What Is Liberation Theology?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVXLUBVoUPk

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0:00 Liberation theology is a political approach to christianity which emphasises the plight of those considered oppressed,
0:07 and the active role christians can and should play in liberating such people from this oppression. The experiences of the poor,
0:16 ethnic minorities and women
0:20 can be emphasised by reading or interpreting the bible from their perspective and with their needs first,
0:27 or going beyond the text, to argue that christians must help the marginalised by aligning themselves with certain political movements.
0:37 In this video I hope to provide an explanation of why Liberation theology exists, including some of its history,
0:45 how it can be useful, and then some of the criticism of it.
0:50 But before we begin, please like this video and subscribe, if you haven’t already. Firstly, an explanation of liberation theology, and some of its history.
1:04 Liberation theology originated in the Catholic church in South America in the 1970s. At the time, many peasants and farm workers were being pushed into poverty
1:16 and oppressive right wing dictatorships were taking over. As a result, liberation theology developed as a direct counter to these events.
1:26 The plight of the marginalised was placed front and centre, spirituality and the next world arguably took a backseat,
1:34 which arguably instilled better off christians with a desire to help and improve current conditions of those less fortunate than them.
1:44 Religious thinkers such as Leonardo Boff and Gustavo Gutierrez placed the Marxist dynamic of the oppressed and oppressor at the heart of Christianity.
1:55 Jesus’ words against the rich become alive and avowedly political in this ideology. Furthermore, Christian Base Communities appeared helping to empower many people to read and
2:06 write, thus giving them a more tangible way of coming into contact with Christianity. Here we can see some of Liberation theology’s utiltiy, in that it brings the focus of the
2:16 Church away from solely eternal salvation to the more pressing necessity of earthly liberation of the poor from oppression and suffering.
2:25 However, it is also in these earthly concerns that Liberation Theology receives criticism. in the 1980s, Pope John Paul II released a series of edicts declaring that the role of
2:40 the church for him, was in bringing people into closer contact with God, helping the poor was important,
2:46 but not if that required allying Christianity to revolutionaries and extreme ideologies In this the Pope channelled mainstream Catholicism’s main critique of Liberation Theology,
2:59 that it reflects both a politicisation of Christiantiy and a secularisation of it.
3:06 What does this mean? In Liberation theology, accepting Marx’s dynamic of Oppressed vs Oppressor is paramount,
3:16 making it arguably on a par with such fundamental christian beliefs as belief in the ressurection or salvation through faith.
3:27 Supporters of liberation theology would argue however, that this use of marxism does not make Liberation Theology a kind of religious Marxism,
3:37 instead they would argue that they use Marx’s dynamic of oppressor and oppressed to illuminate passages of the Bible and improve both their understanding and to then better
3:48 help others in line with Christ’s teachings. Along with this supposed politicisation, as we have already heard, Liberation theology
4:00 also receives criticism for its preoccupation with earthly matters as opposed to spirituality or the hope of a future afterlife.
4:07 This is called secularization. Yet again, supporters of liberation theology might argue that through their tangible measures
4:16 they have made the church more impactful in people’s lives, as it helps the poor to read and write,
4:24 and backs them on political issues. To conclude, Liberation Theology is a political approach to Christianity, which attempts to
4:35 frame the Bible and Christians’ role through the lens of the plight of those considered oppressed, such as ethnic minorities, women and the poor.
4:44 The approach was particularly popular in the catholic church in south america in the 1970s, partly due to the torrid socio-economic conditions of many people at the time.
4:58 Liberation Theology was, however, the target of much criticism from the Catholic Church in Europe, because of its perceived politicisation of Christianity, and reorientation of the
5:09 Bible and a Christian’s life onto secular, earthly matters. Proponents of Liberation Theology would argue that the churches’ work in areas such as
5:19 education gave it a direct role in people’s lives, thus strengthening the relationship between it and the community.
5:30 They would also argue that Liberation Theology is no less political than other interpretative structures that already exist within Christianity.
5:39 That is Liberation Theology, I hope you enjoyed this video. Please like, share and subscribe if you can.
5:46 THanks for watching.