A close look at the basic concepts of Latin American liberation theology with David Inczauskis, SJ
The Liberation Theology Podcast is a truly exceptional podcast that explores the intersection of Latin American history, socialist theory, and Christian theology. Hosted by David (a last name that I unfortunately can't pronounce correctly), this podcast offers a captivating introduction to Liberation Theology through a combination of educational teachings and insightful interviews with experts in the field. Whether you are already well-versed in this theological system or completely new to it, this podcast provides a wealth of knowledge, clarifying distinctives, and thought-provoking discussions on the goals of Liberation thought.
One of the best aspects of The Liberation Theology Podcast is the care and dedication that David puts into each episode. His thorough preparation results in an hour or so of deep devotion and meditation on Christ's liberative work in today's world. It is both informative and challenging, providing valuable insights into how Christianity can be seen as a force for liberation rather than a reactionary one. This podcast has been particularly influential for individuals who may have had negative experiences with religion in the past but are now re-exploring their faith and discovering its potential for social change.
Furthermore, The Liberation Theology Podcast has been praised for its ability to present complex ideas, history, theology, and struggles in an accessible manner. David's explanations are easy to approach for newcomers to the concepts of liberation theology and left politics without feeling dumbed down. Many listeners have found this podcast transformative in their own search for a God of love and justice who can bring about tangible good in the world. Whether religious or irreligious, anyone who feels compelled to alleviate human suffering and create a more just society will find great value in this podcast.
While there aren't many critiques to be made about The Liberation Theology Podcast, it is worth noting that it heavily focuses on Christian perspectives and may not cater as much to non-Christian audiences. Additionally, some listeners may disagree with certain conceptual framings within liberation theology. However, even with these potential shortcomings, the podcast remains highly recommended for its insightful discussions on social justice, intellectual and theological foundations, and Latin American studies.
In conclusion, The Liberation Theology Podcast is a truly remarkable podcast that offers both intellectual sharpness and emotional depth. David Inczauskis skillfully guides listeners through the history and future of liberation theology, sharing his own personal experiences with poverty and injustice in Central America. This podcast not only explains the theological concepts but also emphasizes the importance of praxis and Christian ethical compromise. It is an invaluable resource for Christians interested in social justice, as well as students of social sciences or Latin American studies. In desolating times, this podcast serves as a beacon of hope and consolation, expanding our perspectives and inspiring us to deepen our commitment to making the world a more just and loving place.
Liberation theology constitutes not only a rupture from Church tradition but also a creative development of this tradition. David investigates the ways that Latin American liberation theologians draw support from, and sometimes critique, the Church Fathers.Resources:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlLa foi en Jésus-Christ by Jon Sobrinohttps://www.editionsducerf.fr/librairie/livre/3297/la-foi-en-jesus-christMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Pedro Trigo, SJ, helps us answer three key questions about creation and the material world. How to believe in a God of life in a situation marked by death? How to live with God when it is demanded of us to bear the mark of the beast? What is the relationship between humanity and nature?Resources:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Ecumenical theologian and author Stephen D. Morrison joins David to discuss common objections to liberation theology and to present a patristic, anti-capitalist Christianity. Isn't Christianity about a change of heart and a personal relationship with God? Why turn religion into economics and politics? It's true that early Christians abolished private property and shared their possessions, but this model did not last long because it was unrealistic. Human beings are fallen and selfish. Capitalism is the best economic model given the reality of original sin. Why repeat a failed, impossible experiment by advocating for common property today? Didn't key figures in the early Church have a wide array of views on economics? Is there enough consensus among them to claim that their witness gives relatively clear guidelines on religion and economics? Marx was an atheist and a materialist. These starting points are not compatible with a Christian approach. Further, Marxism is responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the 20th Century. Why take Marx seriously given that his first principles are flawed and his views yielded mass murder? What is your “elevator pitch” for Christian socialism? How has liberation theology shaped your life and thought as a Christian socialist?Resource:All Riches Come From Injusticehttps://www.sdmorrison.org/books/Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Laurel Marshall Potter and David Inczauskis present, critique, and share personal intercultural experiences related to the content of Paulo Suess' Mysterium Liberationis chapter on inculturation. How have the Catholic sacraments been abused in the process of Latin America's colonization? To what extent can we arrive at an understanding of Jesus' culture and relate it to today's cultural milieu? How have Latin American countries constructed national cultural identity, and who is marginalized in this construction? What's the connection between local culture and international struggle?
