2 posts tagged “liberation theology”
I am excited about next week's trip to Managua, Nicaragua. Along with 8 other United Methodists, I will be visiting missionaries Nan McCurdy and Miguel Mairena. Providentially, I first met Nan and Miguel a few years ago when I was immersing myself in liberation theologians like Justo Gonzales and Gustavo Gutierrez.
I am indebted to liberation theology for drawing my attention to poor countries that are kept subservient by military force, prosperous nations that prosper at the expense of the impoverished, and large corporations who exploit cheap labor. Life in an affluent, suburban culture obscures these facts, which is tragic considering much of redemptive history is written from the perspective of the powerless. God, these theologians remind us, is actively involved with the poor in their struggles, as evidenced by the incarnation. Liberation theology also sheds light on the signs of a true church, among which are solidarity with the poor, sensitivity to oppression, and the search for justice and peace. I believe wherever there is a passion for social justice there is an in-breaking of the kingdom, which is wider and deeper than the visible church.
However, has liberation theology emphasized political freedom, while failing to give primacy to freedom from sin? I believe freedom in Christ should necessarily have effects on the social level, but the New Testament stresses the radical character of the freedom offered to all, whether they be politically free or enslaved. Certainly the church must confront structural evil, but shouldn't such evil be viewed as the consequences of sin, rather than its cause?
When considering the church as a system, one must consider those overlooked parts of the whole. I submit that, in the North American congregations, these overlooked ‘parts’ have been women, ethnic minorities, and those on the lower end of the economic scale. Ervin Laszlo describes that function in terms of values. "Values are goals which behavior strives to realize. Any activity which is oriented toward the accomplishment of some end is value-oriented activity. (p. 78)" The church, in a systems view, could be seen as a system whose parts are working together to embody the values of the gospel. The experience of women, minorities, and the poor as feeling marginalized, rather than part of the whole, could be viewed as a manifestation of non-optimum performance. I anticipate that by heeding stories from the margins might move our congregations toward a more full articulation and practice of Christian faith. Incorporating the story as told by marginalized persons recognizes a new significance of part of the whole Christian body. It will also support the church’s efforts to engage the unchurched with the gospel as people hear their own lives represented in the community’s self-expression. Heeding stories from the margins captures the feedback necessary for the health of the system.
