World Theologians Research Articles

The Chilean Christians for Socialism Movement: Liberationist, Third Worldist, and Utopian

Abstract This article examines the emergence, consolidation, and influence of the Cristianos por el Socialismo (CpS, or Christians for Socialism) movement as part of the overlapping political and religious transformations of the 1960s. The election of self-declared Marxist Salvador Allende in 1970 inspired a sector of the clergy to creatively converge the tenets of Marxism and Christianity. The notion of transcendence and the construction of a “New Man” appealed to the utopian aspects of both religious and Marxist thinking. The Chilean CpS had a Latin American impact, as evidenced by the First Latin American Encounter of Christians for Socialism in Santiago in 1972, and a transnational impact, as seen in the formation of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in 1976. The analysis of CpS and its influence within and outside of Chile reveals an often-overlooked component of the Chilean road to socialism: the work of Catholics in Marxist-Christian rapprochement.

Problematising Hierarchy and Dualism for Ecological Concern: Johnsen’s Decolonial Methodology in Defence of Non-Hierarchical Worldmaking

The climate crisis presents an urgent problem for World Christianity. Since Lynn White, Jr., argued that ‘Christianity is the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen’ (White 1967), theologians have debated to what extent Christianity is responsible for ecological crisis. In this article, I will focus on two related problems for Christian thought that Majority World theologians have highlighted – hierarchy and dualism – in order to postulate what a non-hierarchical Christian worldview might entail, drawing on the work of Sámi Norwegian Lutheran theologian Tore Johnsen, primarily his recently published book Sámi Nature-Centered Christianity in the European Arctic (2022). This article utilises a multidisciplinary, World Christianity approach to theology that draws upon Johnsen’s work to examine the two themes of hierarchy and dualism, critically questioning these concepts and examining theological implications for the climate crisis. Johnsen’s research amongst the Sámi demonstrates their expression of ‘nature-centred’ Christianity that exhibits a non-hierarchical cosmology. He contrasts this with Western Christian expressions, in particular that of the Church of Norway. Johnsen’s decolonial approach questions aspects of the Western worldview critically and helpfully with reference to the climate crisis. This article therefore problematises two related concepts of hierarchy and dualism, notions which have become embedded within Christian tradition. In questioning these underlying concepts, it draws upon Johnsen’s work to consider whether and to what extent a non-hierarchical expression of Christianity might serve as a viable alternative.

JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE INTERGRITY OF CREATION: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THIRD WORLD THEOLOGIANS

The Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) was founded at an inaugural meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 5-12 August 1976, to provide a ‘forum’ for the Third World Theologies. It is therefore a ‘Fellowship of Third World Theologies that would serve the church’s mission in the world and witness to the new humanity in Christ, expressed in the struggle for a just society’ (EATWOT Constitution). This article sets out the basic parameters of such Third World Theologies and then proceeds to relate them to the call for justice, peace and the integrity of creation.

Ecumenical ambiguities: The case of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians

Jedna z głównych teologicznych diagnoz dotyczących współczesnego chrześcijaństwa stwierdza przesuwanie się jego centrum na tzw. globalne Południe. Trend ten znajduje swe odzwierciedlenie w postulacie tzw. zmiany epistemologicznej, która podkreśla konieczność stosowania endemicznych pojęć i kategorii w teologizowaniu. Wpływa również na ruch ekumeniczny, w którym coraz większe znaczenie mają Kościoły i organizacje spoza świata zachodniego. W ocenie tego zjawiska zaznacza się ambiwalencja. Z jednej strony zwiększa ono dynamiczność ekumenizmu, z drugiej jednak niesie niebezpieczeństwo inkluzywnego modelu ekumenizmu, w którym dialog wewnątrzchrześcijański zmienia się w dialog międzyreligijny, a chrześcijaństwo traci swą wyjątkowość. Artykuł przedstawia główne kierunki teologiczne rozwijane przez Ekumeniczne Stowarzyszenie Teologów Trzeciego Świata, organizację, która stanowi wyraźny przykład wspomnianej ambiwalencji. Prezentacja koncentruje się przede wszystkim na krytyce tzw. paradygmatu postreligijnego, który formułowany jest przez stowarzyszenie.

