This morning I turned on NPR and heard Leonardo Boff taking on the Pope. What could be cooler than that? I've been pleasantly surprised more than once by Benedict, but am still more than a little suspicious of him and wonder what he might say when he's in Brazil this week. Some of his criticisms of liberation theology are worth listening to, but the options he offers instead seem to be disconnected from the people who are suffering.
Anyways, that's enough from me; listen to this and let me know what you think.
Peace,
Matt
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2 comments:
I didn't really get a sense in this story of what Benedict's alternatives to Liberation Theology were, so I cannot speak to whether they are or are not disconnected to the people suffering. It was a good story, but we needed more background. I think both the Pope and Boff could be "for social justice" though they may go about the change differently. From what I remember, Boff does use some Marxism to critique the current economic and social structure of his context, but one does need to know how he is able to do so without buying into the bits of Marxism that are antithetical to Christianity -- such as a strict materialistic view of the world. Is Benedict correct and does Boff reduce Christ's divinity? (Boff could rightly ask Benedict if Benedict reduces Christ's humanity.) Is is possible for Boff and others theologize contextually while maintaining that which Christians have agreed to independent of time and place (i.e., a great value on the Scriptures, adherence to the Ecumenical Creeds)?
I have a generally favorable attitude toward the Liberation theology I see coming from South America, though my interaction with it is limited. I most appreciate the attitude and value of doing theology from the ground up. Liberation theologians are correct in my opinion of saying that the theologies coming from Medieval Europe don't necessarily relate to their situations. The danger I see in many here in North America is to take the conclusions of these Liberation theologians and try to plug them in here. These people miss the point in that Liberation theology is meant to be contextual -- no one context will work 100% in another context.
i liked what boff said about how the opposite of poverty isn't wealth, it's justice. We are to be more just not more wealthy.
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