Liberation theology has had a troubled past. It got tangled up in Marxist ideology in Central/South America, mostly in response to authoritarian Rightist regimes of the period (from the 20th century). Not surprising that this should happen, as the region was conquered by mostly Spanish explorers, and Spain itself has experienced civil wa…
Liberation theology has had a troubled past. It got tangled up in Marxist ideology in Central/South America, mostly in response to authoritarian Rightist regimes of the period (from the 20th century). Not surprising that this should happen, as the region was conquered by mostly Spanish explorers, and Spain itself has experienced civil war between the same types of factions (see the writings of George Orwell, who actually fought in Spain's civil war, on the side of the Left/Marxists, but then had serious 2nd thoughts).
I'll share my "litmus test" for discerning the Christological correctness of "Liberation Theology". Basically, it boils down to this: for anyone espousing L. T., how much of what they say is L, and how much T? More L than T means they are most likely Marxists, and Marxism and Christianity (much less Catholicism) are contradictory: not only are they opposing value systems, they are opposing EVERYTHINGs: universalism vs relativism, eternalism vs temporalism, human dignity vs will to power, etc. - they are total opposing world views. You cannot square a circle. More T than L, as long as the Theology is consistent with Church Doctrine, then LT is likely solid.
Jesus, while he was among us, instructed us to love our neighbor as ourselves, healed the sick, and fed some of the hungry, but never took from the wealthy to give to the poor. (He did have something to say about the odds of the wealthy entering Heaven though. He also said: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's.) These are all straight from Gospel, and documented plainly enough that any one of us can understand their meaning, and apply it even today. (I try to thank God on a regular basis for making His divine revelation so obvious. Papal encyclicals should be so clear and concise. ;) His message, I believe, is that there will be inequality/unfairness in this world, but our eternal lives will be adjudicated quite differently, and that is what *really* matters. So I think LT has been bounded pretty efficaciously - it's up to us, but woe be unto those who get it wrong, either by ignoring Christ's teaching, or by assuming to speak for Him when they have only their own worldly agenda in mind.
Thankyou for taking the time to put down your thoughts. Since hearing Cdl Mueller mention LT, I've also been doing some research into why liberation theology gained such a bad reputation and your perspective is a welcome contribution to that.
Liberation theology has had a troubled past. It got tangled up in Marxist ideology in Central/South America, mostly in response to authoritarian Rightist regimes of the period (from the 20th century). Not surprising that this should happen, as the region was conquered by mostly Spanish explorers, and Spain itself has experienced civil war between the same types of factions (see the writings of George Orwell, who actually fought in Spain's civil war, on the side of the Left/Marxists, but then had serious 2nd thoughts).
I'll share my "litmus test" for discerning the Christological correctness of "Liberation Theology". Basically, it boils down to this: for anyone espousing L. T., how much of what they say is L, and how much T? More L than T means they are most likely Marxists, and Marxism and Christianity (much less Catholicism) are contradictory: not only are they opposing value systems, they are opposing EVERYTHINGs: universalism vs relativism, eternalism vs temporalism, human dignity vs will to power, etc. - they are total opposing world views. You cannot square a circle. More T than L, as long as the Theology is consistent with Church Doctrine, then LT is likely solid.
Jesus, while he was among us, instructed us to love our neighbor as ourselves, healed the sick, and fed some of the hungry, but never took from the wealthy to give to the poor. (He did have something to say about the odds of the wealthy entering Heaven though. He also said: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's.) These are all straight from Gospel, and documented plainly enough that any one of us can understand their meaning, and apply it even today. (I try to thank God on a regular basis for making His divine revelation so obvious. Papal encyclicals should be so clear and concise. ;) His message, I believe, is that there will be inequality/unfairness in this world, but our eternal lives will be adjudicated quite differently, and that is what *really* matters. So I think LT has been bounded pretty efficaciously - it's up to us, but woe be unto those who get it wrong, either by ignoring Christ's teaching, or by assuming to speak for Him when they have only their own worldly agenda in mind.
Thankyou for taking the time to put down your thoughts. Since hearing Cdl Mueller mention LT, I've also been doing some research into why liberation theology gained such a bad reputation and your perspective is a welcome contribution to that.