Revolutionary force does not emerge from a blank slate, from a level playing field. It is a response to systemic injustice, to repression, to a state of affairs that kills, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Drawing from Juan Hernández Pico's ML chapter, David looks at the historical, biblical, and ecclesial sources of a liberationist approach to violence. To conclude, David presents a few key points from "Teaching Methods for Liberation: Practical Insights from Liberation Theology."Resources:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlIgnite: A Decolonial Approach to Higher Education Through Space, Place, and Culturehttps://vernonpress.com/book/1024Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Dr. Michael E. Lee joins the podcast for the first time to discuss Ignacio Ellacuría's essay "The Crucified People" in Mysterium Liberationis. The discussion covers the story of Prof. Lee's engagement with Ellacuría; the relationship among the crucifixion of contemporary people in Latin America, the crucifixion of Jesus, and salvation; the debate surrounding this landmark text; and Ellacuría's use of Karl Marx. Resources:Ignacio Ellacuría: Essays on History, Liberation, and Salvation edited by Michael E. Leehttps://orbisbooks.com/products/ignacio-ellacuriaBearing the Weight of Salvation: The Soteriology of Ignacio Ellacuría by Michael E. Leehttps://www.amazon.fr/Bearing-Weight-Salvation-Soteriology-Ellacur%C3%ADa/dp/0824524217Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Oscar Romero by Michael E. Lee https://orbisbooks.com/products/n-a-3Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
María Soledad del Villar Tagle returns to speak about some of the European roots of Gutiérrez' liberation theology in the French nouvelle théologie movement. David shares the varied responses of two German theologians, Moltmann and Metz, to liberation theology, and concludes with a positive assessment of the compatibility of Catholicism and socialism as well as a refutation of the alleged natural right to private property. Resources:"The European Roots of A Theology of Liberation: Gustavo Gutiérrez and the Nouvelle Théologie" by María Soledad del Villar Taglehttps://www.academia.edu/81240675/The_European_Roots_of_A_Theology_of_Liberation_Gustavo_Guti%C3%A9rrez_and_the_Nouvelle_Th%C3%A9ologiePhoto of The Crucified God book stained by the blood of the UCA martyr Juan Ramón Moreno, S.J.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M%C3%A1rtires_de_la_UCA_-_Libro_Dios_crucificado_con_sangre_de_Juan_Ram%C3%B3n_Moreno.jpg"Europe and Its Discontents" by Benedict XVIhttps://www.firstthings.com/article/2006/01/europe-and-its-discontentsThe Ideological Weapons of Death: A Theological Critique of Capitalism by Franz J. Hinkelammerthttps://coleccion.uca.edu.sv/files/original/7df4fb5477c141b8c3958d22a493414ae9344dd3.pdfMysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
The Spanish-to-English translator of St. Oscar Romero's diary, Dr. Irene B. Hodgson of Xavier University, joins David to discuss the archbishop's inspirational life and his understanding of his role as an ordained minister. Then, David presents three theses on ministry in the church based on José María Castillo's chapter in "Mysterium Liberationis."Main texts:A Shepherd's Diary by Oscar Romero, translated by Irene B. Hodgsonhttps://www.amazon.com/Archbishop-Oscar-Romero-Shepherds-Diary/dp/0867161701/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3FQO1J1SCG1SZ&keywords=irene+hodgson+romero&qid=1673712536&sprefix=%2Caps%2C479&sr=8-2Through the Year with Oscar Romero, translated by Irene B. Hodgsonhttps://www.amazon.com/Through-Year-Oscar-Romero-Meditations/dp/1632530651/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FQO1J1SCG1SZ&keywords=irene+hodgson+romero&qid=1673712605&sprefix=%2Caps%2C479&sr=8-1Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
David presents and assesses three perspectives on the relation between ideology and Christianity from the French Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser, the German theologian Karl Rahner, SJ, and the Spanish-born Salvadoran philosopher and theologian Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ.Main texts:"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses" (1970) by Louis Althusserhttps://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm"Is Christianity an ideology?" (1965) by Karl Rahnerhttps://concilium-vatican2.org/en/issues/Ignacio Ellacuria: Essays on History, Liberation, and Salvation (2013) by Michael E. Leehttps://orbisbooks.com/products/ignacio-ellacuriaMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
