Some years ago, while I was doing research for my doctoral dissertation, I read a book about how theology related to life in Latin America. The author said, "Nowadays, every one in Latin American is interested in theology. Even the police are interested in theology."
The background of that was of course, the emergence and development of Liberation Theology. Because Liberation Theology called for a prophetic denounciation of social justice, it was considered to be subversive. Because of its use of critical social analysis, some suspected it of being "Marxist and Communist" inspired. As a matter of fact, some in the positions of political authority in Latin America thought that is was really "Marxism in disguise."
Having moved on to write about Hispanic-American theology in the U.S.A., I now propose that we consider the following questions from a theological point of view. The questions have to do with
the relationship between the theological enterprise on the one hand, and crime and law enforcement on the other. As we move on, the reader will notice that there is some resemblance between Hispanic-American theology in the U.S.A, and Liberation Theology in Latin America. The questions are the following:
How is Hispanic-American theology affected by the criminal justice system in the U.S.A?
How does Hispanic-American theology address the issues of crimes committed by people in law enforcement?
How does Hispanic-American theology address the issues of social justice?
To the first question (how is Hispanic-American theology affected by the criminal justice system in the U.S.A.?) I would answer that Hispanic-American theology is rooted in and emerges from the context of social injustice. This is not to say, by any stretch of the imagination, that Hispanic-American theology approves of, condones, or justifies crimes committed by individuals against other individuals or against society. Nor does Hispanic-American theology say that a person should not be arrested, tried, and convicted simply because they are Hispanic. What Hispanic-American theology does say is that we need to take into account the socio-economic environment of alienation, social marginalization, and poverty, and how these, in turn, are in and of themselves the seeds that lead to the committing of individual crimes.
To the second question (how does Hispanic-American theology address the issue of crimes committed by people in law enforcement?), I would respond that it is a complex issue. When we consider situations such as Ferguson, Staten Island, and most recently, Baltimore, as a Hispanic-American pastor and theologian, I would have to weigh keeping the balance of what law enforcement is designed and supposed to be, while at the same time, dealing with what it has actually become in the reality of people of color, primarily African-American and Hispanic. If law enforcement functions in accordance with its ideals, i.e. public safety on an equal basis for all, then theology is 100% behind it. But if, on the other hand, law enforcement becomes the very same evil that it is supposed to combat against, then theology has a moral mandate to prophetically denounce it. And I would add that the crimes, alleged or real, supposedly committed by African-Americans and Hispanics, does not in any way justify or validate the committal of crimes by those who are supposed to enforce and uphold the law.
To the third question (how does Hispanic-American theology address the issues of social justice?), I would say that Hispanic-American theology by its very nature, is one that as I said before, is born and emerges from the context of social injustice, and also, by its very nature, promotes social justice through the proclamation of the Gospel, and by social praxis. Hispanic-American theology, like its parent, Latin American Liberation Theology, does not, and cannot disregard and ignore issues such as unemployment, underemployment, poverty, unjust incarceration, immigration, deportation, substandard housing, lack of access to quality medical care, et. If it were to ignore these issues, Hispanic-American theology could not claim to be faithful to the Christ whose Gospel is preached and proclaimed by the Church, and neither would it be faithful or accountable to the Hispanic-American community for whom it supposedly speaks.
In subsequent essays, we will note how Hispanic-American theology addresses these issues. I invite you, the reader to join our dialogue by helping us to contextualize and discuss matters related to the functions of Hispanic-American theology in the U.S.A.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
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