Wittenberg Meets the World by Alberto L. Garcia and John A. Nunes

Reviewed by: Wittenberg Meets the World by Alberto L. Garcia and John A. Nunes Douglas R. Groll Wittenberg Meets the World. By Alberto L. Garcia and John A. Nunes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017. 208 pp. By the time the general readership of Lutheran Quarterly reads this review in 2018 it will have been saturated with a panoply of books, articles, dramas, recitals, concerts and films analyzing every aspect of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and specifically Martin Luther—what he said and did, what we think he meant by what he said and did, and what we wish he would have said and done. As we drink in this wealth of information and analysis we should not be surprised that a great part of this activity emanated from Western ecclesial and cultural centers. Lutheran, Protestant, and Roman Catholic judicatories hosted ecumenical encounters, prayer services, and concerts. What has been missing in so much activity surging out of Western centers of academia, culture, and power is how the world that does not identify with Luther, Reformation culture, and Western assumptions of power might view this momentous event. In other words: What can the Reformation and its revolutionary themes possibly mean for the weak, vulnerable, oppressed peoples on the margins? In this book the authors challenge their readers to rethink what they might have thought was "all said and done" in the traditional Reformation formulas and vocabularies. From beginning to end (even the cover creatively juxtaposes a recognizable Luther with an unknown person of color) this book invites the reader to imagine and expand treasured cornerstones of Reformation thinking. Illustrative of the depth of their thought and application of faith to life is their treatment of the Reformation's central concept of justification. The authors put this theme front and center, occupying at least a third of the work, essentially allowing other key words to relate to this foundational concept. In eight essays the authors successfully draw the reader into their shoes in looking at Luther as a Cuban-American (Garcia) and a Caribbean Jamaican (Nunes). Particularly important is their method of doing teologia en conjunto (the collaborative doing of theology) so practiced in postcolonial theologies today and in sharp contrast to lone wolf dilettante theologians so revered in many traditions. This [End Page 459] is shown in the structure of the work: basically, four themes in eight chapters in which each author addresses the same theme. Chapters one and two draw us into their dialog affirming the centrality of justification. Both Garcia and Nunes invite a broader look and revisiting of the biblical concept of justicia. On the one hand they are insistent on reassuring the beleaguered conscience of the imputed justice of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. At the same time, however, they invite the individual to see sin in systems and structures and consequently the implications for pardon and renovation of societies as a part of God's redemptive activities. Chapters three and four challenge the reader to introspective repentance and active ministries of sacrificial love. Traditional definitions of witness are stretched to engage aspects of sacrifice (witness as martyria). Both authors use their essays in chapters five and six to explore dynamics of service in diaconia. Crucial to both authors is their call for Christians to see service as identification with the weak and vulnerable rather than well-intentioned ministry for and to the needy (Garcia). At the same time Nunes invites Christians into collaborative efforts in ministry to the whole person. Chapters seven and eight draw the reader into a consideration of Christian fellowship and communion. Both authors invite the reader to reconsider and reimagine fellowship beyond racial, national, denominational, and institutional structures and to revel in the possibilities of true community centered in the Christ celebrated in Word and sacrament. The work contains an extensive bibliography which encompasses the works of Latino, African-American, and other majority world theologians of the last thirty to forty years. A study guide for each chapter should be useful for adult group discussions. One would hope that this work would be high on the "must read" list of Reformation at 500 Year celebrations. Even more so, however, is a second...

