I just finished "Introducing Liberation Theology" and there was one part I found to be very curious. The author says "Fidel Castro is devoting considerable attention to the political and ethical significance of Latin American liberation theology, regarding its arguments as far more persuasive than those of Marxism itself".
The reason I was drawn to this book was because I heard about liberation theology before going Cuba and it was shed in a positive light. When I was in Cuba we were visiting the home of a friend who's husband is a professor and church leader. I pulled a book off the shelf that was a six hour dialogue between Castro and the author about religion in Cuba. I remember Castro talking about liberation theology.
Liberation Theology and Marxism have many overlaps. However, there is one very clear distinction: Liberation Theology does not promote using violence (it also does not suggest complete government control). At first when I read that Castro supported liberation theology, it was extremely disheartening. I thought he used it to justify. But now I see that his interest in liberation theology is more recent. This offers me an ounce of hope. I just have no idea if his interest in it is guiding any of his actions or his brothers actions, who is now president.
My biggest struggle with liberation theology is how much should the government be involved and at what point is it too much or too little. I think one problem in the U.S. is that I would say the majority of people don't even practice the principles of liberation theology on an individual level or collectively apart from the government. The book said that President Reagan devised a counterattack of liberation theology because it was too revolutionary.
Although I know there are major issues with the government in Cuba, I don't think capitalism is the answer. I see major problems with capitalism in the U.S. (For one, we thrive on exploitation of poor. And money drives us as a country more than God). I see problems with communism in Cuba. The book says liberation theology is an alternative to capitalism and socialism. So what would a healthy government look like? Perhaps only God knows. I'd say non-violent, preferential treatment of the poor is a good start.
**Liberation Theology in short says that God is for the poor and against the oppressors. It seeks liberation from oppression. It entails action, alongside the poor. It believes in non-violence and justice. It doesn't just believe in the future kingdom, but the kingdom to come in our midst. It believes that action alongside the poor to resist oppression is not optional, but required as a Christian. (I own the book if anyone wants to borrow it...it's only 95 pages).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Root Causes of Poverty
I had to write this for one of my classes and figured it could be shared with more than just my class!
If the question were, what are the causes of poverty, there is quite a bit mentioned in the readings. Here are some I noted:
-lack of social responsibility
-class segregation
-discrimination
-individualism
-consumerism
-spiritual individualism leading to economic individualism
-composition of family life
-geographical location
-weakening unions
-low paying jobs
-economic injustice
However, the question is not what are the causes of poverty, but rather the ROOT causes of poverty. Although the causes of poverty are complex. The root cause, in my opinion, is simple: sin.
In my experience, Christians can agree that sin exists. However, the perpetuation of poverty comes through the variations of how sin is viewed. Some say the poor are poor because they sin (i.e. lack of discipline or poor decision making). There is some truth to this, however, I frequently see the sin of the wealthy overlooked. In scripture, when sin is addressed on an economic level, it is always the rich that are sinning. Other sin that is addressed is attributed to sin that all humans experience regardless of economic status. To extend that further, not only sin by the rich, but also sin by leaders is rebuked by God (Isaiah 10:2, 1:15-17, Amos 5:15, Micah 3:1-4 and 9-12). Scripture often speaks of sin as not only what we do, but what we do not do. There is a quote I once heard that I like "evil is not perpetuated by bad people doing bad things, but rather by good people doing nothing". So many are quick to point out the sin of the poor, but we appear to struggle or feel uncomfortable pointing out the sin of the wealthy and of leaders. This is an area of sin I am working on!
Another variation of how sin is viewed is regarding individual sin verses communal & systemic sin. In my experience of American Christianity, sin is often viewed as an individual experience. However, in scripture, we see sin committed by whole nations as is the case in Amos, for example. We also see sin in systems (Colossians 1:16). This variation goes well with the reading by Hilfiker that suggests a cause of poverty is spiritual individualism which led to economic individualism.
All throughout the readings, poverty is discussed with particular focus on the United States. The poverty that plagues so much of the world is quite frankly much greater than that of the U.S. People are eating rocks. Death due to starvation is staggering. Yes, America has a problem, but we must not forget the world. I believe America really needs to look at the sin it is committing not only within the nation, but as a nation against other nations.