What exactly is ideology? How does liberation theology respond to critics who claim that liberation theology itself is ideological? And how does liberation theology engage with the prominent ideologies of our day?Main text:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlSecondary texts:Composer un monde en commun: Une théologie politique de l'anthropocène by Gaël Giraudhttps://www.decitre.fr/livres/composer-un-monde-en-commun-9782021474404.html"Socialism and the Churches" by Rosa Luxemburghttps://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1905/misc/socialism-churches.htmA People's Green New Deal by Max Ajlhttps://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341750/a-peoples-green-new-deal/Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Jesuit scholar and priest Anthony Lusvardi introduces the sacraments as the ecclesial preservation of the embodied graces of Jesus' earthly presence and as the primary way that most Catholics engage with God and the Church. David interprets Víctor Codina's chapter on the sacraments, situates them within the project of the reign of God, and describes the sense in which liturgy should be "ugly and scandalous." Tony's website:https://tonylusvardisj.com/Text:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Though many consider "evangelization" to be converting others to Christianity, in liberation theology, "evangelization" means more than sharing a creed: it means bringing glad tidings to the poor--as Jesus himself defined it. It means seeing the suffering of the oppressed, feeling compassion, and acting smartly to alleviate their present pain as well as uprooting the unjust systemic factors that produced it.Texts:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
John Thiede, SJ, joins David to discuss liberation Christology. How have liberation theologians thought about Christ, and what difference does a liberationist understanding of Christ make in Latin America?Texts:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlRemembering Oscar Romero and the Martyrs of El Salvador: A Cloud of Witnesses by John Thiede, SJhttps://www.amazon.com/-/es/John-Thiede-SJ/dp/1498537987Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Leonardo Boff shows how the Trinity serves as a model for a just society and how heresies against the Trinity reflect and reinforce various kinds of social oppression. David shares highlights from an interview with Chema Tojeira, SJ, on Nayib Bukele and El Salvador's crypto-financialization.Texts:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.html"El Salvador's president made Bitcoin a national currency. A Jesuit says the project reminds him of ‘the seven deadly sins'"https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/01/24/nayib-bukele-bitcoin-jesuits-el-salvador-242257Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
God is not a single person but a community of three equal persons. So, as the Orthodox socialists of Russia would say, "The Trinity should be our social program." We examine the first half of Leonardo Boff's essay on the Trinity alongside commentary by Ismael Moreno, SJ, on the presidential victory of the social democrat Xiomara Castro in Honduras.Texts:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.html"Jesuit Fr. Melo on the presidential victory of Xiomara Castro in Honduras: 'We are a happy people after a long bout of sadness.'"https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/12/jesuit-fr-melo-on-the-presidential-victory-of-xiomara-castro-in-honduras-we-are-a-happy-people-after-a-long-bout-of-sadness/Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Why did the Salvadoran military assassinate Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, and his companions on Nov. 16, 1989? Ellacuría openly and emphatically emphasized this subversive dimension of the Christian faith. He claimed that Latin America is searching for “revolutionary change rather than reformist change” and that Christianity exhibits a “subversive dynamism,” which, though running the risk of Marxist co-option, can propel revolution against “the demands of capital.” A continued interpretation of Juan Luis Segundo's "Revelation, Faith, Signs of the Times" accompanies our discussion of Ellacuría.Texts:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.html"A sus órdenes, mi capital"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X6IFk8uIV-bTiOagivWS1Ig6RDtOGu82/view?usp=sharingMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
We return to "Mysterium Liberationis" and interpret Juan Luis Segundo SJ's essay "Revelation, Faith, Signs of the Times." Despite the order of the elements in the title, historically speaking, humans face the signs of the times, bet with faith on a way of addressing them, and come to understand this way as revelation (or not) according to its fruits. David shares two personal narratives to illustrate Segundo's points.Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Guest María Soledad del Villar Tagle and David discuss the church from the intersecting angles of feminism, liberation, Chile, personal experience, and clerical sexual abuse.Sole's work:Academia.eduhttps://bc.academia.edu/Mar%C3%ADaSoledadDelVillarTagleLas asistentes sociales de la Vicaría de la Solidaridadhttps://www.amazon.com/-/es/Mar%C3%ADa-Soledad-Del-Villar-Tagle/dp/9563571509Mujeres Iglesiahttps://www.facebook.com/MujeresIglesiaChile/A Calzón Quitao!https://www.instagram.com/acalzonquitaomm/Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
