of slaves cannot escape from under the canopy of Christianity. Christianity molded so deeply to the ideals of slavery that it becomes a postmark of America and a shield of steel for American slave owners. Douglass exposes the blatant misuse of the religion. By using Christianity as a vessel of exploitation, they forever modify the connotations of Christianity to that of tyrannical rule and
Though her life is a mystery to many academics, her only recovered works “Secret and “The Negro Laughs Back”, like Wilson’s, Hurston’s and Johnson’s explore the deep seated feelings of frustration with the ongoing fight for equality. However, unlike them, she explores ideas of spirituality which suggest that God lives within her. Mary Jenness’s work “Secret” is the exemplification of these ideas, she speaks directly to the heart of the African American struggle for equality within the United States. More assertive than her counterparts who proceed her, Jenness speaks directly to her oppressor, “Oh you that strike will never flinch/from hearts you cannot feel”, a line that suggests a lack of empathy from her oppressor. Using terms of aggression, such as strike and flinch to provoke an image of uncaring hatred (Jenness 82). She compares her plight, and the plight of all African American women to the same difficulties faced by Jesus Christ. Jenness creates this juxtaposition, by alluding to the Bible, best evidenced in the third line of the poem, “Though I that turn the cheek may hide/a wound that does not heal”, an allusion to Bible scripture Mathew 5:39, when Jesus instructs his followers to turn the other cheek. Yet, unlike Jesus, her wounds, and the wounds of African American women are often without healing. Jenness continues the work stating, “Yet something in you has to die/And something in me live” the “something Jenness refers to is humanity, noting that the cruelty exercised by her oppressors is hurting them more than her, as they are relinquishing their own souls and connection with mankind. The thought of this allows Jenness to end the work with a renewed sense of hope and thanks her enemies “for the gift of hate/ that keeps me sensitive” (Jenness 82). Throughout the poem, there is the familiar tone of anger and pain found in much of the writings of
Slave-owners forced a perverse form of Christianity, one that condoned slavery, upon slaves. According to this false Christianity the enslavement of “black Africans is justified because they are the descendants of Ham, one of Noah's sons; in one Biblical story, Noah cursed Ham's descendants to be slaves” (Tolson 272). Slavery was further validated by the numerous examples of it within the bible. It was reasoned that these examples were confirmation that God condoned slavery. Douglass’s master...
The narrative of Olaudah Equiano is truly a magnificent one. Not only does the reader get to see the world through Equiano's own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a spiritual conversion autobiography. Religion may be viewed as at the heart of the matter in Equiano's long, remarkable journey. Through Equiano's own experiences, the reader uncovers just how massive a role religion played in the part of his Narrative and in that of his own life. More specifically, we learn of how his religious conversion meant a type of freedom as momentous as his own independence from slavery. As one reads his tale, one learns just how dedicated he his to that of his Christian faith; from his constant narration of the scriptures to the way that Equiano feels a growing sense of empowerment from the biblical texts for the oppressed community. However, at the same time, one may question Equiano's own Christian piety. Did Equiano really seek to tell the tale of his soul's spiritual journey, did he really believe God would set him free or was he simply using religion as a ways of manipulating British and American readers to accept him as a credible narrator. Regardless of which of these facts is true, religion is quite possibly the defining feature of his life story.
"God of the Oppressed" is brilliantly organized into ten chapters. These chapters serve as the building blocks to the true understanding of Cone’s Black Theology. This progressive movement begins with an introduction of both him and his viewpoint. He explains that his childhood in Bearden, Arkansas and his membership to Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E) has taught him about the black Church experience and the sociopolitical significance of white people. “My point is that one’s social and historical context decides not only the questions we address to God but also the mode of form of the answers given to the questions.” (14) The idea of “speaking the truth” is added at this point because to go any further the reader must understand the reason and goal for Black Theology. Through the two sources in that shape theology, experience and scripture, white theology concludes that the black situation is not a main point of focus. Cone explains the cause for this ignorance, “Theology is not a universal language; it is interested language and thus is always a reflection of the goals and aspirations of a particular people in a definite social setting.” (36) This implies that one’s social context shapes their theology and white’s do not know the life and history of blacks. As the reader completes the detailed analysis of society’s role in shaping experiences, Cone adds to the second source, scripture.
For centuries religion has played a huge role in the black community. From slavery to freedom, religion has help black folk deal with their anger, pain, oppression, sadness, fear, and dread. Recognizing the said importance of religion in the black community, Black poets and writers like Phillis Wheatley and Richard Wright, use religion as an important motif in their literature. Wheatley uses religion as a way to convince her mostly white audience of how religious conversion validates the humanity of herself and others. Wright on the other hand, uses religion in order to demonstrate how religion, as uplifting as it is can fail the black community. Thinking through, both Wheatley and Wright’s writings it becomes apparent that religion is so complex,
Throughout time, readers have learned many different lessons from their favourite books. In The Chrysalids, John Wyndam used his story to teach his readers valuable, lifelong lessons. He makes it evident to his readers that prejudging certain people is not right. Also, he relates how change is possible, but hard to achieve. More specifically, religion often influences one’s point of view. John Wyndam’s, The Chrysalids was written with a purpose that teaches his readers about discrimination, about how change is possible, and how religion often influences one’s point of view.
In Miguel A. De La Torre’s Liberation Theology for Armchair Theologians the subject of liberation theology was explored. De La Torre biblically expressed Liberation theology by using the main point of the poor being followers of God and God himself is the leader of the poor, who will not let them down. Besides De La Torre, using the underrepresented society as an example of how Liberation Theology works, he uses a world view which taps into different theologies such as Black Theology, U.S. Feminist Theologies, Hispanic Theologies and many more. Although De La Torre lists different theologies from different groups they all tie in together melting into the pot of Liberation Theology.
White, Brian. "In The Humble Fashion Of A Scripture Woman": The Bible As Besieging Tool In
In Western Christianity, the “theology” of Dispensationalism is achieving unheard of popularity. However with examination one can see the many cultural and biblical problems this theology has. Ultimately this theology isn’t just unbiblical, it is dangerous.
...map of proper behavior for the new society that has been liberated from slavery. Within the context of history, the myth offers future generations a glimpse of a new religions beginnings. As the new code of laws is set into place, a new and more powerful god emerges – a god of great strength, a god that supersedes all other gods, one god above all others.
John Wallach’s values created the platform for change in 1993, when he founded Seeds of Peace. John Wallach’s prominent career in journalism along with his background as a foreign editor for Hearst Newspapers for many years, gave him first-hand knowledge and insight on the type of program that needed to be put into action to help bring peace between nations divided by conflict. Wallach knew he couldn’t initiate change without the help of a few key people. John recruited Barbara Gottschalk, an experienced social worker and program developer, to be the first executive director of the project and recruited Timothy Wilson, a veteran educator and camp director, to run the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine. The organization has affected many people worldwide through the many programs and projects it has developed to build bridges between people unlikely to have met otherwise. “Seeds of Peace gave me hope that one day we’ll be able to live in peace—a just peace based on the elements of respect, dignity, and basic human rights and values for every Israeli and Palestinian,” Adham a Palestinian Seed says. Adham and many others through Seeds of Peace have been given hope amid the plentiful headlines full of despair, a hope that can empower them to take action and teach others to do the
Class notes. Man’s Desperate Need of Righteousness and God’s Glorious Provision of Righteousness. Faith Christian University. Orlando, Florida. August 2011.