Marxism, Black Theology, and the South African Dilemma

1990 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Parratt
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Political Theology ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Human History ◽  
African Theology ◽  
Gustavo Gutierrez ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments

Alfredo Fierro was probably going too far when he characterised modern political theology as ‘operating under the sign of Marx’. Nevertheless, ever since Gustavo Gutierrez dropped the bombshell of ‘Liberation Theology’ on the playground of western theologians, it is clear that Marxism cannot be ignored in any relevant twentieth-century explication of the Christian faith. Gutierrez focused in particular upon two aspects of Marx's thought: the action of man in human history, and the transformation of the world in the interests of the oppressed. These are perhaps also the most important aspects of Marxism for an understanding of recent developments in South African theology today.

The questions for post-apartheid South African missiology in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Baron
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
African Theology ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Socratic Questioning ◽  
The World

South African missiology has seen a shift in its praxis since the late 20th century. David J. Bosch made a crucial contribution in this regard. The shift includes mission as a contextualised praxis and agency. In mission studies, agency has become necessary in postcolonial mission, primarily because of the loss of identity of the oppressed in colonised countries. Through contextual theologies of liberation, African theology, Black Theology of Liberation and postcolonial studies, theologians were able to reflect on the human dignity of the colonised. However, there are still significant efforts needed in this quest, and therefore, the praxis cycle used in missiology is useful to also assess effects on the oppressed and marginalised through the emerging context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). In the task of doing mission in the world differently, the questions that missiologists ask are important. The emergence of the 4IR aims to merge the biological with the technological and will bring more challenges to mission work in Africa. This will bring upon us the responsibility to reflect on the notion of human agency, the theologies espoused in such a time and missiologists’ contextual lenses and strategies employed. These should have to be carefully considered especially in a post-apartheid context. The researcher will, therefore, use the commonly used praxis cycle in missiological research to explore through a Socratic (questioning) approach what the implications will be for missiologists and mission agents in the quest of transforming church and the post-apartheid society.Contribution: Though there has emerged a few theological contributions from missiology, there has not been a missiological contribution on the 4IR. The author therefore uses one of the theological methods in the discipline to put on the table the imperative questions that those doing missiological research should pose in the context of the 4IR.

African Traditional Religions in Christian Mission and Christian Scholarship: Re-Opening a Debate That Never Started

1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
The South ◽  
African Theology ◽  
Christian Mission ◽  
Traditional Religions ◽  
The World ◽  
African Black ◽  
African Traditional Religions

AbstractIn this essay I wish to argue that denial, outright dismissal, distortion and dismissive containment have been and continue to be aptly descriptive of the manner in which Christian mission and Christian scholarship have related to and dealt with African Traditional Religions (ATRs). This, I want to further suggest, has been as true of the South African situation as it has been true of the rest of the continent. Although most prevalent during the earliest periods of contact between Christianity and ATRs, the attitude which I am characterising as outright dismissal is by no means totally extinct today. This article seeks to re-open the question of the place ofATRs in the world of religions with particular reference to their relation to Christianity. This will be done by reference to three important 'voices': Okot p'Bitek, African theology and South African Black Theology.

scholarly journals KERASULAN AWAM DI BIDANG POLITIK (SOSIAL-KEMASYARAKATAN), DAN RELEVANSINYA BAGI MULTIKULTURALISME INDONESIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 3-15
Author(s):  
Agustinus Wisnu Dewantara
Keyword(s):  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Political Theology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
Political World ◽  
Prophetic Voice ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

