Revisiting Black Theology of Liberation in South Africa: Through ‘new voices’ of women black theologians

In remembering Vuyani Vellem, this paper delves into his scholarship, a scholarship that admittedly exudes his activism in academia, church and society. Choosing intentionally the marginalised as the primary interlocutors in discourse, Vellem demonstrates that he is situated in the arena of those who are otherwise seen as the wretched of the earth, insisting that Black Theology of Liberation must engage in a praxis that centres the lived experiences of black people and creates for itself legacies that would attest to Black Theology of Liberation as a formidable hermeneutic that recognises the sanctity of black life in a context of the prevalence of white supremacy. It notes however that a history of colonisation and subjugation has wrecked the humanity of black people, and as a result, a contract with black people becomes essential on this path towards the total emancipation of black people in South Africa and the world.Contribution: The scholarly contribution of this article is its focus on the systematic and practical reflection, within a paradigm in which the intersection of religious studies, social sciences and humanities generate an interdisciplinary contested discourse.

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Black theology versus black spirituality and black faith: The centrality of spirituality and faith in black theology of liberation in the South African context

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v77i3.6794 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Olehile A. Buffel

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

South Africa ◽

Liberation Theology ◽

United States Of America ◽

The United States ◽

Black Theology ◽

Spiritual Journey ◽

Black Liberation ◽

The Poor ◽

Theology Of Liberation

Black theology, which is linked to black power in the context of the United States of America and black consciousness in the context of South Africa is often regarded as having nothing to do with spirituality, faith and salvation. It is often regarded by critics as radical, militant and political. In some circles its theological character is questioned. Advocates of liberation theology, past and present are accused of mixing religion with politics. The article traces the history of black theology, as part of liberation theology, which started in the 1960s in three contexts, namely Latin America, United States of America and South Africa. The article argues that spirituality, faith and salvation are central to black theology of liberation. The critical theological reflection that black theology of liberation is all about happens in the context of the spiritual journey of the poor believer and oppressed.Contribution: The contribution that this article makes is to serve as a corrective discourse that rebuts the mistaken accusation that black liberation theology has nothing to do with spirituality and faith. The article makes a direct link between spirituality and faith on the one hand and on the other hand liberating Christian praxis of the poor in their spiritual journey, in the context of South Africans as they struggle to liberate themselves amid poverty, service delivery struggles and COVID-19 and its implications.

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The emergence of the Black Methodist Consultation and its possible prophetic voice in post-apartheid South Africa

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v71i3.2897 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ndikho Mtshiselwa

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Black Theology ◽

Black Consciousness ◽

The South ◽

Prophetic Voice ◽

Church Historians ◽

Theology Of Liberation

Racism is an issue which the activism of the Black Methodist Consultation (BMC) was set to address during the South African apartheid rule, a view which black theologians and church historians generally accept. This observation brought to mind, in turn, the influence that the Black Consciousness philosophy and the black theology of liberation had on the establishment of the BMC. Recounting such an influence, this article provides a reflection on the formation of the BMC in 1975. In such a reflection, the hypothesis is that the prophetic voice of the BMC is crucial in post-apartheid South Africa. Firstly, the interconnectedness of the Black Consciousness philosophy, the black theology of liberation and the BMC is highlighted. Secondly, the article proceeds to navigate the possible prophetic voice of the BMC in post- apartheid South Africa. In the end, this article sees the BMC as a crucial interlocutor of liberation in present South Africa.

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Prophetic Theology in Black Theology, with special reference to the Kairos document

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v66i1.800 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Vuyani S. Vellem

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Liberation Theology ◽

Black Theology ◽

Community Based ◽

The Poor ◽

Prophetic Vision ◽

Political Praxis ◽

Alternative Community ◽

Best Responses ◽

Theology Of Liberation

The ‘Protest’ and ‘Confessing’ Models in the streams of Black Theology of liberation provide a creative link between the Prophetic Theology in the Kairos document (KD) and the Black Theology of liberation. Launched in a distinct moment of history – an ‘opportune moment’ – the KD propagated the best responses among some and the worst among others as a rapturous critique of State and Church theologies. In this article, I argued that the KD, which remains a version of liberation theology par excellence, offers a methodology that is still appropriate to our democratisation processes in South Africa. The KD is the product of a theology that did not only expand the contours of traditional theology, but also understood confession as a political praxis. Thus, the interest of the poor should still mitigate forth-telling in our democratic vision in dialogue inspired by the alluring prophetic vision of an alternative community based on the principles of the reign of God.

