What is Liberation Theology?

Well i'll tell you.
Last week our exam was to write and explain our understanding of what is Liberation Theology as we now know it with two weeks of class under out belts... This is my exam and my understanding (academically speaking) of liberation theology.
Read it if your curious.
Read it if you this the Church needs to spend more time worrying about poverty then what kind of coffee to roast on sunday.
Read it if you think Jesus Christ was a Man who lived for the people.
Read it if your bored.
Most of all enjoy it and take it with the understanding that everying deserves to be represented with its own context - you, I, the poor and liberation theology.



What is Liberation Theology?

The Theology of Liberation and the Liberation of Theology
According to Gustavo Gutiérrez, the theology of liberation is, “an expression of the right of the poor to ‘think their faith’ (81).” Clodovis Boff would add to Gutiérrez’s definition that, “liberation theology must begin by stooping down and examining the actual conditions in which the oppresses find themselves (120).” It is clear that like any personal movement, Latin American Liberation Theology cannot be understood without a proper explanation of its history, its reasoning and its main players and voices. Liberation Theology is more then a theology, but a movement and fuel for its people, thus it deserved to be understood the full context of that movement and those people.

Pre-Theology of Liberation – Where is God? And the Eventual ‘Death of God’
The early beginnings of Theology of Liberation, which would eventually evolve into Liberation Theology for Latin America, came out of the European or Roman Catholic Church after the Second World War. The Second World War not only tore apart Europe itself, but also Europe’s image and ideals of God and Church. With the horrific Nazi Holocaust of the Jews following WWII, the Catholic Church struggled to provide explanation for where ‘God’ was in this war and genocide. In the Quest for a Living God, Elizabeth Johnson describes theologians as having to speak of the Holocaust as, “an ‘interruption’ that invaded the Christian Theology’s view of a rationally ordered world”(50). The Christians of Europe could not understand how God that is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient could allow this tragedy. For example, if God truly omniscient or all knowing how could God knowingly allow this war and genocide. Also, if God is omnipotent or all-powerful, why did God not stop the killing? These questions of the fundamental doctrine of God, led to the essential ‘Death of God’ in Europe. Eventually the people who lived in and around WWII and the Holocaust could not accept the God of Love and the Catholic Church foresaw this to be huge problem.
Theologians in Europe began to present the a new political theology of God as the God of Suffering, and a God that is, “deeply involved with the Pains of the world (Johnson, 56).” The Post-Holocaust political theology in Europe transformed the Churches image of God and helped open the doors to re-imaging more than just God.

The Second Vatican Counsel – New Bishops with New Problems in Latin America
While the Church in Europe was dealing with Post-Holocaust and Post-WWII changes, the Church in Latin America was in a completely different state, one of extreme poverty and oppression. For example, Europe was experiencing secularization, de-clericalization, de-mytholization and the death of God. In contrast, Latin America was experiencing extreme poverty, death due to malnutrition, several armed conflicts and governmental oppression. The teachings of the European Catholic Church were geared toward those who were in power and to the issues specific to Europe, not to those issues of the people in Latin America. These teachings and theology, not being geared directly toward the people and issues of Latin America became problematic and in need of change. These extreme differences and needs were called to the attention of Rome at the Second Vatican Counsel in 1962.
The Second Vatican Counsel essentially focused on the question of, ‘what does it mean to be Church in the ‘modern’ (post war) world?’ The Catholic Church worked on a new and modern definition of church itself and ideas of how to transition into the new era. The Vatican II produced many new ideas for the church, one of which was Synods of Bishops on a national and global level. The Bishops of Latin America began to ask the question not only of, ‘how do we be church?’, but also of ‘how do we be Church in Latin America, in El Salvador, in the Campos and the poverty?’ The Latin American Bishops reunited together in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia to discuss the people and issues weighing on Latin America. The Bishops questioned poverty, its causes, the poor people themselves and they focused on their methods of teaching (Johnson 71). After a decade of working, studying and learning more about the issues of Latin America, another meeting was held in Puebla Mexico in 1979. This meeting focused again on poverty and the people but also economics, political structures and ‘institutionalized violence’ (Johnson 71). Many new ideas and documents came from the Puebla Meeting but the main theme, which built on the Medellín meeting, is the reformed idea of poverty, women and oppression. From these meetings the Latin American Church allowed itself to move, out of necessity, from being a mirror church of Europe to a source church of its own needs. The Latin American Church was working toward its service of the oppressed people, dominated people, exploited social classes, marginalized cultures and women explains Gustavo Gutiérrez in his article, Option for the Poor (81). These ‘groups’ of people are the church body in which Latin American Liberation Theology is aimed at.
One must understand that during the time of these two meetings and even Vatican II, Latin America, specifically Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador, were experiencing years of tremendous armed conflict. The people of Latin America who were affected and involved in the arm conflicts of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s also come from exploited classes, from the Campos and from extreme oppression and poverty. They lived under oppression from their own governments and also the United States and Europe, which is still continuing today in many areas. With this context in mind, and understanding that hundreds of thousands of lives were lost around the time of those meetings, it puts the idea of Liberation into greater perspective.

Exodus and Liberation Theology in Latin America Today
Liberation Theology as it is in Latin America, is the liberation from anything that keeps one from being human. For Latin America that includes poverty, war, oppression and the Church itself. Hennelly describes in his article three essential points to Liberation theology: the first is Base Christian Communities, the second is the development and understanding of the methods of Paulo Freire and last is an understanding in Universities of the ideals used by state and church to legitimize injustice (33). The second point of Hennelly, the methods of Paulo Freire focus on the concept of “consciousness-raising”(33). This is especially important for those living under oppression or in poor health, because when they can become more conscious of not only their situation but also their options, they can be liberated. This concept is absolutely pivotal for the people of Latin America living in complete poverty and without education on their own health. Hennelly summarized Freire’s concept well when he says,
“Freire intended to liberate them from socio-cultural enslavement by becoming aware of their own dignity and rights, aware too of the real causes of oppression, and of the urgent need to become active agents of their own destiny in seeking avenues of change (33)”
From this awareness comes action and movement into the Base Christian Communities and away from the structures of the Church. Base Christian Communities provide a community of equality, sharing, understanding and information centered on common beliefs from the bible and Christian Catholic faith. These communities are generally very active in social movements and in the voice of the oppressed, using their theology of liberation to fuel their motivation for change. One of the most pivotal voices for change in the liberation movement in El Salvador and nation-wide is Monseñor Oscar Romero. Romero acted out of Liberation Theology and in a style of response to main issues and the political violence of his time. As a leader of the church Romero took a revolutionary role by leading both the church and being a real voice for the people. Romero lived the movement; he was an active part in the struggle politically and within the church. Rodolfo Hernandéz, a figure in the church here in El Salvador, spoke of the importance for the church to primarily speak about humans and their reality before the church brings up God. Hernandéz believes Romero is one of the few prominent church leaders who did just that and focused on the extreme reality of both the people here in El Salvador but also across Latin America as a whole.
El Salvador and Latin America is not ‘liberated’ from its woes to say the least. By seeing Liberation Theology as both theology and a movement of churches and people, one can understand that Latin America is still in a process; a process of its own Liberation. The separation from the European Church and voices and theology of Freire, Gutiérrez and Romero have helped and are continuing to help Latin Americans liberate themselves from that which prevents their own humanity. When acted out, Latin American Liberation Theology is an on going expression and process of much needed revolution for the people.