If the question were, what are the causes of poverty, there is quite a bit mentioned in the readings. Here are some I noted:
-lack of social responsibility
-class segregation
-discrimination
-individualism
-consumerism
-spiritual individualism leading to economic individualism
-composition of family life
-geographical location
-weakening unions
-low paying jobs
-economic injustice
However, the question is not what are the causes of poverty, but rather the ROOT causes of poverty. Although the causes of poverty are complex. The root cause, in my opinion, is simple: sin.
In my experience, Christians can agree that sin exists. However, the perpetuation of poverty comes through the variations of how sin is viewed. Some say the poor are poor because they sin (i.e. lack of discipline or poor decision making). There is some truth to this, however, I frequently see the sin of the wealthy overlooked. In scripture, when sin is addressed on an economic level, it is always the rich that are sinning. Other sin that is addressed is attributed to sin that all humans experience regardless of economic status. To extend that further, not only sin by the rich, but also sin by leaders is rebuked by God (Isaiah 10:2, 1:15-17, Amos 5:15, Micah 3:1-4 and 9-12). Scripture often speaks of sin as not only what we do, but what we do not do. There is a quote I once heard that I like "evil is not perpetuated by bad people doing bad things, but rather by good people doing nothing". So many are quick to point out the sin of the poor, but we appear to struggle or feel uncomfortable pointing out the sin of the wealthy and of leaders. This is an area of sin I am working on!
Another variation of how sin is viewed is regarding individual sin verses communal & systemic sin. In my experience of American Christianity, sin is often viewed as an individual experience. However, in scripture, we see sin committed by whole nations as is the case in Amos, for example. We also see sin in systems (Colossians 1:16). This variation goes well with the reading by Hilfiker that suggests a cause of poverty is spiritual individualism which led to economic individualism.
All throughout the readings, poverty is discussed with particular focus on the United States. The poverty that plagues so much of the world is quite frankly much greater than that of the U.S. People are eating rocks. Death due to starvation is staggering. Yes, America has a problem, but we must not forget the world. I believe America really needs to look at the sin it is committing not only within the nation, but as a nation against other nations.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
God of Everyday Miracles
God is always answering prayers, but sometimes it's very obvious. There have been times that I've tried to remember God directly answering prayer and I can't think of an example. Somehow I forget so easily. So this time I'm writing it down.
I'm taking a class right now and last week I knew I was supposed to be sharing my story in 2 weeks because that is what I signed up for. But being in the class, I felt some anxiety and was just ready to share it sooner than 2 weeks. So I went to the restroom and I made a simple prayer of like "God can I please share my story next week instead of in two weeks?" My human mind thought, there's no way it's already scheduled. Well, at the end of our class the leader explains that the next week was going to be a little different and she asked if I or the other girl that was going to share wanted to share the following week instead of that week. My eyes got wide, my eyes brows raised in amazement and I said quickly "Yes, I will." I didn't even give the other girl a chance, but I knew this was an answer to prayer. Thankfully the other girl said she'd rather wait and didn't put up of a fight or anything.
Then today, I was talking with my accountability partner and after some processing she was saying how she really wanted a mentor. We talked through all the places she could possibly get a mentor and no one came to mind and nothing stuck out to her. So at the end, I prayed that God would do a miracle and provide her a mentor. And that He did! When she got home, she got an e-mail from a friend that had just got back from North Africa and she was looking for someone to mentor. Wow were those some quick turn arounds in prayer!
I know God always hears our prayers and is trying to answer them as long as they are in His will and in our best interest. But I know sometimes it can take a while because He's having to work with the free will of people and systems etc. I just love it when He does it so quickly and blows me away. He's done it a million times, but I want to remember because it's so easy to forget.
