THE LATIN AMERICAN STORY-THE CONCLUSION

DR. JUAN A. CARMONA 

Up until this point, we have surveyed how Liberation Theology emerged and functioned within the Latin American context.  We have also seen how Liberation Theology seeks to address the issues that have been and continue to be of concern in the Latin American context.  We now bring this series of essays to a conclusion by asking "What is the story of Latin America relative to the continued theological process in its context?"  In many respects, the Latin American story is the story of all oppressed nations and groups in the world.  While the issues may not be the same in every context, the common denominator is oppression and injustice, on the one hand, and how Christian theology and the Gospel of Jesus Christ address those issues, on the other.

The powerful theme of the Latin American story has great emancipatory significance to those who are engaged in the relentless struggle for meaning and personhood in the Caribbean and Latin America.  Theology is an important dimension in the study of human existence, and those who engage in theological reflection should always take full account of the intercultural nature of our common experiences and aspirations.  The intercultural theological process must play a critical role if we are to engage in an authentic search for sustained personhood, spiritual maturity, authentic emancipation, and common growth toward the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.  This is the goal of our participation in theological reflection and Christian witness; this is the mission of Christ to which we profess allegiance.  We therefore seek to explore the meaning and scope of the Latin American story as an intercultural matrix in the search for a new theological process with distinctive liberating connections (Kortright Davis, Emancipation Still Comin: Explorations in Caribbean Emancipatory Theology. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1990, p. 117).

At this point we may stop to ask "How can Liberation Theology address the issues of cultural, economic, racial, and social injustice in an environment which is not exactly monolithic?" Marshall Eakin presents to us the image of Latin America as "a collision of three powerful streams converging to produce a roaring river that mixed three peoples into a dazzling variety of combinations that were new and unique in world history (Marshall Eakin, The History of Latin America: Collision of  Cultures. New York: Palgrave Mac Millan, 2007, p. 270)."

Over centuries , the turbulent river gradually diverged into many different streams, but all had their origins in the great river formed by the initial clash of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans.  Many Americas took shape within the political and cultural construct we now call Latin America., and the construct has been a work in progress.  By the beginning of the twentieth century, the story of Latin America became more difficult for this history to be narrated coherently.  The collisions of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, gave birth to a series of patterns with variations, but the narrative of conquest, colonization, and the emergence of new societies has a coherence that is lacking when we look at the region over the last century. The colonial era has a powerful unity primarily European conquest and colonialism, and the multiple reactions to these wrenching transformations.  By the end of the eighteenth century, the mighty river of Latin America had already begun to split off into many distinct streams, a trend that the wars for independence accelerated. The similar process of independence, early nation-building, and entry into the international economy, however, provide us with a new set of common patterns even as the newly emerging nations produce increasingly divergent paths (Ibid., ops. 270-21). 

If the region is not exactly monolithic, then Liberation Theology has a challenge in dealing with the context. Nevertheless, it also has opportunities to address in a coherent manner, the issues that emerge out of each individual national context.  The Exodus story remains the main theological paradigm which establishes the emergence, formation, and development of Liberation Theology in a Latin American context, and also constitutes the driving power that brings it into the context in a relevant manner.

Jose Miguez Bonino challenges us to take into account the religious diversity in Latin America.  He says, "Not all plurality is so peaceful.  Social contradictions, ideological differences, conflictive historical projects are also reflected in the religious world.  They evoke religious and theological responses which create tension and conflict, not only between religious groups, but, perhaps even more within them.  Thus we are not facing a "return of the gods," but "a conflict of the gods (Jose Miguez Bonino, "The Condition and Prospects of Christianity in Latin America," in the New Face of the Church in Latin America, Guillermo Cook, ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1994, p. 261)."  

