The Syndrome of Ethnocentrism

In my seminary days, back in the late 1970's, in a Church History course that I was taking, the professor boldly stated that during the Middle Ages, there was nothing significant taking place outside of Europe relative to Church history.  Being the curious troublemaker that I have always been, I raised my hand and asked the professor, "Is it that nothing significant was taking place outside of Europe, or is it that Church history has been written, for the most part from the ethnocentric standpoint of the European Church historians?" He responded to me and said, "I wouldn't put it that crassly."  rc

I am not sure that ethnocentrism has been totally put to rest. By ethnocentrism, I am referring to the mindset that reality is determined by and revolves around the thinking  of a certain cultural, ethnic, national, or racial group.  Subsequently, the thinking is that whatever that group says or thinks, is the "universally valid" way of thinking.  In this case, anything that was taking place in the churches outside of Europe, was considered "insignificant," or at the very least, of less importance.

In the Latin American Liberation Theology class that I am presently teaching at the Tainan Theological College and Seminary in Tainan, Taiwan, I have been emphasizing that Church History and Theology have been given to us by the "Great White Father (meaning Caucasian people from Europe and the United States)."  I have emphasized that we people from Latin American and the rest of the so-called Third World must say "hell no" to the imposition of this Western colonial theology, and come up with a theology that emerges from our own cultural, economic, national, and social context.  In other words, I am emphasizing that our theology has to reflect our existential reality and experience as an oppressed and subjugated people.

Is there a possibility that the emergence of our own contextualized theology may result in another ethnocentric theology?  That is definitely a possibility.  But I believe that the best way to prevent that from happening is to initiate a dialogue in which all theologies will engage with each other on the basis of parity. We need to avoid and eliminate the thinking that "white is right," and also the thinking that the theology that emerges from the countries of the periphery is "inferior."  In addition, we must for once and for all reject the notion that our own theology has be validated by the theology of the "Great White Father."

Our biblical hermeneutic has to be determined, not by what Euro-American theology say is right, but rather by how our situation as a dominated and subjugated people informs our thinking on the meaning of Scripture. We need to understand the biblical message through the prism of who and where we are.  No longer can it be a question of quoting biblical passages that seem to imply justification for keeping certain social groups and women in a position of inferiority.  Our theology needs to be one which is liberating, i.e. a theology, which in essence, resonates with the Gospel message of the liberating Christ in history.

En fin, we must do all that we can to avoid theological ethnocentrism, and move in the direction of a more globalized theology which enables us to speak with one another, not from the standpoint of competition or of power, but rather from the standpoint of cooperation and of commitment to alleviate the suffering which takes place in the world.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer.  Amen.

Dr. Juan A.Carmona