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Decolonising Development? Re-claiming Biko and a Black Theology of Liberation within the context of Faith Based Organisations in South Africa

Missionalia ◽

10.7832/46-1-219 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nadine Bowers Du Toit

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Black Theology ◽

Faith Based ◽

Theology Of Liberation

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Tumelo le Moruo

Verbum et Ecclesia ◽

10.4102/ve.v36i1.1373 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Vuyani S. Vellem

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Black Theology ◽

Christian Faith ◽

The West ◽

Black Africans ◽

The Bible ◽

Theology Of Liberation

Paleng ya rona batho ba batsho, tumelo ya boKreste e fihlile lefatsheng la rona la Afrika Borwa mmoho le dikgoka tsa ditjhaba tsa boPhirima. BoKreste bo fihlile ka nako ya dintwa tseo mohopolo wa tsona e neng e le ho hapa lefatshe la, batho ba batsho. Ka mantswe amang, rona batho ba batsho, re ile ra qetella re le setjhaba se ileng sa hlolwa, mme lefatshe la rona la nkuwa ka dikgoka. Ka hare ho dikgoka tsena, ho ne ho dutse tumelo ya boKreste. Makgowa a ile are: �A re kwaleng mahlo re rapeleng, rona ra kwala mahlo, mme ha re qeta hore Amen, re bula mahlo, ra fumana lefatshe le nkuwe matsohong a rona ho setse Bibele.� Re ile ra sala le Bibele eo ka yona re lekileng dilemong tse fitileng ho lwana ntwa ya topollo, kapa tokoloho hofihlela selemong sa 1994. Le ha re ile ra fumana tokoloho ka selemo seo, hare so ka re lokoloha ho tsa moruo. E kaba sena se bolela eng mabapi le tumelo ya rona ya boKreste? Segolweng sena re leka ho araba potso ena. Tumelo ke eng ho batho ba sa lokolohang moruong wa naha ya bona? Re lekola pale ya boKreste, tumelo ya batho le maemo a kereke ntlheng ya ho tadimana le tokoloho ka tumelo.Faith and economics. In our history from a black perspective, Christianity arrived through violent conquest from the west. Evidentially, this faith coincided with wars of dispossession and the ultimate defeat of black Africans. It is difficult to separate the violent defeat of black Africans from the arrival of Christian faith. This well-known statement within the circles of black Theology of liberation: When the white man arrived in our land he said, �let us pray and after prayer, when we opened our eyes, our land was taken and only the Bible was left in our hands,� captures the black sentiment of this history. Ironically, it was this Bible that black Africans used to wage their struggle for liberation up to the demise of apartheid in 1994.Nonetheless, political liberation is not enough as the struggle for economic liberation continue in South Africa post 1994. In the light of this history, what then is the role of faith for a people politically liberated without economic liberation? This article examines this history from the perspective of black faith and its role for liberation.

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Reconsidering the Freedom Charter, the black theology of liberation and the African proverb about the locust’s head in the context of poverty in South Africa

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v72i1.2915 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ndikho Mtshiselwa

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Present Article ◽

Black Theology ◽

South Africans ◽

The Poor ◽

Mineral Wealth ◽

Black South Africans ◽

Equitable Sharing ◽

Preferential Option ◽

Theology Of Liberation

While South Africa attained liberation from the apartheid rule in 1994, the legacy of colonialism and apartheid – in the form of poverty and economic inequality – continues to haunt black South Africans. The aim of this article is to make a case for the equitable sharing of South Africa’s mineral wealth amongst all its citizens with the view to alleviate poverty. Firstly, this article provides a reflection on the Freedom Charter and suggests that the values of the Charter, for instance, the sharing of resources and wealth, are relevant in South Africa today. Secondly, it is argued in the present article that the preferential option for the poor which is upheld in the black theology of liberation is equally relevant in post-apartheid South Africa where many black South Africans remain poor. Thirdly, this article argues that the African proverb, Bana ba motho ba ngwathelana hlogo ya tšie [The siblings share the head of a locust], also echoes the idea of equitable sharing of resources with a view to alleviate poverty. Lastly, the author submits that the idea of equitable sharing of resources and wealth that is echoed in the Freedom Charter, the black theology of liberation and the African wise saying support the equitable redistribution of the mineral wealth to the benefit of all South Africans.

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