Religion means different things to different people and the concrete manifestation of their religious behavior often indicate what is their definitional approach.  If religion is used merely as a systematic attempt to supplement felt inefficiencies in the human order, then the rise in human sufficiency will create a corresponding fall in the need for religion.  A fleeting glance at post-Christian Europe will illustrate this point quite clearly.  If, on the other hand, religion consists in the movement of one's purposeful response to ultimate reality and the pursuit of total fulfillment, then it grows with the person and undergirds all human experiences.  The Latin American story is the integrative experience of a people whose religion is characterized by this latter approach.  Because their God has been "a help in ages past," Caribbean and Latin American people hold unflinchingly to the assurance that, in prosperity or poverty, God is "the hope of years to come" (Davis, op. cit. p. 117). 

The Latin American story is thus a most powerful framework through which Americans, especially those of African and indigenous descent, can move forward in an intercultural theological process in the struggle for Christian solidarity and the search for more concrete expressions of human freedom. We can contribute to each other's freedom by the collective engagement in the common discovery of our rich heritage.  Many of the tensions that have existed between Latin Americans of African and indigenous background, on the one hand, and African Americans on the other, have resulted from a lack of knowledge of each other, from our reluctance to understand each other's historical and cultural struggles, and from our insensitivity in communicating with each other.  The same holds true for Latin Americans of African and indigenous background on the one hand, and Latin Americans of European background on the other (Ibid., p 126).

In essence, then our struggle is an internal one as well as with external forces.  It is the story of the fight to rid ourselves of the shackles of imposed external colonization, and at the same time, a struggle against the internal barriers which exist among us as a colonized people.  It would be totally unfair to both assume and assert  that our problems are due exclusively to our colonial legacy.

In conclusion, we may be considering the Latin American story as nothing more tan a contemporary representation of the Joseph story.  Joseph was Jacob's dreaming son.  Nevertheless, his own experience of hurt by his brothers resulted in his own salvation, and that of his brothers. Egypt for them was the land of liberation from hunger, and subsequently became the land of bondage.  The Latin American story is a continuing experience of Egypt, and the eternal spiritual truth is this: If you do not know your Egypt, then you cannot know your Exodus (Ibid. p. 129).

The Latin American story will unfold over and over again. The story will be told over and over again.  As long as oppression and suffering continue to be a reality in the Latin American region, there will not be an  end to the story.  There is a sense in which the Latin American story is a universal story.  We conclude this series of essays by saying "The Struggle Continues."

This essay is submitted in the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Past Professor of Theology

Tainan Theological College/Seminary 

 

THE LIFE OF LIBERATION: WE PRAISE GOD 

DR. JUAN A. CARMONA 

One of the many issues that comes up from time to time is that of the relationship between theology and worship.  I have often time advocated for and promoted the notion of a worshipful theology on the one hand, and a theology of worship on the other.  They are not contradictory to one another.  The Church of Jesu Christ needs to have a theology which celebrates the liberating and salvific works of God in history, and at the same time, a well thought-ought worship.  The two go "hand in hand." We cannot do a theology that does not have a component of celebration and praise, and neither can we have a worship which is based on blind and uninformed emotions.  

A big challenge for the Church of Christ in Latin America, and also for the Church which exists under oppressive conditions in all parts of the world is to consider the following questions:

1.  How can we as a Church construct and develop a theology which emerges not from ivory tower speculation, but rather from the reality of suffering?

2. How can we as a Christian community carry out celebration and worship in the midst of oppression and suffering?

3.  How can we as a Church make the distinction between faith as an anesthetic on the one hand, and faith as a lens of reality on the other?  

There are no east answers to the above questions.  The Church has a call from God to articulate its faith in such a way that it will be understandable to both its constituents and to the world to which it seeks to apply the message of liberation.  The Church is also called to teach its constituents and the world how to "sing the Lord's in a strange land."  The Church is, furthermore, called to enable its constituents to have a critical and analytical view of the socio-political environments in which it operates.

New ways of theological thought and praxis have been taking shape in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Afro-America.  Theological initiatives have been flowering throughout the oppressed world, and the struggle for the pursuit of human freedom as the gift of God, who wills all persons to be free, has been gaining momentum.  The new wave of the articulation of the faith and the search for common dialogue and solidarity among Third World theologians have made an impressive mark on the consciousness of Third World theologians.  Black theology, Minjun theology, liberation theology, and emancipatory theology have all been promoted as authentic expressions of understanding the faith in Third World contexts.  Local theologians proclaim the Gospel of freedom as the essential meaning of the person and work of Jesus Christ.  A central theme is Paul's dictum in Galatian 5:1, "for freedom Christ has set us free, stand fast, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery (Kortright Davis, Emancipation Still Coming. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, p. 108)." 

