An Introduction

biblical passages: exodus 6, deuteronomy 15, psalm 146, isaiah 61

Assignment:  You are required to present a treatment of four Old Testament passages as part of a broader analysis of a specific theme.

Your assignment is to include the following elements:

•            A discussion of relevant historical, cultural, and geographical elements for each passage.
  
•            A discussion of how each passage contributes to the development of the theme.
  
•            A discussion of the theme’s relationship to the broader Old Testament message.
  
•            The theme’s transferability to modern-day situations.
  
•            Relevance of the theme to the life of the church.
  
•            Relevance of the theme to one’s program emphasis.
  
•            Relevance of the theme to one’s personal life.
  

Liberation and Salvation

This probably doesn't go far enough and was just a beginning of the thought process. Some of my thoughts have perhaps changed since this was written:

Liberation and Salvation:

Dialogue Partner: “It has been said that what defines, or divides us, as Christians are the verses we choose to ignore.” True, we all have a canon within a canon. Evangelicals favour Paul over James for instance, or John' s gospel over the Synoptics. We make one the major and interpret the other in the light of it. It also matters how we put these verses together into a synthesis or meta-narrtaive. What is the big picture of the Bible about?

“...I do think that evangelicalism needs to embrace the holistic gospel, and I would affirm in some sense that all things are gospel. This obviously needs a little unpacking. The best way into this is to offer a meta-narrative of God's redemptive purposes in the Bible.”

Another key theme of Gutierrez is the understanding of the redemptive story of history through the lens of the Bible. This is the ‘big picture’ of the Bible. He analyses the Biblical stories of Creation, the Exodus, Christ and the Cross and the ultimate liberation of the end times.

“Creation of the world initiates history, the human struggle, and the salvific adventure of Yahweh.” (Gutierrez, 154) For example, Genesis 3:15 states, “ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Most commentators agree that this is a prophetic description of the struggle between Satanic forces and mankind and the ultimate victory and liberation from this struggle through Christ (Bible Knowledge Commentary). The Fall also led to a broken world: Evangelicals are very apt at answering some of the biggest questions about our broken society with, “It’s because we live in a fallen world...”

The salvific story that begins with a perfect relationship with our Creator being shattered is, as our dialogue partner explains, reflected in how all of life is affected by this tragedy, “Man rebelled and sin, death, destruction and decay entered the cosmos. God created everything, and now everything is broken. This is individual people, families, reason, arts, politics...” A ‘solution’ that mends our relationship with God thus needs to impact and include the other, traditionally less ‘spiritual’, aspects of this brokenness.

The Exodus is, as Gutierrez explains it, “a political liberation” (155) that was both historical and spiritual (157).  God saw, heard, took heed of the oppression of His people and acted radically (Exodus 3:7-10). The Passover is also considered as not only a historical liberation but as symbolic and, for some, almost synonymous with the liberating work of Christ. The blood of the Pesach lamb was a sign that God would save and spare the Israelites death and thus, through the death of the Egyptian firstborn sons, liberate them from oppression (Exodus 12: 21-30). The blood of the perfect Lamb of God was shed on the cross as Jesus deals with our sin (John 1:29) and liberates us from death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). God’s plan of liberation and salvation is continuous and finds its climax in the, “redemptive action of Christ, the foundation of all that exists.” (Gutierrez, 156) If this is salvation that is to mend the brokenness of the Fall then it should surely impact all realms of this?

The death of Christ is, as aforementioned, considered foundational to salvation by Gutierrez (149) yet his analysis of what the Cross achieved is somewhat different to current conservative evangelical thought. In discussion with our dialogue partner it was recognised that there is indeed a tension between individual transformation and as the Schema of Ariccia puts it, “the truth that redemption embraces the totality of creation.” (169) It is vital that we gain a Biblical perspective of this, though admittedly this perspective will be tinged with our own biases, in order to gain a true understanding of mission.

Gutierrez sees the work of Christ as part of the movement that began with creation and includes the Exodus (158). Paul, in Colossians, does indeed place Christ within this redemptive story. Did Christ die to liberate individuals from their sin or to redeem society and all it encompasses (151)? Gutierrez believes it is the latter and this, in part, has led to his (arguably tentative) adherence to Universalism. Gutierrez accepts, “with great difficulty” a universal salvation in order to, “expand the possibilities of achieving salvation.” (152) This seems a highly subjective reason and one that many would find difficult to accept. This would also have a tremendous impact on missions! If all of mankind is saved even if, “he is not clearly aware” (152) of opening up himself to God and others then missionaries can rest easy – their work is merely to quiet their own consciences and make themselves ‘feel better’. Gutierrez’s move from quantitative salvation to qualitative salvation does force us to consider the full impact of Christ’s transformational sacrifice yet it could be said, and is said by many, that it is a departure from Biblical truth.