I'm taking a class right now and last week I knew I was supposed to be sharing my story in 2 weeks because that is what I signed up for. But being in the class, I felt some anxiety and was just ready to share it sooner than 2 weeks. So I went to the restroom and I made a simple prayer of like "God can I please share my story next week instead of in two weeks?" My human mind thought, there's no way it's already scheduled. Well, at the end of our class the leader explains that the next week was going to be a little different and she asked if I or the other girl that was going to share wanted to share the following week instead of that week. My eyes got wide, my eyes brows raised in amazement and I said quickly "Yes, I will." I didn't even give the other girl a chance, but I knew this was an answer to prayer. Thankfully the other girl said she'd rather wait and didn't put up of a fight or anything.
Then today, I was talking with my accountability partner and after some processing she was saying how she really wanted a mentor. We talked through all the places she could possibly get a mentor and no one came to mind and nothing stuck out to her. So at the end, I prayed that God would do a miracle and provide her a mentor. And that He did! When she got home, she got an e-mail from a friend that had just got back from North Africa and she was looking for someone to mentor. Wow were those some quick turn arounds in prayer!
I know God always hears our prayers and is trying to answer them as long as they are in His will and in our best interest. But I know sometimes it can take a while because He's having to work with the free will of people and systems etc. I just love it when He does it so quickly and blows me away. He's done it a million times, but I want to remember because it's so easy to forget.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Modern Day Good Samaritan (well sort of)
So I was driving to meet my co-workers at a restaurant and I was in the turn lane to go under the freeway. On the corner catty corner from me I see this elderly guy fall flat on his face, no knees or hands to stop the fall. Yeah, flat on his face. It looked bad! So I panic and think, "Oh my gosh is he okay." My good Samaritan and motherly instincts kick in and I immediately am trying to figure out how to go check on him. I also think of the bad falls my grandpa has taken and how when an elderly person falls, it's especially bad. I see him get up and pull out a napkin of sorts from his pocket and put it over his nose or mouth. I can tell he's trying to stop the bleeding. I think to myself, I can offer him some water and then see if he wants a ride to a CVS or Walgreens to get whatever he needs to doctor himself and I would pay for it all.
My light turns green and I'm forced to turn left away from the guy so I get in the turn lane and make an illegal U-turn to try and get to the right side of the street. Then the guy starts walking across the street and I have to make another illegal U-turn to get back on the right side. I pull over and roll down the window to talk to him and then I see the cars come at me in the rear view mirror. So I thought I'll just go through the light and find a spot to park. Bad idea. I had to go through two lights and go part way down another street to find somewhere to pull over and park. I park, grab the water and walk as fast as I can to get to the guy. By the time I wait for all the lights, cross the intersection and get back to where he was, he wasn't there anymore. Then I see him walking to the bus station holding the napkin up to his nose or mouth. I try to catch up to him, but he takes one of the elevators and I don't know which one it is. Believe it or not, at this point, I'm actually shaking trying to help this guy. I was so disappointed. I tried to be a Good Samaritan, but had a million hurdles to jump.
As I reflected on the whole ordeal, I realized a couple of things. One thing is that the compassion that overcame me made me think of the compassion God has for me. Sometimes I may think God or even people don't notice me in pain and aren't doing anything. But maybe there are just hurdles that have to be jumped to get to me. The second thing I realized is that I should not have let traffic stop me. I should have just parked my car in the street and put on my hazards. The other cars had 3 lanes to go around me. I had my priorities mixed up. I let the thoughts of people getting impatient and honking at me get in the way of me helping this old guy that just took a bad fall and was bleeding. So that was my lesson for the day...don't let traffic stop you from being a Good Samaritan!
My light turns green and I'm forced to turn left away from the guy so I get in the turn lane and make an illegal U-turn to try and get to the right side of the street. Then the guy starts walking across the street and I have to make another illegal U-turn to get back on the right side. I pull over and roll down the window to talk to him and then I see the cars come at me in the rear view mirror. So I thought I'll just go through the light and find a spot to park. Bad idea. I had to go through two lights and go part way down another street to find somewhere to pull over and park. I park, grab the water and walk as fast as I can to get to the guy. By the time I wait for all the lights, cross the intersection and get back to where he was, he wasn't there anymore. Then I see him walking to the bus station holding the napkin up to his nose or mouth. I try to catch up to him, but he takes one of the elevators and I don't know which one it is. Believe it or not, at this point, I'm actually shaking trying to help this guy. I was so disappointed. I tried to be a Good Samaritan, but had a million hurdles to jump.