"Freedom" and "liberation" are central motifs in Latin American theology.  We may ask "freedom" and "liberation" from what?  Classical evangelical theology tends to focus on individual  conversion from sin. The emphasis tends to be on liberation from individual sins such as sexual immorality, vices of alcohol, drug, and tobacco consumption, and in many cases, abstention from certain types of social entertainment.  The biblical concept of liberation, however, is more structural and systemic, which approaches human beings in their social settings.  

Traditional evangelical theology also focuses on "spiritual" liberation, which prepares people for celebration for the hereafter.  Liberation Theology focuses on having the Church carry out a liberating mission which will enable us to celebrate the "here and now," as we engage in God's liberating acts, which are designed to dismantle unjust social and political structures,  and replace them with structures which will allow all people to live in dignity.  

In spite of the many advances made in Liberation Theology-advances that have caused reactionary governments to take countervailing action and to encourage theological espionage (police interested in theology?), -there remains a need for substantial range of reflective action.  Because the notion of "liberation" has been overlaid with exclusive, and even divisive, ideological, and political concerns, the term "liberation" seems to be in urgent need of emancipation.  When North Atlantic liberals speak of "liberation," they often seem to mean something different from what the word stands for in the lives of those on the underside of  history.  And yet, both types of people are genuinely in search of freedom.  Therefore, the. importance of context must be borne in mind, since what is wine for one might be poison for another.  For those on the underside of history, i.e. the historically poor and oppressed, the notion of emancipation might be  more meaningful than the notion of liberation.  It ushers in a deeper range of theological reflection and response than is usually offered in the varieties in contemporary theology (Davis, op. cit., p. 106).

How, then, do we move forward from liberation to praise? As worship, Liberation Theology gives concrete meaning to the evangelical vision of a new heaven and a new earth by seeking to bring into historical reality the freedom from heaven on earth.  This emancipatory vision of present conditions in the light of future possibilities enkindles the heart with joyful courage and the lips with joyful praise (Ibid., p. 115). 

Howard Thurman says, "I will sing a new song. As difficult as it is, I must learn the new song that is capable of meeting the new need. I must fashion new words born of all the new growth of my life, mind, and spirit (Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart. Richmond: Friends United Press, 1976, p. 206)." 

This celebration in the midst of suffering is reflected in a song of the Latin American and Hispanic Churches, i.e. "Yo Canto en el Gozo, Yo Canto en la Prueba (I Sing in Times of Joy, I Sing in Times of Trial.  It also reflects the words of the Psalm writer who says "I will praise the Lord at all times, His praise will continually be in my mouth (Psalm 34)."  

Liberation Theology teaches us how to sing the Lord's song as we march towards freedom. The difficulties and troubles of the present do not hinder us from pursuing the freedom to which God has called us and to which God moves us.  The goal of complete liberation inspires us to remain in the struggle.

This essay is submitted in the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen!

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Past Professor of Theology

Tainan Theological College/Seminary 

 

SPECIFIC ISSUES FOR THE FUTURE OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY 

DR. JUAN A. CARMONA 

Like in other branches of theology, and like other theologies, Liberation Theology is an ongoing matter.  It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a "once and for all" type of movement or activity.  Neither is it a "finished product" that was once carved and handed down to posterity.  

In keeping with this series of essays, I reiterate that we need to be faithful to the message of  Liberation Theology.  Why do I say this?  It is because, for all intents and purposes, Liberation Theology is a contemporary restatement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is not the Gospel itself, nor can we put it on a par with Scripture in terms of a norm of or  standard of faith.  It takes the message of Scripture, especially the Gospel, and in fidelity to that message, applies it to the situation in which we are living today, i.e. situation in which society is divided into oppressed and oppressive social groups.

