Ask a Liberation Theologian… (Response)

As expected, scholar and activist Monica Coleman responded to
your questions for “Ask a Liberation Theologian” with insight and grace.

An ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
Coleman has earned degrees at Harvard University, Vanderbilt University and
Claremont Graduate University. Coleman is currently Associate Professor of
Constructive Theology and African American Religions and Co-Director of the
Center for Process Studies at Claremont School of Theology in southern
California. She is also Associate Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate
University.

As a survivor of rape, Coleman became committed to speaking out
against sexual violence in 1996. She founded and coordinated “The Dinah
Project,” an organized church response to sexual violence, at Metropolitan
Interdenominational Church in Nashville, TN. Her most recent book is Not Alone: Reflections on Faith and Depression-a 40-Day Devotional.  She is the author of Making a Way Out of No Way: a Womanist Theology,
co-editor of Creating Women’s Theologies: A Movement
Engaging Process Thought, and editor of the forthcoming Ain’t I a
Womanist Too?: Third Wave Womanist Religious Thought. Monica
blogs on the intersection of faith and depression at Beautiful
Mind Blog and
writes a biweekly column, “Women, In Flesh and Spirit” at Patheos.  

I wanted to feature liberation theology because I hear people
reference it now and then, but I really don’t know much about it, and I suspect
I’m not alone. I also suspect it’s one of those fields of theology that is
often misunderstood, particularly at the popular level.  Many thanks to
Monica for helping us understand it better.

***

From Benjamin:   I grew up in pretty conservative evangelical circles, where
liberation theology was generally ignored (or, if mentioned, might have been
described as just another version of the "social gospel"). How would
you summarize the message of liberation theology to someone from an evangelical
background? Is there common ground evangelicals might share with liberation
theology?

 Liberation
theology focuses on the ministry of Jesus as recorded in the Bible – the
gospels in particular.  Liberation
theology looks to the words of Jesus in Luke 4 where he describes his call to
ministry (echoing the words of the ancient prophet Isaiah) and at the ways that
he included many of the outcast (women, Samaritans, tax collectors, etc.) in
his ministry and parable.  From that,
liberation theology concludes that God cares about the oppressed.  From what I understand, evangelicals also
value the biblical witness to the ministry of Jesus and bringing people closer
to relationship with God.

From Brian:   Liberation
Theology is often criticized as reframing the gospel as a social/political
agenda at the expense of the message of forgiveness of sins through Jesus. I
suppose the same thing could be said about the religious right. How do you feel
Liberation Theology competes with or compliments different understandings of
the gospel?

There
are some liberation theologians who consider reconciliation between oppressed
and oppressor (“forgiveness of sins”) to be part of a vision of
liberation.  Two examples off the top of
my head are J. Doetis Roberts and Johnny B. Hill. 

But
to answer your larger question, I would say that all theology is
political.  In part because Christianity
did not begin in a political vacuum and we don’t live in a political vacuum
even now.  Some understandings of the
gospel focus on the work of God through Jesus for individuals.  They may also focus on the life that Jesus
promises in another life; i.e. heaven. 
Liberation theology, on the other hand, cares about the work of God
through Jesus for communities and focuses on how Jesus describes a
transformation of the world in which we live. 
These are two very different theologies based on the same books in the
Bible. 

From Rachel:   When you google "Liberation
Theology," the second article to come up after Wikipedia is an article
about liberation theology by TV personality Glenn Beck, who describes
liberation theology as a "perversion of God." We heard a lot of this
type of language in the wake of the Jeremiah Wright video that surfaced just
before the 2008 presidential election. I'm wondering how theologians like you
felt about that sudden exposure and the way liberation theology has been
discussed in the media. Do you feel like liberation theology has a PR problem,
or has it always been misunderstood, especially by the privileged? Why do you
think that video struck such a nerve, and what might the reaction to it reveal
about common misconceptions about liberation theology among the American public?

I
think that all theology outside of the religious right has a PR problem in the
U.S.  Glenn Beck’s comments about
liberation theology – in conjunction with the clips from Jeremiah Wright’s
sermons – brought liberation theology to the attention of mainstream
media.  I’m actually glad about it
because it gave liberation theologians an opportunity to share about liberation
theology in a more public way.  I spoke
about it on Air Talk on NPR at the time. 
You can listen to it here. 