As I reflected on the whole ordeal, I realized a couple of things. One thing is that the compassion that overcame me made me think of the compassion God has for me. Sometimes I may think God or even people don't notice me in pain and aren't doing anything. But maybe there are just hurdles that have to be jumped to get to me. The second thing I realized is that I should not have let traffic stop me. I should have just parked my car in the street and put on my hazards. The other cars had 3 lanes to go around me. I had my priorities mixed up. I let the thoughts of people getting impatient and honking at me get in the way of me helping this old guy that just took a bad fall and was bleeding. So that was my lesson for the day...don't let traffic stop you from being a Good Samaritan!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Rich/Poor Judgements and Reality
I had a revelation, an epiphany, yesterday. This realization has been in the works for a while now, but I finally felt some breakthrough. I've been praying that God help me have a healthy view of both wealth and poverty steering away from judgment. I've learned much about poverty over the years and have found it easier to not wrongly judge the poor. I've ofter tried to put myself in the shoes of the poor to try and understand where they are coming from (it helps that I didn't exactly grow up wealthy). Some say the poor are lazy and just want handouts. I've learned although this can be true at times, it's more complicated than that and many times there are reasons outside the control of the person that influence them and there are great hurdles to overcome that make elevating oneself economically very challenging.
However, for the first time yesterday, I realized I need go through this same process for the rich as well. I have easily jumped to the conclusion that the rich are greedy and insensitive. I just realized yesterday that it's just as wrong for me to call a rich person greedy as it is for someone to call a poor person lazy. I know hardworking people that are poor and rich people that are very giving and generous. The rich also have pressures, obstacles, and things out of their control that lead them to their economic state. I want to continue to have a healthy understanding of both sides and be the bridge that God has called me to be.
However, for the first time yesterday, I realized I need go through this same process for the rich as well. I have easily jumped to the conclusion that the rich are greedy and insensitive. I just realized yesterday that it's just as wrong for me to call a rich person greedy as it is for someone to call a poor person lazy. I know hardworking people that are poor and rich people that are very giving and generous. The rich also have pressures, obstacles, and things out of their control that lead them to their economic state. I want to continue to have a healthy understanding of both sides and be the bridge that God has called me to be.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Grocery Store Adventure...Embracing Culture and Christmas
So my roommate decided she wanted to make jambalaya for Christmas and she was going to have to work during the day so I agreed to go shopping for what she needed. I knew the stores would be closed on Christmas so this was my only chance. It was the day before Christmas.
Little did I know that I did not know what half the items on the list were. So I am standing in the aisle looking for peeled plum tomatoes and decided to ask the African American lady next to me if she knew what they were. She wasn't sure either, so I told her it was for jambalaya. Then she told me exactly what to get. Feeling confident that she may know what the other items were I went on to ask her what scallions were. She was super nice and told me where to find them. Then I asked her what worcestershine sauce was. She said "I'm gonna help you with that whole shopping list ain't I!" with a smile. She could tell I had no idea what these things were.
I proceeded to find the items she told me about. When I came to the scallions, I had to ask another lady cuz I couldn't find them. She described what they looked like and told me to ask the stocker. I asked him and he said they didn't sell them anymore. As I was walking away, a white guy came up to me and handed me what I call green onions and said "These are scallions" with a smile. The older African American lady next to me said, the stocker guy probably didn't know cuz we call them green onions. I saw the first lady I talked to near by greeting the lady that told me to talk to the stocker about the scallions and double checked to see if they were scallions and they said scallions are bigger, but they are the same thing. I ran into these ladies 2-3 more times and every time they said "What else you need help with, what else you got on that list?" in a very kind and excited to help kind of way. I felt so cared for by these ladies that they took joy in helping me find all the ingredients. I found myself smiling big trying to hold back my laughter as I was shopping feeling utterly dependent on the people around me. I find great joy in learning cultures and love the excitement people have to share their culture.