NEW HISTORICAL SITUATION: CHANGES IN LIBERATION THEOLOGY

The crisis of historical socialism in Eastern Europe and the advent of human-face perestroika in the Soviet Union ended the Cold War. The worldwide confrontation between East and West -the so-called socialist block and the so-called democratic block-ceased.  Now capitalism is being touted as the only alternative for all of humanity.  When capitalism was forced to compete with socialism, it was concerned with showing a human face, with carrying out development policies in the Third World so that poor nations would not opt for socialism.  Now that capitalism has no competitors, it no longer needs to keep up a humanitarian facade. Nor must it concern itself with Third World development. It can definitely impose itself as the only solution.  Now we have a totalitarian World Order.  The government of the United States, as international policeman, imposes its military and political hegemony upon the entire world in order to ensure the acceptance by all of one capitalist system.  The Third World has no alternative but to submit or perish (Pablo Richards, "Challenges to Liberation Theology" in New Face of the Church in Latin America. Guillermo Cooke ed, Maryknoll: Orbis Books. 1994, p. 246)

During the 1960's and 1970's, which saw the birth and maturation of Liberation Theology in Latin America, capitalism was promoting a development policy for poor nations that in the process made them more dependent.  The liberation concept was used, then, to construct a model for autonomous or non-dependent development, even substituting the term "liberation" for "development." A "theological break" took place as we moved from development theology to liberation theology.  Dependence theory made it possible and necessary to develop both a theory and a strategy for liberation and revolution in the Third World.  "Developmentalism" and "reformism" were radically critiqued as dependency models and the "ideological break" was expressed by the term "liberation.  This new all-embracing concept pointed to many new breaks.  It expressed a new theory and a new praxis.  It became the reference point that defined a new culture, new ethics, and a new spirituality, as well as a new theology (Ibid., p. 248).

These developments make us ask "Is Liberation Theology" a restating of the "faith once delivered to the saints, or is it pseudo-theology? Because of its emphasis on social revolution and transformation, there are many that take it to be a revolutionary movement wearing the garb of theology.  Because Liberation Theology does not support the "status quo," it is categorized as "theology stemming from demonic origins."

The challenge to Liberation Theology-all of these profound structural changes in the dominant system challenge us both theoretically and practically.  We need to develop new concepts to help us acquire a better grasp of the new historical reality, and the possibility of transformation.  With the so-called crisis of Marxism, attempts have been made to undermine the capacity to theorize-to destroy the theoretical space that is needed to resist and continue struggling.  The right to think alternatively is under threat as are the hopes and utopias.  Countering these realities, Liberation Theology must again engage in dialogue, both critically and creatively, with the social sciences-particularly with economics, ecology, and anthropology.  At this new juncture, we must repossess our historical rationale in order to think critically and systematically about our faith in the God of life (Ibid., p. 249).

TRANSFORMING LIBERATION PRACTICE: NEW ROLE FOR LIBERATION THEOLOGY

Liberation Theology, as mentioned before, is a critical and systematic reflection upon faith with a practice of liberation.  The concept of "practice" is therefore crucial to Liberation Theology.  The changes that have been previously described relative to the dominating system and in the situation of the poor, also modify liberation practice and the way we think about it.  This is, to be sure, a challenge for Liberation Theology.

The new world juncture demands new thinking about Liberation Theology. It challenges us with new concerns.  Liberation Theology has the maturity and the necessary strength to face up to this moment in history, with its concerns and challenges.  This is not the end of Liberation Theology, as some people may have hoped, but rather a historical opportunity for its rebirth.  The new juncture opens up unchartered paths for the growth of Liberation Theology.  But this will require that it be seriously reconceptualized and reformulated in response to the new historical situation (Ibid., p. 257).

Liberation Theology has a future.  This fact should be a source of hope for the poor and oppressed people of this world.  What ultimately matters is the future of liberation and the future of the poor.  Liberation Theology's future is a function of the vital future that we desire for our entire threatened planet and cosmos. The solidarity of all of the oppressed, as well as of that of all conscientious women and men is needed.  It is with hope and solidarity that Liberation Theology will be constructed for the twenty-first and subsequent centuries (Ibid.)