Religion, Intersectionality, and Epistemic Habits of Academic Feminism. Perspectives from Global Feminist Theology

This article pays critical attention to the ways in which academic feminism has regarded religion. Issues related to religion and gender have by and large either been ignored or treated quite stereotypically. I have called this phenomenon a simultaneous under- and overestimation of religion. The phenomenon is not global. Feminists of the global south tend to pay much more and more multi-faceted attention to religion than scholars from the global north. I will illustrate this problem through a close reading of intersectionality in feminist research in religion, especially feminist theology. My argument – which can be supported by evidence from historical records – is that what has been called intersectionality since Kimberle Crenshaw, has in fact been explicitly present in early feminist theology (1970s-). The reason why feminist liberation theologians stressed the interstructuring of gender, class, and race/ethnicity lies in their practical and theoretical cooperation with liberation and feminist theologians from the global south, for example through the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT). My article is a critical re-reading of the history of feminist theorizing from the perspective of religious feminists, academic feminist theologians and liberation theologians from both the global north and south (including black and womanist theologians from the USA, Latin America and Africa). My aim is to correct a long-held understanding of the history of feminist theorizing as purely “secular”.

Interview with Mercy Amba Oduyoye: Mercy Amba Oduyoye in Her Own Words

Interview with Mercy Amba Oduyoye: Mercy Amba Oduyoye in Her Own Words Oluwatomisin Oredein (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Oluwatomisin Oredein Click for larger view View full resolution Mercy Amba Oduyoye Mercy Amba Oduyoye is considered one of the leading African theologians and foremost scholars of African religious thought today.1 This reputation has emerged from her constant emphasis on equality in African theology, thus bringing Africa’s women’s voices to the same prominence as its men. [End Page 153] Born in the middle of the harvest year in October 1933 on her grandfather’s cocoa farm near Asamankese, Ghana, Mercy Amba Ewudziwa Oduyoye is the daughter of Methodist minister Charles Kwaw Yamoah and strong-willed mother Mercy Yaa Dakwaa Yamoah.2 Her Methodist upbringing contributed to her interest in the inner workings of the Christian faith; her tenacity to ask the question, “What about the women?” comes from her mother’s strength and self-assurance. Author of numerous books and articles and coauthor and editor of many others, including but not limited to With Passion and Compassion, Hearing and Knowing: Theological Reflections on Christianity in Africa, Daughters of Anowa: African Women and Patriarchy, and Beads and Strands: Reflections of an African Woman on Christianity in Africa, Oduyoye’s work lives at the intersection of Christian theology and African culture from an African woman’s perspective. She addresses harmful factors that affect African women such as patriarchal cultural customs and its subsequent consequences and weds them to constructive and forward-thinking Christian theological reflection. She thoughtfully explicates the significance of Christian doctrine in light of the placement and conditions of African women. Her theology is informed by her location and position as a woman within the West African context and its Christian church.3 Throughout her life, Oduyoye has served in countless ecumenical organizations, including positions such as youth education secretary in the Christian Education and Youth Department of the World Council of Churches, deputy general secretary of the World Council of Churches, youth secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), president of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT), and cofounder of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians.4 She is currently director of the Institute of Women in Religion and Culture at Trinity Theological Seminary in Ghana. In each respective organization, the heart of her commitment has been toward holding African churches accountable to the full inclusion of its women in their functioning and life. Her work, whether local or international, aims to give voice to African women as valued contributors in Christian theological discourse. Through identifying how the contours of culture affect African women, Oduyoye’s work has opened up a much needed dialectic in African theological thought today. Culture, a defining aspect for many African peoples, can serve [End Page 154] as a “tool for domination” against women.5 Her work addresses the challenge of how an antipatriarchal theological outlook can be cultivated in the African Christian church and in the church universal. THE INTERVIEW “Mercy Amba Oduyoye in Her Own Words” Oluwatomisin: Can you speak a little bit about your childhood formation? I know that your matrilineal culture was very important in your formation. Can you explain how your upbringing, your matrilineal culture, influenced your understanding of your place in society as well as your theological voice? Mercy: I did not consciously reflect on my childhood formation in a matrilineal system until I got married and moved into a patrilineal culture—a culture that was not only patrilineal but also patriarchal. Although our matrilineal system is embedded in a patriarchal culture, it allows women to grow up with a sense of self-esteem, with a sense of importance in their family. The status of the people in the family depends on who your mother is. I was also the firstborn in my family. If you’re firstborn, then it’s taken for granted that the responsibilities in the family are yours. Moreover, if the firstborn is a girl, then everyone is assured that the family will continue. My parents treated all of us alike, boys and girls. No discrimination. There was none of this business of the...

