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Religious Studies: Christianity > 4F: Liberation Theology > Flashcards

4F: Liberation Theology Flashcards

1
Q

What does poverty mean?

A

struggling to live a financially stable life. unable to afford and access the goods and opportunities which are generally seen as necessary

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2
Q

What does injustice mean?

A

not treating something/someone fairly, can be built into social system

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3
Q

Remembering back to Theme 3A, what three attitudes to Wealth did you study, and which seems to you to best reflect the teachings of the whole Bible about Wealth and Poverty?

A
  1. Prosperity Gosepl
  2. Ascetic Ideal
  3. Stewardship
    - Stewardship seems most in keeping with overarching Biblical teaching of wealth
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4
Q

Remembering back to Theme 2E (Community of Believers), how did the Early Church organise itself to take care of the poor and oppressed?

A

Acts 2: “All the believers were together and had everything in common”
- “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need”

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5
Q

Also in Theme 2E you considered the work of modern churches. List here some examples of how churches today are responding to poverty and injustice.

A
  • running and hosting food banks
  • serving hot meals for homeless people
  • organising furniture and clothing supplies
  • charities eg Christian Aid and Christians Against Poverty
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6
Q

Luke 4:18 quote

A

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor”

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7
Q

What might the original listeners have felt on hearing the words of Luke 4:18?

A

that God will liberate them: a message of hope

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8
Q

Context of Luke 4:18

A

Jesus is reading the words of Isaiah in the synagogue and preaches a short sermon, in which he says he has come to fulfill these words

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9
Q

What is Liberation Theology?

A

a radical movement that originated in South America in the 1950s and 60s

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10
Q

Quote from Boff that encapsulates the movement

A

“We can be followers of Jesus and true Christians only by making common cause with the poor and working out the gospel of liberation”

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11
Q

Who is Gustavo Gutierrez?

A
  • A Roman Catholic priest from Peru
  • lived in the slums of Lima
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12
Q

How did Gutierrez view Jesus?

A

the liberator from political and spiritual oppression; the freeing of the poor, oppressed and marginalised from “those things that limit their capacity to develop themselves freely and in dignity”

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13
Q

What is the name of Gutierrez’s book?

A

A Theology of Liberation (1971)

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14
Q

What does the title of Gutierrez’s book suggest?

A

that his view is not just a political opinion, but that it is an outworking of Christian theological thought in a practical context

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15
Q

What happened for 500 years before the start of Liberation Theology?

A

Latin America faced economic exploitation at the hands of colonial powers eg Spain, Portugal and Britain

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16
Q

What happened in 1954?

A

CIA overthrew the government of Guatemala to protect the interest of US owned businesses eg United Fruit Company

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17
Q

What happened in 1968?

A

Roman Catholic Latin American bishops met in Medellin and issued a statement urging the Roman Catholic church to act against injustice

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18
Q

What happened in the 1970s?

A

Some Roman Catholic priests became involved in the Sandinista Movement which challenged the government in Nicaragua. Influenced rebellions in Mexico and Colombia

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19
Q

What happened in 1971?

A

Publication of “A Theology of Liberation” by Gustavo Gutierrez

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20
Q

What is the political basis of Liberation Theology?

A
  • LTs became critical of economic developments that kept poor people in povert along with governments that used force and violence to maintain social order
  • they believed the church was a part of the problem too
  • LTs argued there are political explanations which maintain the status who of capitalistic oppression; suggesting that people might be poor because 1. laziness or ignorance and 2. economic or social backwardness
  • they believe that when richer countries give aid, it doesn’t really help because it keeps poor workers in poverty and doesn’t make things better
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21
Q

What do Liberation Theologians view poverty as?

A
  • the logical outcome of cheap labour and goods needed for capitalism
  • they argue that only a dramatic change in the system can lead to a better life for the poor
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22
Q

Why is Liberation Theology so critical of capitalism?

A

they prefer socialist and communist movements because they think capitalist development models mostly only help the rich

23
Q

What is communism?

A

instead of individuals owning companies and goods, everything is owned by the public or the community. a system where people share and control resources together

24
Q

What is capitalism?

A

an economic and political system where individuals and companies run businesses, and they get to keep the money they make from those businesses.

25
Q

What is socialism?

A

a system where groups of people, representing a broad section of society, share in the benefits of the money made from producing, distributing, and trading goods

26
Q

What happened in the period after the Second World War?

A
  • Cold War: division of countries that embraced capitalist economies and countries that embraced communist economies
27
Q

What thought did Communist countries often embrace?

A

Marxism (anti religion)
- might be why the Church colluded with Capitalist economies, even though in places like South America the economic system didn’t necessarily make the poor people wealthier

28
Q

How did radical local priests show their solidarity with the poor during the Cold War?