As pointed out in previous essays, Liberation Theology is not merely a "new school of thought," or even merely another school of theological thought.  Neither is Liberation Theology a new fad that will have its day and be gone.  Liberation Theology is not a fashion show, nor is it empty rhetorical regurgitation. Liberation Theology seeks to take seriously the message of the Gospel, and make it applicable to contemporary reality. As long as there is injustice and oppression in the world, there will always be a Liberation Theology.

This essay is submitted in the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Past Professor of Theology

Tainan Theological College/Seminary 

 

THE CHURCH AND LIBERATION THEOLOGY

DR. JUAN A. CARMONA 

One of the many issues that arises frequently in the life of the Church is that of "what does theology have to do with the Church?"  It is, indeed, a very strange question, in that it is assumed that theology emerges from and is constructed by the Church.  Nevertheless, it appears from time to time, that theology exists in a world of its own, and making occasional inroads into the life of  the Church.  There are many in the Church that believe that theology is not only irrelevant, but also unnecessary for the Church.  Those who think this way believe that theology amounts to ivory tower speculation that has no relationship whatsoever to the practice of the faith.

Throughout this series of essays, we have seen that Liberation Theology is a movement within the Church that seeks to address the ills of society, i.e namely those of oppression and injustice of all kinds.  Liberation Theology, therefore, in some sense, seeks to be the voice of Christ on  behalf of the downtrodden of this world.  Liberation Theology takes the message of the Gospel and that of Scripture as a whole, seriously, in both its contents and approaches.  We now turn our attention to the issue of Liberation Theology in the life of Christians , both individually and collectively.  As we will discover, Liberation Theology is not a mere activity of intellectual pursuit or abstract speculation, but rather a movement, which to a certain extent, is the driving force for the Church of Christ to engage in the quest for social justice.

A New Model: A Church from the Poor

In the 1970's, there arose a growing consciousness of the true causes of underdevelopment as a problem that is not simply technical or political.. It is the consequence of a type of capitalistic development in the countries of the North Atlantic which in order to maintain the current levels of growth and accumulation, needs to establish unbalanced relationships with those countries that are technologically backward, though rich in raw materials.  These latter countries are kept in underdevelopment, that is, the other side of development.  This dependency creates oppression on economic, political, and cultural levels.  In view of this, the long-range Christian strategy is to achieve a liberation that guarantees a self-sustained development that meets the need of the people, and not the consumerist needs of rich countries and groups associated with those countries (Leonardo Boff, Church: Charism and Power. Liberation Theology and the Institutional Church. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1985, p. 7).

The historical subjects of this liberation are the oppressed who must develop a consciousness of their oppressed situation, organize themselves, and take the steps that will lead a society that is less dependent and less subject to the injustices.  Other classes may and should join this project of the oppressed, but without trying to control it.  In this way, beginning in the early seventies, countless young people, intellectuals, and a whole range of movements arose to make such a liberation viable. They made an option for the people: they entered the world of the poor, embracing their culture, giving expression to their claims, and organizing activities that were considered subversive by the forces of the status quo.  More than a few took on the violence of urban guerrillas and campesinos, and were violently repressed (Ibid., p. 8).

Countless Christians and organizations took part in this process.  They were generally individuals and groups of middle class extraction, full of idealism, but lacking political sense in terms of the concrete viability of such a popular liberation (Ibid.).

Later, after years of harsh repression, the bases of the Church took on exceptional importance both ecclesiologically and politically. The people themselves took responsibility for their destiny.  This generally began with reading the Bible and proceeded to the creation of small-base (grass-roots) ecclesial communities.  Initially, such a community serves to deepen the faith of its members, to prepare the liturgy, the sacraments, and a life of prayer.  At a more advanced stage, these members began to help each other.  As they became better organized and reflect more deeply, they came to the realization that the problems they  encountered have a structural character.  Their marginalization is seen as a consequence of elitist organization, private ownership, that is, of he very socioeconomic structure of the capitalist system.  Thus, the question of politics arises and the desires for liberation is set in a concrete and historical context.  The community sees this not only as liberation from sin from which we must always liberate ourselves, but also a liberation that has economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions.  Christian faith directly seeks the ultimate liberation and freedom of the children of God in the Kingdom, but also has historical liberation as an anticipation and concretization of the ultimate liberation (Ibid.).  