The Bible emphasises the need for a discovery of sin in the light of God’s holiness (1 John 1) and the need for active faith in Christ that will reconcile us to God (2 Corinthians 5). Those that are in Christ are new creations. There is, within Scripture, a focus on an individual’s need to be reconciled to God and for the broken relationship with Him, that was perfect in Creation, to be restored. Paul and the Apostles urgency to ‘persuade men’ to repent in order to be liberated from death and sin through faith in Christ Jesus. The whole premise of Acts, acting upon the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:16-20 and passages such as those found in Romans 10 surely point to the fact that we also should do this. Yet it is interesting to note that in 2 Corinthians 5 Paul does write that, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation”

My personal view in regards to this lies in the command of the risen Lord Jesus to, “go into all the world and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19) Mission does not end with the ‘conversion’ or liberation of man from his sins through Christ, but this is merely the beginning. To be God’s tools in reconciling the world, liberating it from the consequences of the Fall and thus following in the footsteps of Moses, is to be committed to ensuring that the inward transformation of man impacts all realms of society. To make disciples that, as a body, seek to share the ministry of reconciliation and liberation in all aspects: political, cultural, racial and so on. For me, the central point is an individual’s trust in the saving work of Christ but the outward display of this seeks to glorify God through, “body and spirit, individual and society, person and cosmos, time and eternity.” (152) There is intentionality in the use of ‘central’ rather than ‘starting’ point in that we work through these areas to seek individual liberation/salvation and encourage the outward impact of these by individuals. This then creates a true holistic and all-encompassing gospel. For example:

Many more facets of Gutierrez’s argument warrant analysis, yet to do so lies outside the limits of this paper. Suffice to say, when taken in conjunction with the meta-narrative and messages of God’s world, he gives the Evangelical world much to deliberate upon. 

Liberation and Oppression

This is just another part of my previous paper, just to help ease myself into the topic again. It also helps re-examine my presuppositions for the Old Testament thematic study. Please feel free to share your thoughts or identify where you think there are weaknesses or the need for further exploration. Thanks for taking the time to be part of this...

What does the Bible say in regards to Gutierrez’ view?

Liberation and Oppression: It has been said that what defines, or divides us, as Christians are the verses we choose to ignore. This can indeed be said for the Church’s view on liberating the oppressed. It is worth taking a brief look at God’s heart for the oppressed throughout Scripture in order to see why Gutierrez clings so firmly to this core theme of a theology of liberation, “This theology must be verified...by active, effective participation in the struggle which the exploited social classes have undertaken against their oppressors” (Gutierrez, 307). Do we need a Marxist analysis to tell us this; or is it clear through the Bible?

“God hates injustice...it matters to God whether the evildoers are brought to justice.” (Haugen, 32) 

Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow... Isaiah 1:16-17	The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice...Psalm 11:5-7
The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one,  he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him... Isaiah 59: 15-16	Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain...The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice...Ezekiel 22:25-30
You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more...Psalm 10:17-18	They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed...Amos 2:6-7
I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD...Jeremiah 5:28-29	[The king that pleases the Lord] will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight...Psalm 72:12-14
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth... 1 John 3:10, 16-18	And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah:  "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.' But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears... so the LORD Almighty was very angry...Zechariah 7:8-12
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" Luke 10:27	"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”  Luke 11:42

Dialogue Partner: “... we need to recognise that often contemporary western evangelicalism has implicitly assumed the validity of the capitalist system, no doubt reinforced by the perceived enemy of communism. Is this legitimate?”

If the capitalist regime is guilty of oppression for gain, then no – not only is it not legitimate but it is also grossly sinful. Even the small collection of Biblical passages above show that the jealous and holy God of the Bible hates this injustice. He is appalled and angry. God is immutable, therefore the God that hated the oppression in the Old Testament is the God that still hates it today. Not only is this so, but He also expects, demands, positive action by His people to defend, uphold, plead for, administer justice for the victims of oppression. He expects radical action, not passive charity. Does it then follow that if, for example, the economic system itself is oppressive then, in the words of R Brown, the, “the system must go,” even if, “with the disappearance of the system would go our securities, our status, our luxuries, possibly our necessities, perhaps even our lives.” (8)

Dialogue Partner: Evangelicals are good at putting plasters [band aids] on the wounds of extreme capitalism. i.e. Fairtrade, soup kitchens.... but sometimes surgery is needed.

a little bit of background

When I glanced through the syllabus, hunting out deadline dates, it was one of the first words that caught my eye:

liberation

I read the sentence wherein it was contained. Nothing mind-blowing, just a suggestion that, for one of the assignments we had to make a thematic study of the Old Testament and that, for Urban Majors like myself, the theme 'liberation' was suggested.

