Disrupt the Peace
Liberation Theology
Week 2: Disrupt the Peace
Historically, the Church has been a hierarchical institution that is organized and takes its cues from the top down. Popes, Bishops, Priests, Pastors, Elders are the driving forces of Christianity. They are the end-all-be-all. But Jesus did not do ministry this way. He associated not with the temple leaders, Sadducees or Pharisees, but with the poor, sick, and marginalized. Jesus flipped the existing power structures and did ministry from the bottom-up.
Liberation Theology seeks to empower the poor and oppressed, by merging faith with economic justice and human rights. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” It’s important to note that Jesus was a peace-maker and not a peace-keeper. “Keeping the Peace” for the sake of avoiding conflict is not true justice. Jesus asked questions, and disrupted the comfort of those around him by disregarding harmful societal norms. He sought to create true peace, by teaching us how to better love and care for our neighbors.
Where did Liberation Theology come from?
The Second Vatican Council had significantly impacted the relationship between the Catholic Church and modern world. It paved the way for theologians like Gustavo Gutiérrez, Leonardo Boff, Juan Luis Segundo, and Jon Sobrino to lay the foundations for Liberation Theology.
Gutiérrez is a Peruvian philosopher, theologian, and priest. Gutiérrez, born in 1928, originally went to school to study medicine and psychiatry, but quickly became interested in the priesthood. He studied theology in Belgium and France, where he was introduced to the Dominican and Jesuit ideologies. During his studies, he was also deeply impacted by the works of non-religious thinkers such as Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud, which has had lasting impacts on his ministry. In 1959, he was ordained into the priesthood.
After Guitiérrez returned to Peru, he began to see gaps in the theology he studied and the conditions of poverty that his country existed in. In July of 1968, he proposed his “Theology of Liberation” at the Second Meeting of Priests and Laity. Thus the movement that was stirring within the Catholic Church, was coined Liberation Theology. Five years later he published his book, A Theology of Liberation.
What is the main focus of Liberation Theology?
Community and action are core elements of liberation theology. Because western culture is deeply individualistic, we easily become blinded to the plight of those outside ourselves. Liberation theology is community-oriented, it seeks to see God through the eyes and experience of the poor. It calls us to join together and actively pursue a world of justice and care for one another.
Crew Discussion Questions:
How has the church caused damage through maintaining a top-down power structure?
Read Mattew 10:24. What do you think Jesus means when he claims to bring a sword and not peace?
What differentiates a peace-maker and peace-keeper?
Are there situations in your life where you can make peace instead of keeping peace?