Perspectiva pós-religional e Budismo secular: Stephen Batchelor e a religião pós-metafísica

Este texto pretende apresentar uma das tendências contemporâneas que o budismo vem assumindo ao longo das últimas décadas, sobretudo no Ocidente, em face às mudanças trazidas a cabo pelo contexto globalizado e dinâmico das sociedades atuais. Tal tendência, a progressiva secularização de suas tradições e práticas, bem como a abertura à crítica e à refutação histórico-bibliográfica, ganha aqui seu catalisador na pessoa de Stephen Batchelor, renomado estudioso budista, ex-monge em diferentes ordens tradicionais – nomeadamente a tibetana e o zen da Coreia - e um dos mais destacados defensores da perspectiva secular do budismo contemporâneo. Buscaremos, ao longo desta comunicação, indicar o diálogo potencial que o budismo secular - e as perspectivas secularizantes sobre as tradições culturais ortodoxas – apresenta com relação à temática pós-religional, como enunciada pela Associação Ecumênica de Teólogos do Terceiro Mundo e por Marià Corbí. Recorremos, para tal, a referências hermenêuticas modernizadoras e seculares da prática do Dharma, como advogada por Batchelor, entre outros.

Is Asia a 'Post-Religional' Society? The Post-Religional Paradigm and its Others

This article discusses the relevance and applicability of the 'post-religional paradigm' as proposed by EATWOT (Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians) in the Asian contexts. It also inquires on how the Asian phenomenon and its interpretations relate to the crisis of religions in Western societies. It attempts to answer this problematic through four steps: a summary of the theological proposal and its relationship with the Western sociologies of religion; a search for a viable framework with which to understand religions in post-secular societies; discussion on the of Asia and the corresponding view on religion; an elaboration of my preferred framework with some examples from the Asian situation. I argue that a viable theological proposal on post-religional paradigm should start from the analysis of how religious discourses and practices navigate with concrete socio-historical forces on the ground. Consequent to this view is the assertion that there is no universal sociology/theology of religion's development but multiple and complex religious discourses in specific contexts.

The Phenomenon of Religious Faith: Theological, Philosophical and Religious Studies Interpretations

The article deals with the phenomenon of faith addressed from the perspective oftheology, philosophy and religious studies. The central role of faith in the Christian religion ishighlighted, as well as the specifics of the phenomenon in the 20th – early 21st century Catholicism.The general theoretical approaches to the phenomenon of religious faith in the works by nationaland world philosophers, theologians and religious studies scholars are reviewed; the paperhighlights the principles of their theories based on rational interpretation of the premises of faith,Christian virtues, which underlie moral, ethnic and social norms in particular

Mission from the Margins

Mission from the Margins

Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J. in Dialogue with Asian Theologians: What Can They Learn from each Other?

AbstractAs liberation theology spread across the globe in the seventh and eighth decades of the twentieth century, the need was felt for mutual learning and teaching among its proponents in various continents. The Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) was founded at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1976 to facilitate such a dialogue. This article explores the ways in which the thought of Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., (a Spanish philosopher and theologian who was murdered in El Salvador in 1989) and Asian liberation theology can enrich each other.After situating Ellacuría, especially his activities as rector of the Jesuit University of Central America, in the context of political and military conflicts of El Salvador, the essay expounds Ellacuría's philosophy of realidad historica, his theology of the People of God as el pueblo crucificado, and his understanding of a Catholic university as a “social force,” and shows how these three ideas can enrich Asian liberation theology. The essay then presents Asian liberation theology in the socio-political and religious contexts of Asia and explains how it can enrich Ellacuría's thought and by extension Latin American liberation theology in three areas: theological method, through the use of non-Christian religious sources, especially popular religion; theology of liberation, by attending to the efforts of non-Christian activists for justice and peace; and a new way of being church, through a triple dialogue: dialogue with the Asian people, especially their poor; dialogue with Asian cultures; and dialogue with Asian religions.

