His Specialty—And Passion—Happens To Be Liberation Theology

Alfred Hennelly. (RIP 2001) “H-e-double n-e-double l-y.” Got it.

In 1951, at the age of 22, as a Jesuit Scholastic, he came to the Philippines to teach at the high school of the Ateneo de Manila. He stayed, and taught, for six years. Hennelly then returned to the United States, and was ordained a priest in 1960. He continued his studies in theology in Germany and Austria, earned his Ph.D. from Marquette University, and in 1966 went to teach at Fordham University, where he continues to be a full professor of theology.

Ah, theology. Very ... complicated stuff. Father Hennelly smiles.

It is a dry but good-humored smile. He is asked, what kind of theology do you specialize in (if theologians can be said to be specialists on particular topics). Again, the smile, why yes, theologians do specialize. His specialty—and passion—happens to be liberation theology.

He has published several books; in fact his latest book on the subject was just published in 1995.

This delights the interviewer, who tells himself that the irony of interviewing a theologian devoted to the cause of liberation theology, in a home which exemplifies many of the quixotic conditions that led to the development of this kind of theology in the first place, is delicious indeed; but then I decide to drop the matter as impolitic and potentially disturbing, considering the fact that this theologian also happened to be an honored guest.

Liberation theology doesn’t exactly make for lively cocktail-party conversation, particularly when it has been (violently, all too often) construed as communism

by the sort of people who like to attend cocktail parties (and are violently allergic to anything smacking of the color red) in the first place.

Link (here) to the full piece