People have said that people can be grumpy and impatient around the holidays, but this day people were very nice and even taking time out to help me. The cashier was telling me with a big smile how excited she was to be off for Christmas and get off early. I could feel the joy radiating from her. As I was leaving the parking lot I let an older African American lady pass by and I said "Merry Christmas!" She said "Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you too!" with a very upbeat attitude. It felt good to experience people in such good spirits.
Little did I know that I did not know what half the items on the list were. So I am standing in the aisle looking for peeled plum tomatoes and decided to ask the African American lady next to me if she knew what they were. She wasn't sure either, so I told her it was for jambalaya. Then she told me exactly what to get. Feeling confident that she may know what the other items were I went on to ask her what scallions were. She was super nice and told me where to find them. Then I asked her what worcestershine sauce was. She said "I'm gonna help you with that whole shopping list ain't I!" with a smile. She could tell I had no idea what these things were.
I proceeded to find the items she told me about. When I came to the scallions, I had to ask another lady cuz I couldn't find them. She described what they looked like and told me to ask the stocker. I asked him and he said they didn't sell them anymore. As I was walking away, a white guy came up to me and handed me what I call green onions and said "These are scallions" with a smile. The older African American lady next to me said, the stocker guy probably didn't know cuz we call them green onions. I saw the first lady I talked to near by greeting the lady that told me to talk to the stocker about the scallions and double checked to see if they were scallions and they said scallions are bigger, but they are the same thing. I ran into these ladies 2-3 more times and every time they said "What else you need help with, what else you got on that list?" in a very kind and excited to help kind of way. I felt so cared for by these ladies that they took joy in helping me find all the ingredients. I found myself smiling big trying to hold back my laughter as I was shopping feeling utterly dependent on the people around me. I find great joy in learning cultures and love the excitement people have to share their culture.
People have said that people can be grumpy and impatient around the holidays, but this day people were very nice and even taking time out to help me. The cashier was telling me with a big smile how excited she was to be off for Christmas and get off early. I could feel the joy radiating from her. As I was leaving the parking lot I let an older African American lady pass by and I said "Merry Christmas!" She said "Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you too!" with a very upbeat attitude. It felt good to experience people in such good spirits.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Finally!!
When I was a sophomore in college, God put it on my heart to move to the city and live incarnationally among the poor and marginalized. While in college, I tried to be involved in city stuff but I lived 30 - 45 minutes outside the city and had too many other commitments including graduating from college. So I tried to care for students in my college coming from poorer backgrounds instead. After I graduated, I knew it wasn't a wise move to live by myself in the city. I didn't know anyone to model it for me nor that would be willing to join me. So I felt led by God to join Servant Partners thinking I'd finally be able to do what I wanted to do for the 3 years prior. But I was wrong. I ended up living on the corner of two main streets, not in a neighborhood, on church property, and surrounded by church members and seminary students for the majority of my stay. What the heck, God! Not only that, but the internship was so heavy on the studying scripture end that even if I had time to invest in any kind of neighborhood ministry I was too tired. I was expecting to be challenged in caring for the poor in my neighborhood, but instead I was challenged in how long I can engage in scripture study before I was spent and how many books I can read.
FINALLY, I will be moving into a neighborhood and I will be able to do what I've been wanting to do for the last 5 years now. Wow, was that a journey to get to. As I talked to a friend about our housing situation, I found out they had been looking for better housing for us for 6 months and that was our only option. The frustrating part was that housing opened up in the neighborhood a week after we signed the contract. I'm excited that I'm finally able to move into the neighborhood if all goes well. But I'm still asking God what to do with the last two years and how long it took me to get here.
FINALLY, I will be moving into a neighborhood and I will be able to do what I've been wanting to do for the last 5 years now. Wow, was that a journey to get to. As I talked to a friend about our housing situation, I found out they had been looking for better housing for us for 6 months and that was our only option. The frustrating part was that housing opened up in the neighborhood a week after we signed the contract. I'm excited that I'm finally able to move into the neighborhood if all goes well. But I'm still asking God what to do with the last two years and how long it took me to get here.
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