A
  • became more involved in politics
  • aligned themselves with violent revolutionary movements
  • moved to poverty stricken areas
29
Q

What do certain Biblical passages reveal to Liberation Theologians? (and what are some examples

A

God desires all people to be liberated from structure that cause oppression
- Examples: Jesus’ first sermon in Luke, Acts 2:43-47; practice of form of communion - sharing possessions

30
Q

Exodus 1-14

A

God leads the oppressed from Egypt to a “promised land”, where they will be free of alienation

31
Q

Micah 6:8

A

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”

32
Q

Luke 4 (Jesus’ sermon)

A

“He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” - announcement of liberation

33
Q

Matthew 25v31-46 (Parable of Sheep and Goats)

A

the future judgement of humanity will be based on whether those most in need were helped in practical ways

34
Q

Acts 2:43-47

A

“they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” - free and liberating church community

35
Q

1 John 4:20-21

A

it is impossible to love God without loving human beings: “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister”

36
Q

What is Christology?

A

the study of the divine and human aspects of Jesus

37
Q

What are the 3 aspects of Jesus’ life as a social liberator?

A
  1. relationship with Zealots (Jewish group committed to violent revolt against Romans)
  2. critical attitudes towards religious leaders
  3. Jesus’ death at the hands of political authority
38
Q

Why does Gutierrez think we should not spiritualise Jesus?

A
  • he was seen as a threat to Roman authorities.
  • he did not advocated violence and had shared aims of liberating humans from systems of suffering/slavery
39
Q

What is traditional theology according to Gutierrez?

A

a science that presented faith in clear and rational terms

40
Q

What does Gutierrez accuse the Church of doing and not doing from about the 12th century onwards?

A
  • the Church did nothing to help the world
  • it was more focused on establishing itself as a powerful institution
41
Q

What are praxis and orthopraxy?

A
  • praxis: practice of faith applied to life
  • orthopraxy: right action/practice
42
Q

In what way does Gutierrez say he has been influenced by Marxist thought?

A
  • what is most important is finding the truth in one’s action
  • Marx: “the philosophers only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it”
43
Q

What is the main ethical reason for the development of liberation theology?

A

to relieve suffering caused by poverty and economic exploitation
- reflected in Catholic Social Teaching expressed in official documents after Vatican II

44
Q

What are Gutierrez’s 3 types of poverty?

A
  1. material poverty (lack of basic necessities): condemned in Bible; contradicts message of humans being made in God’s image.
  2. spiritual poverty: ready to do God’s will
  3. voluntary poverty: choosing to be poor so as to identify with the poor
45
Q

What did confusion over spiritual and material poverty cause?

A
  • some people to think that the poor are more spiritual than others
  • this confusion serves the interest of the rich
  • Gutierrez saw this to mean that Jesus was to liberate and promote justice so the poor had a reason to be blessed because their poverty was about to end
46
Q

What were Christian base communities?

A

small gatherings, usually outside the Church, in which the Bible could be discussed and Mass could be said

47
Q

What did Liberation Theologian’s mean by ‘preferential option for the poor’?

A

Christians must make the free choice to prioritise the needs and concerns of those who are poor

48
Q

Why did Base Christian Communities develop?

A
  1. Populist education brought together small communities to educate and empower them
  2. shortage of priests
49
Q

Are Christian base communities a valid expression of the Church?

A

Yes because they support strong fellowship amongst their members. In the 60s they helped educated the poor and empower small communities

50
Q

Did the Vatican accept Christian base communities as expressions of the Church?

A

Yes but only if they centred on the Word of God, avoided hypercritical attitudes toward larger churches, maintained a link with the wider church, and remained aware of the benefits of their link to the church of Rome

51
Q

Boff’s criticism of the church

A
  • the Church needs small communities and larger structures to support and serve them: avoids utopian errors
  • 2 models of the Church:
    1. grand institution with a lot of resources, mainly in wealthy areas where it has social influence
    2. centred around small local groups made up of the less privileged
52
Q

Ways Latin American Liberation Theology disagrees with Marxism

A
  • Gutierrez: those who are poor will not discover a better life through Capitalism: socialism is the answer
  • Marxists view class struggle as a fight to the death, Liberation Theologians lean towards non violence and believe that even oppressors are children of God
  • Liberation Theologians are critical of the Soviet form of Marxism
  • Liberation Theologians believe it is not acceptable to deny God and reduce him to nothing like some Marxists do
  • LT is grounded in theism, Marxism is atheistic
  • Marxism is rarely mentioned in Gutierrez’s book
  • Boff says he disagrees with a lot of Marxism
53
Q

Ways Latin American Liberation Theology makes us of insights from Marxism

A
  • agree that exploration is a necessary part of the capitalist model
  • endorses Marxism : “only by overcoming a society divided into classes […] can we build the foundation of a more just society”
  • Marxists and Christians dream of a society where there is no rich or poor
  • Agree that the experience of capitalism in Latin America has had negative results on the environment, created a class system, and generated humanitarian crisis
  • Boff uses Marxist idea of equal community but describes trinity as one such community

Religious Studies: Christianity (25 decks)

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