The political responsibility is important, not because of the need for the love of the homeland and the challenge of the disintegration of the nation in multicultural sphere, but must be born of deep Christian faith. This paper specifically addresses to the lay apostolate in socio-politics-society. The Catholic laity was also called to be salt and light in the political world. The emergence of some form of practical theology (such as liberation theology and political theology) affirms that concern. The theme of the laity will be juxtaposed with a review of the "political attitude" voiced by the prophets in Scripture. The hope is that the laity will become more aware of its social-political calling as part of the faithful life to sound prophetic voice in the world. The struggle of the Church into a prophetic power largely depends on the laity (and of course in good cooperation with the priests). The laity today are called to be new prophets to proclaim the truth without becoming part of the defilement itself

scholarly journals Kerasulan Awam di Bidang Politik (Sosial Kemasyarakatan) dan Relevansinya bagi Multikulturalisme Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustinus Dewantara
Keyword(s):  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Political Theology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
Political World ◽  
Prophetic Voice ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

The political responsibility is important, not because of the need for the love of the homeland and the challenge of the disintegration of the nation in multicultural sphere, but must be born of deep Christian faith. This paper specifically addresses to the lay apostolate in socio-politics-society. The Catholic laity was also called to be salt and light in the political world. The emergence of some form of practical theology (such as liberation theology and political theology) affirms that concern. The theme of the laity will be juxtaposed with a review of the "political attitude" voiced by the prophets in Scripture. The hope is that the laity will become more aware of its social-political calling as part of the faithful life to sound prophetic voice in the world. The struggle of the Church into a prophetic power largely depends on the laity (and of course in good cooperation with the priests). The laity today are called to be new prophets to proclaim the truth without becoming part of the defilement itself

scholarly journals Die Schwarze Theologie von Allan Boesak – mit besonderem Hinweis auf seine Anthropologie

2003 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J.H. Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Political Theology ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
The Political ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context ◽  
Theology Of Liberation

The Black Theology of Allan Boesak – with specific reference to his anthropologyAllan Boesak is a well known theologian and political reformer in the South African context. In this article the author scrutinises the political theology of Boesak in general and his anthropology in particular. The last section of the article is devoted to an assessment of Boesak's contribution as developed within the broader context of the theology of liberation. The investigation clarifies the fact that, although Boesak represents a more moderate kind of liberation theology, serious questions could still be raised about some of his insights.

Church as Sacrament: Gutiérrez and Sobrino as Interpreters ofLumen Gentium

Horizons ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-95
Author(s):  
Todd Walatka
Keyword(s):  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
Basic Point ◽  
Gustavo Gutierrez ◽  
The World ◽  
Effective Instrument ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Jon Sobrino ◽  
The Church

Vatican II'sGaudium et Spes(GS) has had an unmistakable and demonstrable impact on Latin American liberation theology. Likewise, any sufficient account of the impact of GS on the wider church would need to attend to liberation theology. This article affirms this basic point, then explores the often-underappreciated relationship between liberation theology andLumen Gentium(LG).In particular, it investigates how Gustavo Gutiérrez and Jon Sobrino interpret a fundamental ecclesiological affirmation of LG: the church as a sacrament of salvation and unity. Gutiérrez's early work provides, and Sobrino deepens, the basic point that the church's work as a sacrament inherently demands an option for the poor. Rather than being simply part of its social teaching, this option is at the heart of the churchquachurch. It is essential both for an adequate interpretation of LG and for a church seeking to be a credible sign and effective instrument of salvation and unity in the world.

Islamic Liberation Theology. An Inter-Religious Reflection between Gustavo Gutierrez, Farīd Esack and Ḥamīd Dabāšī

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-147
Author(s):  
Marco Demichelis
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
South African ◽  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Political Islam ◽  
Western World ◽  
The Political ◽  
Gustavo Gutierrez ◽  
Concept Of Truth ◽  
The Relationship

