Falling from Grace: Why Barack Obama Can Blame the Jesuits for His ProblemsMarch 25, 2008
For the past week it has been nearly impossible to turn on the news and not hear a story about Barack Obama and his relationship with his former pastor,
Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama has been struggling to distance himself from Rev. Wright, but is unable to cut off from his life
“the man who married him and baptized his children”. However, distancing himself from the Reverend Wright will not solve his problems. The problem is not the remarks of Jeremiah Wright, but what he, Barack Obama actually believes. His religious beliefs, as portrayed in his autobiography, Dreams from My Father, come from the teachings of
Trinity United Church of Christ, known as Black Liberation Theology.
Liberation Theology is a school of thought that looks at Jesus Christ primarily as the Liberator of the oppressed, rather than the Redeemer of mankind. It focuses on looking at the world from the viewpoint of the poor.
However, instead of attempting to create order and peace, it calls upon its followers to
“bring a sword”, (Matt 10:34), portraying the message of Jesus Christ as using civil unrest and revolution in proclaiming its mission of Justice. Liberation theology was developed in Jesuit circles and was highly popularized by influential Jesuits in Central and South America. Liberation theology encourages political activism manifested as a form of
“Christian Marxism”, as seen in the support of the Sandinistas in the 1980s by Nicaraguan clergy.
Its association with the Jesuits in the United States can be seen in the activities of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Catholic Worker Movement, and in annual protests of the School of the Americas in Georgia. Since its popularization it has been admonished by Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and its appeal has been largely curtailed in Catholic circles.
Its influence has not been diminished, however, in areas where the Pope has no influence, namely African-American Protestant Churches in the United States. In African-American Protestant Churches, liberation theology (known there as Black Liberation Theology, or Black Theology) combines the Jesuit understanding of liberation with the ideals of the Black Power movement. It is best described in the book
Black Theology and Black Power, by James Cone and Dwight Hopkins, which portrays Caucasian Americans as the oppressors and African-Americans as the oppressed. Cone’s thesis is that the liberation of black people from the oppression of whites, vis-à-vis the Black Power Movement is “the Gospel message of the 20th Century”. One needs only to go to Trinity United Church of Christ’s website to see the connection. The website, which endorses Cone’s book and beliefs, contains a
“10-point vision”.
The last three points are “committed to Liberation”, “committed to Restoration”, and “working for Economic Parity”. This brings up several questions: Does “Liberation” mean white people shouldn’t hold government positions over black people? Does Restoration mean “reparations? Does “Economic Parity” mean government controlled distribution of wealth?
When a person’s religious viewpoint focuses so much on socio-economic policies it is impossible to distinguish their theology from their politics. If it is perfectly acceptable to ask Catholics questions on Abortion, it is legitimate to ask Barack Obama questions on the goals of
Black Liberation Theology. It is not enough for Obama to
“distance himself” from one man. Barack Obama has to separate entirely from Black Liberation Theology, which he cannot do, because it is what he believes.
5 comments:
That article is so inaccurate, on so many levels and in so many details, that even attempting a reply may be futile!
One FACT will suffice to illustrate just how wrong-headed the article is: the book 'Black Theology and Black Power' was published in 1969, two years BEFORE 'A Theology of Liberation', the first influential work of Catholic 'Liberation Theology'. The latter was written by Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez, who, of course, was NOT a Jesuit (he was a diocesan priest when that book was published, and later joined the Dominicans).
While some Jesuit theologians (e.g. Jon Sobrino, Juan Luis Segundo) belong to the 'liberationist' school, they are certainly not its founders. It would be more accurate to see the 1968 Medellin meeting of the Latin American Bishops' Conference as the initial spark that ignited the 'Liberation Theology' movement in Latin America.
Wow, I had no idea that the Jesuit Volunteer Corps members, when we were doing things like helping homeless people get jobs, battered women find safety, working with runaway youth, assisting young women in pregnancy homes, and teaching in catholic schools had as our goal "to bring a sword." We were focused on Matthew 25--When did I see you hungry, Oh Lord?
Equating liberation theology with violence or marxism in such an essentialist way is ridiculous.
Yes there are people who really made too strong of a connection to a reductionist vision of sociopolitical liberation--but I think that Segundo, Gutierrez, and Sobrino all think this kind of false triumphalism is problematic.
But the key idea is that God should be concerned about the poor and that the poor really do have God's grace within them and have something valuable to say.
Basically a strong root of liberation theology goes back to Bartolome de las Casas (call him a proto-communist if you like) who was so concerned about the treatment of Indians during Columbus' time. He spent his life defending the very lives of Indians, saying simply that: "Christ died for them too."
The CC cares about the common good and life. You care about the million or so children aborted each year: why is it wrong to focus your politics also on the millions of children who starve to death each year?
(Admittedly in the US, the whole seamless garment thing hasn't been translated to our politics: pro-life, pro war; pro-abortion, anti-war...)
The originators of Liberation Theology are; Jesuit Frs. Peirre Teilhard de Chardin and George Tyrrell.
With all due respect to you, Joseph, the above account is just plain wrong! Teilhard and Tyrrell are most certainly NOT "the originators of Liberation Theology".
Liberation Theology typically pits the Catholic Church against Jesus Christ. This imposible concept is the main focus of Liberation Theology. It almost always manifests itself in attacks on Bishops, Cardinals and the Holy Father....
I would be interested in seeing some 'typical' references to back up these extraordinary claims.
To begin, WHICH theologians would you regard as most representative of the 'liberationist' school?
And in WHICH texts of these most representative theologians may one find examples to support your claims?
Their are no important Liberation Theology theologians, because Liberation Theology is not important.
This from America Magazine.
By Thomas King, SJ
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Many modern theologians and spiritual writers consider themselves indebted to Teilhard as well. Jon Sobrino, S.J., has credited Teilhard with influencing his work on liberation theology. Christians concerned with the environment, like Thomas Berry, Al Fritsch, S.J., John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker, have also looked to Teilhard for inspiration. Michael Comdessus, director of the International Monetary Fund for 14 years, said he thought of Teilhard in his work every day. Even spiritualities with little connection to Christianity have drawn from him. When Marilyn Ferguson, author of The Aquarian Conspiracy, asked 185 New Age leaders who had the greatest influence on their thinking, Teilhard was mentioned more than anyone else.
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http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=4089&comments=1
"Birds of a feather"
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