Liberation Theology - July 13, 2010

Black Liberation Theology:
Started in the 1960’s. It’s really Liberation Theology which originally started in Latin America. It’s a brand of Christianity based on the liberation of the oppressed from unjust economic, political or social conditions.

The idea is that you’re either “in one camp or the other.” There is strictly only two to choose from; the oppressor and the oppressed. According the Liberation Theology the poor are only poor because they are victims of the oppressor.

<--- James Cone is the guy credited for starting Liberation Theology, the same theology that is behind Reverent Jeremiah Wright’s church.

“Black Theology refuses to accept a god who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If god is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of Black Theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community.”

- James H. Cone, Black Theology and Black Power

If you’re an oppressor (a white person) and you want to become Christian in this Theology and be saved then you have to give back what you took. What did we take? I can’t think of a thing. I’ve earned what I have. Merit (idea of character) and grace (salvation - saved by grace) are missing in this theology.

Our work is a demonstration of our faith. James 2:20 “Faith without works is dead.” (scripture mastery)

This Black Theology reduces the Christianity in it to becoming a political theology. It’s one of it’s biggest problems. One idea of this theology is that Jesus dies on the cross as a victim instead of a conqueror like what Christians believe. Black theology also suggests that the empty tomb has no great meaning. According to the theology, Jesus demands the (Jews in his case, whites in ours) oppressor to give up their position in life, their money, and their goods to other victims in order to be saved.

Liberation (formula to gain power):

1. Identify something you want to control
2. Look to Marx
3. Look for victims - groups big enough to gain power with you as leader
4. Use, infiltrate, or corrupt the most powerful (institution) at your disposal

Where/When Liberation worked:

1. Progressives - America. Under Wilson. White workers were victim. Used churches, unions, politics, public ed., etc… to corrupt
2. 60’s - America. Whites no longer oppressed. It became the Vietnamese, blacks. Marxist and used Chinese with liberation
3. Latin America - in 80’s and 90’s the church was the thing they used to have liberation take off. Possibly the most successful of liberation.
4. Today - They want the economic engine of the world.

Cone On Coming of Christ:

“The coming of Christ means a denial of what we thought we were. It means destroying the white devil in us. Reconciliation to God means that white people are prepared to deny themselves (whiteness), take up the cross (blackness) and follow Christ (black ghetto).”
- James H. Cone, Black Theology and Black Power, Pg. 160