Panlican, Kimberly Ann B.

January 25, 2011

BSN III- 3 Mr. Fidel Fangon

Liberation Theology
1. Liberation theology and its advocates

Liberation theology, a term first used in 1973 by Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian Roman
Catholic priest, is a school of thought among Latin American Catholics according to which the
Gospel of Christ demands that the church concentrate its efforts on liberating the people of the
world from poverty and oppression.

The liberation-theology movement was partly inspired by the Second Vatican Council
and the 1967 papal encyclical Populorum progressio. Its leading exponents include Gutierrez,
Leonardo Boff of Brazil, and Juan Luis Segundo of Uruguay. The liberationists have received
encouragement from the Latin American bishops, especially in resolutions adopted at a 1968
conference in Medellin, Colombia; others in the Roman Catholic church have objected to their
use of Marxist ideas, their support for revolutionary movements, and their criticisms of traditional
church institutions. Two members of Nicaragua's Sandinista leadership belonged to the Roman
Catholic clergy, a Maryknoll and a Jesuit. Vatican authorities censured Boff in 1985 but in a
1986 document supported a moderate form of liberation theology.

Liberation Theology is an attempt to use Scripture to eliminate poverty. It is largely a

socialist doctrine. It started in South America in the 1950s when Marxism was making great
gains among the poor because of its emphasis on the redistribution of wealth, taxing the
wealthy to upgrade the economic status of the poor. As a theology, it is rooted in Roman
Catholicism. In point of fact, it was this very theology that caused me to totally turn from spiritual
issues as a teenager. Being an exiled Cuban whose family suffered greatly at the hands of
communism, it went against every fiber of my being to accept this “commie Christianity”, and I
thought, “if this is what religion is all about I don’t want anything to do with it”.

Liberation Theology was brought to the limelight in 1968 at the Latin American Bishops
Conference in Medellin, Colombia. Their goal was to use the Bible to fight for social justice in
Christian (Catholic) communities. Their spiritual politics aligned them with the Marxist model.
The Marxist’s (exchange that for liberal, socialist, communist if you wish) redistribution of wealth
to raise the economic standards of the poor appealed to them. The use of a Populist Revolt was
encouraged by those who worked most closely with the poor. As a result, the Liberation
Theology model was married to communist ideology and revolutionary causes.

Liberation Theology. like communism, is still alive and has moved from South America to
North America. We now have Black Liberation Theology being preached in the black community
in churches like Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ by men like Jeremiah Wright, Jr.

2. Process of Liberation Theology

A liberation theology is very easily constructed in process thought. C. Robert Mesle, in his book
Process Theology, outlines three aspects of a process theology of liberation.

 There is a relational character to the divine which allows God to experience both the joy
and suffering of humanity. God suffers just as those who experience oppression and
God seeks to actualize all positive and beautiful potentials. God must, therefore, be in
solidarity with the oppressed and must also work for their liberation.
 God is not omnipotent in the classical sense and so God does not provide support for
the status quo, but rather seeks the actualization of greater good.
 God exercises relational power and not unilateral control. In this way God cannot
instantly end evil and oppression in the world. God works in relational ways to help guide
persons to liberation.

3. Liberation Theology and Community Organizing

Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the

teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of liberation from unjust economic, political, or social
conditions. It has been described by proponents as "an interpretation of Christian faith through
the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and
Christianity through the eyes of the poor", and by detractors as Christianized Marxism. On the
other hand, Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each
other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who
promote more-consensual "community building," community organizers generally assume that
social change necessarily involves conflict and social struggle in order to generate collective
power for the powerless. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for
an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence key decision-makers on a
range of issues over time. In the ideal, for example, this can get community organizing groups a
place at the table before important decisions are made. Community organizers work with and
develop new local leaders, facilitating coalitions and assisting in the development of campaigns.
Community organizing helps to bring out many voices to add collective power and strength to an
issue. Community organizing is a key part of an overall strategy to make changes in a
community that are widely felt, and that reflect the wishes of the people who are directly affected
by alcohol-related community problems. This requires the organizer to not only listen and be
responsive to the community, but also to help community residents develop the skills necessary
to address their own issues in an ongoing way.

At the heart of community organizing are inclusion, ownership, relationship building and
leadership development.