Latin America 

The present conditions and the future prospects of Christianity in Latin America cannot be analyzed as if Christianity wee a self-contained and autonomous reality.  The qualification, "in Latin America" has to be taken consciously, seriously, and responsibly as a conditioning framework for any significant reflection on the question.  To unpack what is contained at present and future in "Latin America" seems such a theologically and sociologically risky enterprise as to be almost folly.  We must, however, try to suggest some lines that we might explore, in order to point out some significant variables.  We can propose some approaches, even while we are aware of the ambiguity inherent in this exercise, and consequently of the provisional and contingent nature of all the hypothesis that we may formulate (Jose Miguez Bonino, "The Conditions and Prospects of Christianity in Latin America," in New Face of the Church in Latin America, Guillermo Cook, ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1994, p. 260).

As far as the social, political, and economic conditions, it is probable that the dominant tendencies which prevail today in most Latin American countries will continue for the immediate and perhaps mid-term future.  Latin America will remain, directly or indirectly under the unifying hegemony of the United States and the neo-liberal orthodoxy proclaimed and and supervised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the international banking and financial system of the new world.  It will continue under the security order which the UN seems to have taken on (Ibid.).

If such a hypothesis is valid, we can expect that there will be in Latin America a worsening conditioning of the economic condition of the large majorities-a growth in the gap between rich and poor.  There will be a tendency to revert to two-class societies with small and very conditioned middle sectors, and a large totally marginalized percentage of the population.  Politically, this will mean formal democracies with different types and measures of control or repression.  Possibly, there will be an increase of local social explosions and occasional violent confrontations, social and political protests, and certainly growth in delinquency.  But we should not be quick to expect an ideal revolutionary situation or profound structural changes.  All of this means, of course, a high degree of social anomie and marginality (Ibid.).

As we can see, theology cannot be divorced from life.  Theology has to be historicized.  And because theology is the Church's expression of its understanding of divine revelation, the Church and its mission cannot be divorced from life.  Liberation Theology seeks to make the Church "keep it real." In future essays, we shall continue to examine how the Church in Latin America, through Liberation Theology, seeks to address the various issues of economic, political, and social injustice.

This essay is submitted in the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona 

Past Professor of Theology

Tainan Theological College/Seminary 

 

CHALLENGES TO LIBERATON THEOLOGY 

DR. JUAN A. CARMONA 

Up until this point, we have examined and discussed the colonial and Neo-colonial history of Latin America and how this history has contributed to the emergence and development of Liberation Theology in this region of the world.  We have looked at the factors that have contributed to this emergence.  Against that background, we now proceed to raise questions about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Liberation Theology in Latin America.  We know deal with the "so what?" of the history that we have discussed.

As previously mentioned, Liberation Theology has its roots in God's liberating and salvific acts in human history.  From a Judeo-Christian standpoint, it can be said to begin with the emancipation of the Hebrews from Egypt.  It continues throughout their history, including their exile to and return from Babylon.  Subsequently, the story of liberation develops into a paradigm for all oppressed classes and social groups that experience bondage in one way or the other.  

What are the challenges that lie ahead for "God talk" in Latin America?  There are, indeed, many challenges that we can think of and mention.  I will list, but a few that we can consider relevant to our discussion and for our conversation.  Pablo Richard tells us "If the world has changed so profoundly, the theology of liberation must also change. In faithfulness to its original spirit and methodology, we must recreate it.  In response to the present challenge, we need a new theology of liberation to follow upon that which we have known.  Furthermore, this reconstruction of Liberation Theology should be an essential part of a new process of resistance and affirmation of life. In spite of the idolatry of Western Christianity, we need to renew our faith in the God of the poor and the God of life.  In order to rebuild our solidarity and hope, we need to find new ways of doing Liberation Theology (Pablo Richards, "Challenges to Liberation Theology," in New Face of the Church in Latin America. Guillermo Cook, ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1994, p. 246)."