Statement of the Fifth General Assembly of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians

Statement of the Fifth General Assembly of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians

INTERCULTURAL HERMENEUTICS-CONTEXTUAL EXEGESIS

A MODEL FOR 21ST CENTURY EXEGESIS [*] 1. On the situation of from an ecumenical perspective The ecumenical movement began over a hundred years ago with the enthusiastic vision of evangelizing the whole world within a generation. The world mission conference in Edinburgh in 1910 brought together 1200 representatives of missionary societies and churches, but these included only 18 representatives of young churches in the Southern hemisphere. It was recognized that to reach this lofty goal, an important task would be translation of the Bible into local languages, especially in Asia and Africa. This was undertaken in response to a strong impetus from the national Bible societies which had been founded in the 19th century, and in continuation of the work which they had already done. In the decades around the turn of the century, Protestant missions distributed hundreds of thousands of Bibles in the Southern hemisphere. [1] As a result of these efforts, the world mission conferences which followed could record a steadily growing number of delegates from the colonial regions, with a sharp increase in their participation in the World Council of Churches after the end of the colonial era. For the churches, the period of decolonization was marked at first by the complete handing over of church leadership functions to indigenous theologians. These theologians, however, though trained in European theology, soon began thinking in terms of their own cultures and life contexts, and undertook to try to inculturate and contextualize the gospel. In addition, a large number of genuinely indigenous churches were founded, in some cases theologically very different from one another. Theologians from Africa, Asia and Latin America began to organize themselves into national, continental (e.g. the All-African Conference of Churches, AACC) and intercontinental conferences (e.g. the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, EATWOT), from wh ich they could confidently bring their own perspectives into the ecumenical debate. At the end of the 20th century, we are beginning to speak of a shift in the centre of gravity of Christianity [2] away from the increasingly rich nations of the Northern hemisphere, towards the populations of the economically dependent nations of the Southern hemisphere. Even though the majority of Christians today do live in Africa, Asia and Latin America -- and not in Europe and North America, as they did at the beginning of the 20th century -- this observation is not true only from a numerical viewpoint. The interpretation of the Bible in the countries of the South, and the accompanying developments in worship, teaching and the life of faith, point to an extensive re-orientation and re-focussing of Christianity. In spite of all confessional differences, a common denominator of churches and theology in the Southern hemisphere could be said to be their perspective as economically disadvantaged and impoverished peoples who live by their unshakeable experience of the presence of God. 2. Challenges After almost 200 years of efforts by national and international Bible societies, the Bible has been partially or fully translated into a great many existing languages. These translations represent interpretations which are the result of processes of understanding taking place within specific socio-linguistic contexts. In view of the diversity of contemporary inculturation processes, one may ask how Christians are to communicate among themselves. Even though ecumenical as a whole represents a living commentary on the one Bible, it can hardly be considered a uniform community of readers worldwide. Instead, the ecumenical community must be seen as made up of many communities of interpretation, each with its own specific cultural and contextual characteristics. One faith -- different faces. But can the members of the ecumenical Christian family look one another in the eye and see in the face of the other, which may be deep black, pale white or in-between, a sister or brother who is their equal? …

Search for Justice: Challenges to theology

We held the fourth general assembly of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) in the Philippines from December 10 - 17, 1996. The theme of the Conference was, “Search for a new, just world order: challenges to theology”. Globalization was looked at and critiqued for the impact it has on the poor as understood from the biblical perspective. Economic globalization was found to work in general against poor nations especially women in those countries hence the feminist perspective emphasised during the deliberations. The context of Asia as the poorest of the third-world continents and its religious pluralism necessitated a re-look at theology in general and Christology in particular.

