Today I am wrestling with Liberation Theology.
This really interests me which could be an indication of settling down to SEITE, or a sadness that I never realised was there in my life.
liberating theology originated in Brazil – I’ not going to give a history lesson as you can find that for yourself! What is interesting, is that in a society where people were being abused, treated unfairly and justice was not an option unless you had money to buy it – in those surroundings people looked to Matthew 25 and developed this whole idea.
The whole idea of Jesus as liberator, and as God having a preference for the poor. Even a quick read of Jesus’ words on the poor and oppressed in Matthew 25 show clearly where this idea comes from. This theology, though, is personalised. It is not tied up in tradition or history – this is a theology of ‘the now’, a theology of reality – people being oppressed, people in poverty, people wanting liberation; people seeing Jesus as their liberator – not in Heaven, but now, here on earth!
These people had suffered the rape of colonialism and the result was to reject the established, colonial, church and meet in small groups without the priest. They met in small communities to pray for liberation, to share the liberating love of Jesus with others. Meeting in small groups, moving out from the established church, serving the poor, the poor being agents of mission to the poor – the pattern seems to be quite a familiar one.
It seems to me that Liberation theology is a real threat to the established western society. The western society needs the un-liberated to tread on. Without them it cannot climb the ladders of consumerist desire. The idea repulses me, but I can’t see how this can’t be a reality. I hate the fact that I am part of that western consumerist ladder climbing model.
I do not know enough yet, and I am not pretending to know more than a little of this theology – I am writing early thoughts here for a SEITE assignment. But I wonder if this is why the Vatican stamped its authority on Liberation Theology. Was it seen as too serious a threat to allow to develop into anything substantial?
the big question for me, though, is what is mission to those who need liberation and view Jesus as liberator. I sit here and think; but everything I think of has the same problem, the problem of being tainted with colonialism. Surely, anything the west tries to do, the west being church or missionary, is going to be viewed with great suspicion and a fear of returning to the old days of oppression.
So, what are the implications here for mission (and if you answer, yes you would be correct in thinking that I may use your comments in our groups presentation of Liberation Theology!)
The Shiny Headed Prophet 
I went to an interesting discussion with Black Theologian Antony Reddie and he made the point that yes what we say DOES come from a post-colonial Britain but ALL of us have cultural influences. He said that we need to acknowledge our own cultural values which will be unique from anybody else’s. Having acknowledged where we are coming fom we can explore our prejudices from a point of view of knowledg not ignorance. His point was that no-one could speak from a culture that was not their own but no-one could criticise someone who spoke about someone else’s culture if they first acknowledged their own cultural heritage.