Who let the Dogs Out? Who, Who?

We might ask "who let the cat out of the bag," or "who opened up this can of worms?"  While Euro-America was resting comfortably in its assumptions of universal cultural, intellectual, and moral superiority in the areas of religion and theology, there was a theology that was developing in Latin America and other parts of the so-called Third World.  It was also developing among African-American people in the U.S.A., and among women around the world.

It was a theology that did not emerge from armchair or ivory tower speculation, but rather from the everyday experiences and reality of socially oppressed groups.  It was a theology that was constructed and developed by what my colleague Dr. Luis Rivera-Pagan calls "people on the margins," i.e. people who are living "on the edge," relative to socio-economic and political conditions.  It was a theology that emerged from the voices of people who had been silenced and/or suppressed by those exercising colonial and imperialistic powers.  It is the theology which is known today as Liberation Theology, or as others might put it, "a theology of liberation."  We might ask just exactly what is it and who were the responsible parties for unbinding the shackles of the theological grip imposed by male chauvinistic Euro-American assumed cultural superiority?  In other words, the question would be, Who had the audacity and intestinal fortitude to challenge Euro-American colonial theology with a theology that came from the "underground?"  How did this all begin, or as we ask in Spanish "como fue que comenzo el bochinche (how did the gossip begin)?"

In a very strict way, Liberation Theology began when Yahweh God spoke to Moses and said to him "I have heard the cry of my people.  Their cry has come up to me.  I am descending to deliver them from their bondage and from their misery."  Liberation Theology developed when Yahweh God through the mediation of human leadership, delivered the Hebrews from institutional slavery of Egypt.

Centuries later, Liberation Theology took on shape and form in different parts of the world when people who were dehumanized and oppressed by reason of their class, culture, ethnicity, gender, nationality, race, and recently their sexual orientation said "Enough is enough, we ain't taking this (expletive) any more, and hell no to oppression."  People began to say "hell no!" to all forms of brutalization and dehumanization.

Since the early part of the 20th century, the oppressed people of the world have come forward to take their stance against oppression.  Blacks, indigenous people in all countries, Latinos/as, LGBT, the poor, the unemployed/underemployed, and peoples from "the margins" are taking bold and strong positions in denouncing and protesting against the trampling of human dignity in all its.

While historically speaking, Liberation Theology has Judaeo-Christian roots, people of other traditions, as well as people who have no formal religious affiliation whatsoever, have been involved in the struggle for emancipation.  Faith-based people committed to liberation are of the conviction that oppression and suffering are the starting points for scriptural interpretation and theological reflection.  Non-religious people involved in the struggle are motivated by their belief in the intrinsic dignity of human beings.

Who let the dogs out?  People of audacity, gall, and intestinal fortitude.

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

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Visiting Professor of Theology, Tainan Theological College and Seminary