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Advanced Worldview Analysis - Lesson 16

Liberation Theology

Liberation theology is an ideology promoted by people trained in Marxism. True liberation theology delivers people from tyranny, poverty and sin.

Ronald Nash
Advanced Worldview Analysis
Lesson 16
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Liberation Theology

The Christian Worldview and Economics
Part 10
 

I.  Liberation Theology, Why Keep the Name?

 

II.  Representatives of Liberation Theology

A.  Gustavo Gutierrez

B.  Rubem Alves

C.  Jose Miguez-Bonino

 

III.  Signs of Change in Liberationist Thought

A.  Hostile criticism from Pope John Paul II

B.  Downfall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union

 

IV.  Historical Overview of Liberation Theology

A.  Claimed to be an indigenous phenomenon.

1.  Most learned Marxism during schooling in Europe

2.  North American understanding comes from bad translations

B.  Establishment of Catholic Centers for Social Investigation

C.  The Cuban Revolution

D.  Establishment of the Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM)

E.  Early development among Latin American Protestants

F.  The rise of guerilla movements in the 1960's

G.  Events in Chile

H.  Maryknoll Order and Orbis Books

I.  Nicaragua and the Sandinistas

J.  Vatican Documents and Papal Encyclicals

 

V.  A Critique of Liberation Theology

A.  Interpretation of Luke 4:16-21

1.  Normal - Jesus releases people from their sin.

2.  Liberationists put a spin on it.

B.  True liberation theology will deliver people from three problems.

1.  Tyranny

2.  Poverty

3.  Sin


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Class Resources
  • Discussion of the content of a worldview and the criteria used to evaluate worldviews.

  • Discussion of liberalism and conservatism, and statism and anti-statism.

  • Political systems fall along a continuum between the extremes of anarchism and totalitarianism.

  • People favoring statism support extensive government involvement in education and social programs.

  • From a biblical point of view, statism is evil.

  • Discussion of justice on an individual and corporate level.

  • An economy based on capitalism has much less government involvement than an economy based on socialism.

  • Interventionism is a capitalistic economic system in which government gets involved to allow free exchange within a framework of laws.

  • Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism.

  • Two basic concepts of economics are limited resources and the choices we make that reflect our values.

  • Marxism is an economic system based on the idea of a class struggle with the goal of a classless society.

  • Article from The Free Market

  • The Bible and Socialism, Moral Defense of Capitalism

  • We are responsible to be a good steward of the wealth God gives us to manage.

  • Some of the root causes of poverty are government, social and religious systems.

  • Liberation theology is an ideology promoted by people trained in Marxism. True liberation theology delivers people from tyranny, poverty and sin.

  • Christians ought to care about poverty and oppression. People who hold differing economic and social theories propose very different approaches and solutions to these problems.

  • Discussion of the differences between evangelical liberals and conservatives.

  • Guest Lecturer, Alejandro Moreno-Morrison discussing the inflation of rights.

  • Guest Lecturer, Alejandro Moreno-Morrison discusses legal positivism.

  • A balanced approach toward environmentalism is needed because it can be a serious threat to individual liberty.

  • Discussion of how people work in a capitalistic system to address environmental concerns.

  • The public school system in the United States has fostered functional illiteracy, cultural illiteracy, and moral/spiritual illiteracy.

  • Discussion of the pros and cons of setting up a voucher system to fund the education system.

These lectures were given at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida during the spring of 2002.