David and Marcus discuss Sobrino's essay "The Central Position of the Reign of God in Liberation Theology." How do we define the Reign of God? What are its biblical and historical parameters?Text:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
What is the new human being? What will the new economy and new society look like? David uses the war on terror to illustrate the "old human being" and compares Ignacio Ellacuría's vision of the new human being with Che Guevara's.Texts:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.html"Socialism and Man in Cuba" by Ernesto "Che" Guevarahttps://www.marxists.org/archive/guevara/1965/03/man-socialism.htmMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, contends that, in liberation praxis, prophecy is the method, utopia is the horizon, and the reign of God is the revelation. David interviews Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ, about his new book "The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice."Text:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlSaint-Jean's book:The Spiritual Work of Racial Justicehttps://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Work-Racial-Justice-Meditations/dp/1625248369Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Juan Luis Segundo, SJ, argues that the word "liberation" captures the essential meaning of the biblical terms for "salvation" and "redemption." Biblical "freedom" is the ability to be artisans of a new humanity.Text:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlBooks mentioned:Our Idea of Godhttps://www.amazon.com/Theology-Artisans-New-Humanity-Idea/dp/161097462XThe Liberation of Theologyhttps://www.amazon.com/-/es/Juan-L-Segundo/dp/1592440967America article:"Once I discovered liberation theology, I couldn't be Catholic without it"https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/04/liberation-theology-catholic-faith-240599Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Text:"Mysterium liberationis"https://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMagnificast episode on Margaret Randall: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nicaragua-and-cuba-w-margaret-randall/id1214644619?i=1000521683859Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Text:"Mysterium liberationis"https://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Text:"Mysterium liberationis"https://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
The oppressed of Latin America read the Bible not as “past history alone but as a story that is still happening today.” They see biblical history as the process of the formation of a free and united people. Jesus did not primary come to save individual people from their individual sins but to save the people from their social sin. Two chapters from Ernesto Cardenal's "The Gospel in Solentiname" exemplify the method that Gilberto da Silva Gorgulho describes in his Mysterium Liberationis chapter.Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Some of Marcus Mescher's work:The Ethics of Encounter, book: https://www.orbisbooks.com/the-ethics-of-encounter.html"5 lessons Pope Francis has taught us with his actions more than his words", article: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/12/5-lessons-pope-francis-has-taught-his-actions-more-his-wordsMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Some of Marcus Mescher's work:The Ethics of Encounter, book: https://www.orbisbooks.com/the-ethics-of-encounter.html"5 lessons Pope Francis has taught us with his actions more than his words", article: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/12/5-lessons-pope-francis-has-taught-his-actions-more-his-wordsMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Dean Dettloff's work:"The Catholic Case for Communism": https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/07/23/catholic-case-communism"Civil Disobedience": https://geezmagazine.org/magazine/article/civil-disobedienceMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Clodovis Boff discusses the theory, forms, and method of liberation theology, and David relates the three forms--popular, pastoral, and professional--to Ernesto Cardenal's base community at Solentiname, Ismael Moreno's prophetic pastoral work in Honduras, and Juan Luis Segundo's paradigm shift in academic theology.
Roberto Oliveros distinguishes four phrases in the development of liberation theology: gestation, genesis, growth, and consolidation. David shares three stories from Honduras about theater, water, and mining, each related to the struggle for liberation.Music"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
Mysterium liberationis edited by Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, and Jon Sobrino, SJ, is the book that the podcast explores. Its first chapter by Roberto Oliveros, SJ, looks at the history of liberation theology in the light of Vatican II and the Latin American experience of poverty. David shares his first encounter with liberation theology in Guatemala.Music"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network
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