Political Theology
-
Something must be done, my friend: Reflecting on “I’m Still Here” from a Buddhist view
Mas não vou ficar calado No conforto, acomodado Como tantos por aí É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo[1] (Erasmo Carlos – É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo) Flowing through my mind, these are the words of Erasmo Carlos’ 1971 song “É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo.”[2] This song is also part of the “I’m Still Here” soundtrack—a Brazilian masterpiece that evokes resistance against military coups and authoritarian regimes. MPB (Música popular brasileira, or Brazilian popular music in English) was an incredible driving force not only in denouncing the horrors of the military dictatorship in Brazil, but also in giving hope…
-
Neoliberalism, Social Inequality, and Christianity of Liberation
Introduction Human history is founded on inequality. Religions and their gods were created, among other things, to sacralize social and metaphysical orders based on the qualitative distinction between superiority and inferiority of human beings, as in free and enslaved peoples, men and women, nobles and servants, civilized and barbarians, and so forth. The same happens to almost all types of knowledge and philosophies. In other words, human culture, when emerges, naturalizes or sacralizes human inequality. Rebellion against the naturalization of human inequality is the novelty that transcends, goes beyond the limits of social system and dominant reason, and announces the “good news” to slaves and all the human beings considered…
-
Surveillance and the All-Seeing Gaze of God
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3. Whether from the mouths of cautious parents or disgruntled siblings, the ominous words, “God is watching you,” shape the beginning of ethical reflection for many Christians from a young age. At first, it might seem rather obvious what this sentence means. However, a little unraveling of the context, “who said this and how?” or “why is this the way?” reveals rather quickly that this statement is very reductive even if it is not quite false. Much more can and should be said about God’s knowledge than these four words. To use…
-
A Brief History of Black Theology
I want to make a critical reassessment of the journals Black Theology in Britain: A Journal of Contextual Praxis[1] and its successor Black Theology: An International Journal.[2] At the time of writing, Black Theology: An International Journal remains the only academic publication dedicated to the articulation of Black theology in the world. With the demise of the Journal for Black Theology in Southern Africa, Black Theology: An International Journal (hereafter detailed as BTIJ) has assumed added importance for the furtherance of the critical conversation regarding the development of Black theology across the many contours of continental Africa and the African Diaspora. Black Theology in Britain Journal: Making Black Theology Visible…
-
Subverting Political Powers through the Power of Advent
Christianity has always been an act of translation. So argued the Gambian missiologist, Lamin Sanneh, who spent many of his years at Yale University. The tradition of advent, celebrated in many western Christian traditions, has travelled a long distance from medieval Europe to the urban towns and villages of the global South. Here in Africa, Christmas trees litter selfies on Instagram profiles. Christmas lights adorn various buildings in a way that enlightens the complicated courtship between faith and consumeristic ideals. Advent hymns ring through songs and prayers in liturgies across various churches in the city of Nairobi. What this act of translation has potential to do is to speak to…
-
Barth and Bonhoeffer’s Wartime Warnings Apply Today
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s name is well-known in Christian circles. His early resistance against the Nazi regime leading to his execution in 1945 has made Bonhoeffer into a modern Christian martyr. At times of social conflict, upheaval, and tyranny, Bonhoeffer’s legacy is often looked to as a moral guide. Karl Barth is less of a household name, but his own response to Nazism has inspired many as well. With both Barth and Bonhoeffer, what inspires Christians to this day is how their resistance to National Socialism arose directly from their theological convictions. As we watch the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, many rightly wonder what Barth and Bonhoeffer might have to say to…