I
think the video struck a nerve because more recently patriotism has been
identified as having an unquestioning loyalty to the government.  This is especially true since we have been
involved in wars.  Thus many people felt
that a critique of the government was unpatriotic and problematic.  I also think that a majority culture can
easily ignore the sentiments and circumstances of those in a minority position;
whereas those in a minority position are well-versed in the dominant
culture.  Thus the majority culture (“the
privileged”) felt surprised that people in a minority position (in this case,
some African Americans) had a different perspective on life, country and
religion.  Jesus critiqued the government
of his time – the Roman occupation of lands that were holy and sacred to his
Jewish community.  For liberation
theologians, speaking out on behalf of the disempowered is Christ-like.

From Josh:   I've
always heard of Liberation Theology in the context of its strong affiliation
with the various Socialist movements in Latin America in the 1900s. Almost a
reverse-prosperity-Gospel that emphasizes the goodness of the poor over against
the wealthy, which sounds to my capitalist sensibilities like class warfare
rather than the Gospel. Because of this, I've always associated the theology
with the political ideology. Can you differentiate or help explain what
Liberation Theology might look like in the context of our society in America?
How does Liberation Theology extend beyond the capitalist/socialist struggle
that was occurring in Latin America in a specific era?

Liberation
theology in Latin America and black theology in the United States were being
born at around the same time somewhat independently.  Other liberation theologies include feminist
theology, disability theology, womanist theology, ecological theology, gay and
lesbian theology (to name a few). Most of these are not associated with a
critique of capitalism.  Theologies that
look at the experiences of those who are oppressed or silenced are often
liberation theologies.  They all critique
systems of domination.  Liberation
theology is always contextual though – it will speak to a certain time and
place and circumstance.  You might enjoy
Sallie McFague’s book Life Abundant
where she describes what she calls “a liberation theology for white North
American Christians.”  She addresses how
our theologies may respond to issues of global climate change.

From Suzannah: Would you explain the
differences between womanist and feminist liberation theology? How have white
feminists excluded black women and what can we do to be more
inclusive/intersectional?

Historically
womanist theology is distinguished from feminist theology for speaking to the
experiences of black women and their experiences at the intersection of race,
class and gender.  Since its origins,
many white feminists have taken seriously the critiques of race and class
initially raised by womanist theologians. 
There are also some non-black women who associate with womanist theology
– such as Lee Skye, an aboriginal Australian woman – and many women of color
who identify with feminist theology – sometimes while also identifying as
womanist, mujerista (Latina), Asian American, etc. I think many white feminists
do theology that is sensitive to and inclusive of race, class, orientation,
ability, etc. in addition to gender.  I
think that white feminist theology that seeks to examine class and race
privilege well addresses critiques of womanists and other women-of-color
feminists.

From Travis:   Monica, you've appeared several times
on the Homebrewed Christianity podcast to talk about process theology (and I've
enjoyed hearing you speak every time). How does process theology relate to
liberation theology?

I
am a process theologian and a liberation theologian. For me, I believe that God
is calling us towards a vision that includes beauty, truth, adventure, art and justice.  Thus, God interact with the world, changing
the world and being changed by the world, but calling us to work to create a
world that is ever more liberative.  I
don’t describe God has being on the side of the oppressed, but rather on the
side against oppression – wherever it is found – and advocating justice –
wherever it can be found.  But the timing
of this question is ironic because process theologian John Cobb just wrote
about how process and liberation theology intersect here.

From Saskia: My question has to do
with your work on sexual violence and the church. A survivor myself, I am
acutely aware of this issue in a way my non-survivor friends aren't. How do I
start the conversation on this in a church environment that doesn't seem very
receptive to it?

I think that
there are many ways to introduce the issue of sexual violence in a church
environment that is not very receptive to it. 
Here are a couple: attend a “Take Back the Night” event with a teen
group or women’s group.  Talk about
“dating violence” with a teen, college or young adult group.  Or bring in someone who can talk about
this.  See if there are any social
workers or therapists in your church – perhaps they have ideas or expertise
with other local environments.  There are
also small ways like posting information on a bulletin board or inside the
women’s bathroom during April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  I mention others in my book, The
Dinah Project. 

Several
readers expressed interest in entry-level book recommendations on liberation
theology for newcomers to the topic. Suggestions?

I recommend Liberation Theologies in the United States: an Introduction
edited by Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas and Anthony B. Pinn (New York: NYU Press,
2010).

***

(You can check out every installment of our interview
series—which includes “Ask an atheist,” “Ask a nun,” “Ask a pacifist,” “Ask a
Calvinist,” “Ask a Muslim,” “Ask a gay Christian,” “Ask a Pentecostal” “Ask an
environmentalist,” “Ask a funeral director,” and  many more—here.)