Richards's statement leads us to ask whether there should be a theology of liberation in the first place, and it so, what is its relevance?  Why should we continue with this razzle dazzle of Liberation Theology? Can't it just simply be incorporated into classical and traditional theology?  Can't we just continue to treat it as an appendix to classical theology?  

Many people believe that with the fall of historical socialism in Eastern Europe-the crisis of Marxism and the imposition of the New-Economic Order-that Liberation Theology has no future.  We are, as it is said, living in the end of history, the final triumph of capitalism.  Any alternative ideas, any hope for a different world, all liberating utopias are irrelevant and condemned to failure.  It is said that theology of liberation has meaning. The experiences of those who enjoy the privileges of the New Economic Order is that never again there shall be a people motivated by hope. This triumphalism and this expectation of the oppressor's brutality in the face of the reality of poverty, misery, and oppression that continues to dominate a huge majority of the human race (Ibid., p. 245)." 

The historic rationale for Liberation Theology is still in place.  As long as the scandal of poverty and oppression exists-while there are Christians who live and reflect their faith critically in the struggles for justice and life-there will be a liberation theology (Ibid.).

Those who believe in the eventual total demise of socialism, also tend to believe that any ideology associated with it (including, but not limited to Liberation Theology), will also undergo a demise. They believe that capitalism as an economic system is destined to prevail because it is a God-ordained mandate.  Subsequently, their attitude with socialist ideology is to "Pack up your bags, go home, and when you leave, take Liberation Theology with you."  

The main question, however, is not what will happen to Liberation Theology.  More importantly, it is what will happen to the lives of the poor, to human life?  What is to become of their liberation and the commitment of Christians to their lives and to their emancipation? We do Liberation Theology to keep their future alive, to keep our commitment alive.  Yet, Liberation Theology will not continue to exist by mere inertia or by dint of repeating old formulas.  We will also need to reconceptualize Liberation Theology at this juncture in history.  We must recreate and reprogram Liberation Theology with an eye to the future (Richard, op. cit., ops. 245-246).

Liberation Theology in the Latin American context was born in the 1960's and evolved in the 1970's as Christians became involved in the historical process of liberation.  It was born as we reflected-theologically, critically, and systematically- on our experience of God in the practice of liberation.  The content of this theology has always been our experience of God.  But we live, celebrate, and reflect upon it  in the context of a liberation practice.  We are not dealing with a new theological subject matter, but rather with a new way of doing theology.  The object was not liberation, but God Himself.  As a matter of fact, the theology of liberation was never feared merely because it spoke about liberation, or because it was political.  It was feared because the starting point of its reflection concerning God were the poor and the threat to life and justice in the Third World.  Liberation Theology able to discover the unsettling presence of God in the lives of the oppressed and in the liberation struggles. Conversely, it denounced the unsettling absence of God in the oppressor's world and in Western culture.  The concept of "practice" helped Liberation Theology to understand history critically, from the perspective of the oppressed.  While classical theology used Aristotelian and Thomistic philosophy, Liberation Theology made use of the more critical and liberating stream of the social sciences (Ibid.). 

Oppressors hide their oppression behind abstract and universal themes.  In marked contrast, Liberation Theology discovers oppression in history, and reflects upon it with a view to overcoming it.  It goes beyond rational discourse to becoming transforming practice.  This is its only logical rationale (Ibid., p. 247)

The basic structure of Liberation Theology-a critical and systematic reflection on the experience of God in the practice of liberation-remains unchanged at this crucial juncture in history.  To be sure, the Liberation Theology structure and the rationale have not changed because today, more than ever, God is present in a special way in the world of the oppressed.  He reveals Himself in their struggle for liberation.  But having said this, we must also recognize those elements which are new in the present historical juncture,  making it both necessary and possible for us to rethink and recreate Liberation Theology (Ibid.).

In subsequent essays, we will continue to deal with the challenges and opportunities that Liberation Theology offers us.  It lays before us the possibilities of thinking and rethinking our theology.

This essay is submitted in the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona 

Past Professor of Theology

Tainan Theological College/Seminary