Liberation theology is critical reflection on praxis and uses the Exodus biblical experience as a springboard for dealing with questions raised by the poor and the oppressed
Liberation theology has been described as the "decolonization of Christianity," (Bediako, 1995, p. 76). For one, the decolonization process involves the empowerment of previously oppressed people and the renewal of social and cultural pride. Second, liberation theology liberates Christianity from a European sphere of control and influence. Third, liberation theology is not just a political and social transformation of the application of Christianity. Liberation theology is a theological transformation of Christianity. As such, liberation theology manifests differently in the regions where it is practiced the most: South America and Africa.
Theology is, as Pears (2010) puts it, contextual in nature. Liberation theology recognizes the contextuality of theology and shifts approaches depending on the preexisting social, political, economic, and theological frameworks. It is more effective to refer to liberation theologies, plural, than to a singular liberation theology. In fact, the notion that there is one liberation theology suggests a European and therefore colonial mindset that anything other than the dominant culture stance is homogenous. Southern hemisphere liberation theologies are complex and heterogeneous, stemming from the archetypal Exodus in which the tribes were scattered. The Exodus experience is an effective springboard for dealing with questions raised by the poor and oppressed, the social context in which liberation theologies spring forth.
In Latin America in particular, the social and political context of liberation theology grew out of a need to incorporate Marxist ideology into modern democracy. The discovery of connections between Marxism and Christianity has shaped liberation theology...
Liberation Theology as an Analytical Reflection on Praxis, and Where Theology and Humankind Embrace One among the most important Christian theological developments within the past 100 years is liberation theology. The doctrine's advocates regard it as a novel means to 'do theology', rather than a subfield of theology. The method aims to view the universe with regard to being involved with disadvantaged and subjugated individuals. It also endeavors to discover, within
Elaine Graham's Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty Major Schools of Thought and Actors In Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty, Elaine L. Graham addresses Traditional, Postmodern, Empirical, Liberation and Feminist perspectives on Theology and ultimately on Pastoral Theology. In order to address these perspectives, Graham traces the historical development of each, current theological realities, and prospective "horizons." The result is an extensive review of the
" It caused missionaries to deal with peoples of other cultures and even Christian traditions -- including the Orthodox -- as inferior. God's mission was understood to have depended upon human efforts, and this is why we came to hold unrealistic universalistic assumptions. Christians became so optimistic that they believed to be able to correct all the ills of the world." (Vassiliadis, 2010) Missiology has been undergoing changes in recent years
It would seem worthless to provide a religious education without catechesis alongside. The benefits of the Christian praxis approach are far-reaching. They include both the personal development of the individual student and also the collective development of the society. Students introduced to the Christian praxis approach learn how to address real life problems from a Christian lens -- but one that denounces dogma in favor of genuine critical thought. While
Academic Engagements With Course Materials What are the major issues in Letty Russell's Introduction? In Letty M. Russell's Introduction to the series of theological essays in Liberating the Word , she expresses a need for a discussion of ways in which women and men can "liberate the word to speak the gospel in the midst of the oppressive situations of our time." Engaging in such a discussion, she writes, will provide "fresh insights"
Kung has no regard for Church doctrine -- only the doctrine of men and the "rights of man." Use of Scripture Likewise, Kung has no use for authoritative scripture -- it is outdated and too much a part of the past, which Kung wishes to displace in favor of "the future." The future must not be informed by the old prejudices of the past -- it must branch out, like Edwards'
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