The Historical Context of Liberation Theology (El Contexto Historico de la Teologia de la Liberaction)

Many people who are vaguely familiar or totally unfamiliar with Liberation Theology are of the opinion that Liberation Theology is a mindset which began in the Roman Catholic Church back in the 1960's.  It is precisely because of the unfounded assumption, and also the belief that anything emerging from the Catholic Church is erroneous, that many people reject it outright without examining it.  When one examines the historical roots of Liberation Theology, one gets a different picture.

Liberation Theology, in a very general sense, began when Yahweh, the God of Israel, spoke to Moses and said to him "I have heard the cry of my people."  The "god-talk" of the Hebrews began during this time, i.e. their theology was rooted in God's salvific acts. Their theology emerged out of their oppression and suffering, and out of God's liberating acts in their history. Their theology was not generated by either idle talk or philosophical speculation. They did not have the luxury of engaging in intellectual discourse,  Nor were they in any condition to construct a theology which had nothing to do with the reality of life. Their theology was birthed by their agony and misery, and by Yahweh God empathizing with them, acting to deliver them from those conditions.

Theology must be evaluated within the framework of its historical context. Latin American Liberation Theology did not arise in a historical vacuum, but within the context of economic, political, religious and social relations.  To overlook this would be to relegate theology to a set of abstractions that have no relevance to human existence, activity, and history.

The historical roots of Latin American theology are to be found in the prophetic tradition of evangelists and missionaries from the earliest colonial days in Latin America-church leaders who questioned the type of presence adopted by the Church the way indigenous peoples, blacks, mestizos, and the poor rural and urban masses were treated. The names of Bartolome de Las Casas, Antonio de Montesinos, Antonio Viera, Brother Caneca, and others can stand for a whole host of religious personalities who have graced every century of our short history.  They are the source of the type of social and ecclesial understanding of what is emerging today (Clodovis Boff,  and Leonardo Boff, Introducing Liberation Theology. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1987, p.56).

The reader is referred to this book in order to trace the socio-political, ecclesial, and theological developments, including the building stage, the settling-in, and formalization stages.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Muchas personas que estan vagamente familiarizadas o totalmente desfamiliarizadas con la Teologia de la Liberacion, son de la opinion que la Teologia de la Liberacion es un concepto que comenzo en la Iglesia Catolica-Romana en la decada de los 1960's. Es precisamante por causa de esta asuncion sin fundamento,y tambien la creencia de que cualquier cosa que surge de la Iglesia Catolica es erronea, que muchas personas la rechazan sin haberla examinado. Cuando uno examina las raices de la Teologia de la Liberacion, obtiene un cuadro diferente.

La Teologia de la Liberacion , en un sentido historico general, comenzo cuando Jehovah Dios, el Dios de Israel, le hablo a Moises y le dijo " He oido el clamor de mi pueblo."  Su teologia surgio de la opresion y sufrimiento, y de los hechos salvadores de Dios en su historia. Su teologia no fue generada de conversacion vana ni de la especulacion filosofica. Ellos no tenian el lujo de envolucrarse en discurso intelectual. Ni tampoco estaban en condicion alguna para construir una teologia que no tenia nada que ver con la realidad de la vida. Su teologia fue parida por su agonia y miseria, y por Jehova Dios empatizando con ellos, y actuando para sacarlos de esas condiciones.

La teologia debe de ser evaluada dentro del marco de su contexto historico.  La Teologia Latino-Americana de la Liberacion no surgio en un vacio historico, sino dentro del contexto de las relaciones economicas, politicas, religiosas, y sociales.  El pasar esto por alto resultaria en relegar la historia historia a una serie de abstracciones que no tienen relevancia alguna a la existencia, actividad, e historia humana.

Las raices historicas de la Teologia de la Liberacion se hallan en la tradicion profetica de los evangelistas y los misioneros desde los primeros dias coloniales en la America Latina-dirigentes eclesiasticos que cuestionaron el tipo de presencia adoptada por la Iglesia, y por el trato que se les dio a los pueblos indigenas, negros, mestizos, y las masas, los rurales pobres, y las masas urbanas.  Los nombres de Bartolome de las Casas, Antonio de Montesinos, Antonio Viera, el Hermano Caneca, y otros sobresalen representando una hueste de personalidades religiosas que han influenciado cada siglo de nuestra breve historia (Clodovis y Leonardo Boff, Introduciendo la Teologia de la Liberacion. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1987, p. 56).

El lector es referido a este libro para poder trazar los desarollos socio-politicos, eclesiales, y teologicos, incluyendo las fases de edificacion, ajuste, y formalizacion.

En el Nombre del Padre, del Hijo, y del Espiritu Santo. Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Visiting Professor of Theology, Tainan Theological College and Seminary