In the published text by Ḥamīd Dabāšī, Islamic liberation theology, there is no mention within it of the essay by Farīd Esack, Qurʾān, liberation and pluralism, published in 1997, and after reading both introductions. Perhaps it will be helpful to better recognize the relationship between these two authors, and those who have gone before them (Ašgar ʿAlī Engineer and Šabbir Aḫtar), concerning Islamic Liberation Theology and Theodicy, not only in connection to their thinking and methodological approach, which emerges as being very different, but with respect to the historical events that are affecting the Islamic Middle East in recent years. The hermeneutic and theological approach of F. Esack, the South African citizen, contrasts markedly with the political Šīʿah terminology and methodology, used by Ḥ. Dabāšī, who is a US citizen of Iranian origin. However, their use of similar sources, including such Christian liberation theology authors as Gustavo Gutierrez, allows them to promote a study which is capable of reinterpreting contemporary Islamic theodicy against the background of the recent Middle East uprisings. The analysis to which I am particular attracted concerns the relationship between two reinterpretations of the takfīr concept and the plural identification of the Arab-Islamic holy prophecy, described as advocating religious pluralism. The deconstruction, leading from a purely theological analysis of the takfīr and the interpretation of a plural Islam, is not openly tolerant, but is able to consider a more shared concept of Truth, and could be politically contemplated by a faith approach which remains Islamic-oriented whilst not being culturally tied to the Western world. The balance of political Islam through a faith still acknowledging the transcendent and acting as the backer of human freedom continues to be sought by theorists but is not appreciated by the most uncompromising Muslims believers.

scholarly journals “The World the Horses Made”: A South African Case Study of Writing Animals into Social History

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Swart
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Social History ◽  
African History ◽  
Human History ◽  
South African War ◽  
Cultural Experiences ◽  
The World ◽  
Sensory History ◽  
Long Time

SummaryThis paper explores new ways to write history that engages with the lives of animals. It offers a sample card of how social history can be enriched by focusing on history from an animal perspective – and equally, how the tools provided by social history reveals the historicity of animals. The case study is drawn from South African history and the focus is on horses. The paper firstly proposes that horses changed human history not only on the macro-level, but in the small, intimate arena of the bodily, following Febvre’s call for a sensory history. Secondly, this paper explores social history’s long-time concern with agency and with understanding socio-cultural experiences from the perspective of those who actually lived them – in this case, from an equine perspective. Thirdly, the paper asks how social history that takes animals seriously might be written and might offer a fresh dimension to our understanding, with examples from the most analysed event in southern African historiography, the South African War (1899–1902).

Fanonian practices in South Africa: From Steve Biko to Abahlali baseMjondolo (Nigel Gibson)

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Munyaradzi Mawere
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Latin America ◽  
South African ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Frantz Fanon ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The World

Frantz Fanon, the Algerian theorist of revolution and social change, continues living through his profoundly luminous work that remains influential to the thinking and actions of many a people across the world even today. In Fanonian Practices in South Africa (2011), which comprises an introduction and five chapters, Nigel Gibson grapples with the important question of the relevance of Fanon's thought, 50 years after his death in 1961, to the South African situation especially from the time of Steve Biko to the time of the birth of the shack dwellers' movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo (Abahlali) in Durban on 19 March 2005. Gibson acknowledges that the idea of Fanonian Practices is not limited to South Africa but relevant also for other African countries. Elsewhere, Fanon's ideas have been exported to Black theology of liberation by scholars such as James Cone in the United States of America (USA) and Paulo Freire in Latin America.

scholarly journals The Black Atlantic as reversal: A reappraisal of African and black theology

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Engdahl
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Black Church ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Atlantic ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
African Theology ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
American Black ◽  
Paul Gilroy ◽  
Desmond Tutu

In this article, I will try to do three things. Firstly, pay attention to the notion of Black Atlantic as coined by Paul Gilroy, which in effect could signify a reversal of colonialism and slavery. Secondly, revisit the 1970s and the debate about the relevance of Black theology vis-à-vis African theology, using John Mbiti’s article ‘An African Views American Black Theology’ as entry point. Here, I will discuss contributions also made by Desmond Tutu and James Cone. Thirdly, starting with the premise that both theologies are relevant and soul mates today, which would (probably) be confirmed by all the above mentioned at this point in time, an assessment of current voices will be made, that is, Tinyiko Maluleke and Vuyani Vellem on black and African ecclesiologies from a South African perspective, and Lawrence Burnley on the fate of the Black Church in the United States.

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