A Powerless Cry for Life by the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians?

A Powerless Cry for Life by the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians?

CHRISTIANITY AND AFRICAN CULTURE

As we Christian intellectuals continue to meet to discuss Christianity and culture, other Christians are in process daily of shaping a Christianity that will be at home in Africa and in which Africans will be at home. Very few Christian theologians have found a way of being part of what I would like to name the making of an One Christian scholar, late Prof. Bolaji Idowu, began such a process in Methodist Church of Nigeria (see his Selfhood in Church). In spite of problems created by his personal style, fact remains that move he made to try to make Nigerian Methodists at home in their Christian life by an intensification of element of celebration and popular participation in liturgy had overwhelming positive approval. It was seen as reviving process that resulted in creation of Christian versions of rites of naming, marriage and burial. While we discuss methodology of Christian theology in Africa and how to name what is happening or should happen to Christianity in Africa, others are instituting forms of Christian churches in which religious find a sustenance for their spirituality. Very early in Christian enterprise those in Africa who instituted churches parallel to western churches and missions reckoned that attempts to Africanize western Christianity would be futile. It was better to start afresh, letting gospel speak in and to Africa and to create space for Africa to shape moulds to hold essentials of of Jesus Christ. We have no name for this two-way process.(1) Meanwhile, it seems to me that for some Africans both Christianity and culture are irrelevant to contemporary challenges that Africans face. University of Ibadan was once in late '70s venue for an epoch-making conference on Women and Development. Papers were solicited on every aspect of life except religion. Is religion irrelevant in discussion of Women and in Africa? In a pre-meeting of 1977 Festival of Arts and a symposium was held to highlight intellectual heritage. I offered a paper on The Value of Beliefs and for Christianity in Africa. I had no response from organizers. Was Christianity stumbling block or was problem deeper, because Prof. E. Mveng gave a paper on Black Art as Cosmic Liturgy and Religious Language? Was mention African Beliefs and Practices itself an offence, or was it my suggestion that there is something that these can offer to make Christianity a truly religion? I decided to test hypothesis on a group of Christians. opportunity came with meeting of Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) in Ghana. Extracts summarizing thesis were published in Theology en Route.(2) I had no idea that this was going to earn me image of woman who advocates syncretism. In 1986 I was invited to speak at an American college on The Role of Traditional Religion in Development of Christian Theology. paper bore that title, but when later speech found its way into International Christian Digest, it bore title Ways to Confront Africa's Primal Religions. I wrote a protest, which was published, suggesting that it was clarifying my position. For me it was clear enough, but then it continued my fear, that whereas it was acceptable to have Christianity transform Africa and Africans, it was difficult to allow possibility of Africans having something to offer to transform Christianity in Africa, not to speak of world Christianity. To make this presentation I read carefully 472 pages containing forty-seven contributions by Africans and beating title Culture, Religion and Liberation.(3) focus of these papers was liberation-domination parameter. contributors argued use and misuse of religion and culture in struggle for human liberation. …

‘The Road to Damascus’: ’n Kerklik-teologiese perspektief

"The Road to Damascus": A church theology perspective This article researches the historical and methodological background to the document The Road to Damascus. Investigation shows that this background is provided by Liberation Theology in general and the views developed by the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in particular. An analysis of the basic line of thought in The Road to Damascus is made, which is then followed by an attempt to enter into a meaningful dialogue with it. Appreciation is expressed for the social concern voiced by the document. Questions are however raised concerning the axiomatic function accorded to social analysis in a theological statement. It is contended that such a socio-analytical method adversely affects the ability to render an historically adequate interpretation of Biblical and secular texts.

Book Review: Profiles in Liberation: 36 Portraits of Third World Theologians

Book Review: Profiles in Liberation: 36 Portraits of Third World Theologians

Book Review: Profiles in Liberation: 36 Portraits of Third World Theologians

Book Review: Profiles in Liberation: 36 Portraits of Third World Theologians