Foundations for Christian Mission, Student Workbook, SW04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

reasons: “The people were poor and black, and this population has never counted much in American history,” “These people did not heed the call to leave the city when they had a chance,” “The government agencies were slow in dealing with the problem and incompetent once it arrived”—these and other reasons have been offered to make sense of the terrible natural disaster that has affected so many lives. In thinking about the possibility of calamity and natural disaster, what is your opinion about who is responsible for care during and after these events: the people themselves, the government agencies and authorities, the Church and other helping agencies, or all of them, in some kind of combination or another? Liberation theology is arguably the most important theological development in the 20th century. The various types of liberation theology focus on the primary commitment of the God of the Scriptures being the God of the poor and the oppressed. All biblical materials and theological disciplines are weighed as to how they make known this fundamental identification of God with the poor, the ostracized, the broken, the disadvantaged, and the needy. In a church, a key leader and teacher, has been deeply affected by his reading of several books in the liberation theological field dealing with the poor. He is convinced that although some of the material argues things not in Scripture, there are parts that provide keen insight into the nature of oppression, the poor, and the city. Their own urban church, caring for families plagued by addictions, drugs, or abuse, could use some of the insights and encouragements offered in the book, the leader suggests. He determines to bring some of this material into his College Age adult study class, not to produce controversy but to stretch the minds of the students to consider God more in the sense of the Exodus—the liberating God of the poor. Some of the other teachers are concerned about the effect of this material on the minds of the students, especially those who are still young in the faith and susceptible to error. If you were the pastor of such a church, how would you handle this situation? Given the teacher’s sincere desire to teach the students about God’s heart for the poor, what procedure or alternatives would you suggest to him? Liberation Theology and the Poor

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