This theme isn't too new to me. Last term I carried out a short study on Liberation Theology and read around on the subject. Although I probably wouldn't pass as a follower of Liberation Theology, I certainly came to see Christ as Liberator. Studying this theology helped clear some of the cultural lens I had when studying the Bible.

For the purpose of kick-starting this blog, and to get a few readers that will help me when I begin to explore the theme of Liberation in the Old Testament, I am going to put some of my previous 'Liberation Theology' paper below. Some of the assignment (which I'll post later) was in the form of a dialogue with a PhD student. I'm also going to post my bibliography (which will be on-going) in the side bar.

So, the first part:

Liberation Theology: The Wider Context

Heretical. Dangerously defective. Eccentric. Threatening. Marxist. Violent. Idealistic.  Revolutionary. Creative. Holistic.  Transformational. Liberation Theology has had, at one time or another, all of these labels attached to it. Which of them, if any, are true? How can something so controversial aid us in creating a theology of missions? Labels must not cause us to fear but to question; they must not lead us to judge but to search. After all, throughout history, Jesus Christ has had many of those very adjectives attached to him! Liberation Theology, and the controversies that surround it, deserve our attention and analysis. We must endeavour to approach this topic as discerning learners, aware of our own biases and presuppositions.

Liberation Theology is best described as a family of theologies (Rhodes, para 3), including such diverse groups as feminists, Universalists, homosexuals, African-Americans, even guerrillas. For the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on the beginnings of Liberation Theology in the 1960/70s and its Latin American proponents.

The underlying theme of Liberation Theology is its, “attempt to look at the world in terms of involvement with the under-privileged and oppressed...” (R Brown, 4).  Gustavo Gutierrez, who first coined the term Liberation Theology in 1973, is said to have declared that ninety percent of the movement was its preferential treatment of the poor (Allen, para 5). This presupposition informs its hermeneutics, ecclesiology, soteriology and the like, as well as encouraging the use of secular analytical tools such as Marxism.

The influence of this theological process is arguably complex, vast and unmeasured. The growing emphasis on the oppressed may well find some of its basis in Liberation Theology, yet most Western Christians would have very little awareness of the writings of theologians like Gutierrez. However, a summary of the movement’s impact may include the following aspects:

Positive Impact on Missions	Negative Impact on Missions
A FOCUS ON LIBERATION FROM OPPRESSION
A timely challenge to the Church that moves away from charity that simply makes the oppressor ‘feel better’ to true transformational liberation (R Brown, 8).	Some concern has been raised over its revolutionary over-emphasis on political activism (Boff, para 27), with its proponents sometimes described as, “militant” (Bonino, xxii) and at times advocating violence (Pope Paul VI, 81).
A FOCUS ON LIBERATION FROM DUALISM
A new understanding of the holistic nature of the Gospel, encouraging the Church to understand that the Gospel liberates and transforms all realms of life such as political, economic and racial (Hillar, para 14). “The church and the world can no longer be segregated” (Webster, para 12). The gospel affects all areas of life and mission is beginning to reflect this.	If everything is the Gospel, then nothing is the Gospel. Confusion is created as to what salvation and the gospel really is, and perhaps leads one to deviate from the Biblical view of the salvation and therefore mission. “Liberation Theology proceeds on the basis of a distorted Christian gospel.” (Henry, 198)
A FOCUS ON LIBERATION FROM INDIVIDUALISM
Liberation Theology emphasises a corporate approach liberating the oppressed, believing in wholesale changes of political and social structures (Boff, para 27). There is also an emphasis of love for neighbour that is, “co-existensive with justice.” (Ricoeur qtd in Bonino, 114).	This idea, of the communal and historical nature of salvation and liberation, can lead to a departure from the evangelical understanding of individual ‘conversion’ and results in universalism, as Gutierrez himself appears to advocate (Nunez, 181).
A FOCUS ON A LIBERATION FROM TRADITIONAL METHODOLOGY
Liberation Theology’s early roots encouraged the use of social and liberal sciences (Boff, para 8) -this has been advocated by modern theologians as useful for transforming communities with the Gospel (Conn & Ortiz, 271). Theology is seen as a process, rather than a stagnant set of rules (R Brown, 5)	For many, the Liberation theologian’s emphasis on orthopraxy over orthodoxy is worrying, signalling a move from bible-based missions and to a purely political agenda:  a baptized version of Marxism (Campolo, para 7)
A FOCUS ON LIBERATION FROM TRADITIONAL HIERARCHIES
“The praxis of liberation theology finds its embodiment in the Christian ecclesial base communities. They are small, lay-led groups that...work together to... establish a more just society” (Hillar, para 19).	Within the Catholic Church, the home of Liberation Theology, there has been division and strife over the movement (Formicola, 35). It could be argued that division within and between church denominations hinders mission.