God's Option for the Poor
Date
1998-02
Authors
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
Twenty centuries of reflection on God's presence in Jesus by his followers, has produced a
rich body of wisdom that we call Christian theology. This theology much more than a
collection of texts is actually, an ongoing attempt to understand and respond to God's
presence in history. - There are serious presuppositions behind this statement -.I So, one of
the tasks of Theologians is to correlate between revelation and history; though related are
still distinct. Lots of thinking members of the Christian Community, had responded in the
past by articulating their faith in an intelligible way. As a result they came up with, new
ideas, methods, theologies, etc. to the challenges facing them.'
Today, as we approach the end of the third millennium, Christians face new challenges. By
the use :science and technology, we have achieved remarkable material progress. We have
also produced sprawling slums, nuclear war and possible ecological catastrophe, increase in
injustice, poverty, oppression and marginalization of millions of people. The main issue here
is, how do we correlate between God and our situation to come up with solution?
Liberation theology which emerged in Latin America during the 1950s/ 60s, offered a
solution that is more than economic or political action. It offered Christianity lived in a
radical way; a gospel message that has its center of focus on the poor, and the eradication
of poverty: "Option for the poor." "It is probably fair to say that the most important, as well
as the most controversial issue in contemporary Christian theology, is what has become
known as option for the poor." 3
This way of doing theology is both old and new. Old because, care of the poor has always
been there from the time immemorial, as we shall see from old documents. Christian
community, was commissioned to carry it on, but it seemed to have fall sight if it. Many
religious institutions were started to bear witness to this, at least by their vow of poverty.
But non of these became is headline news like Liberation Theology today, so it is new. In
the Medellin conference of 1968, the Latin American Bishops committed themselves to
being in solidarity with the poor; "to give preference to the poorest and most needy sectors
of the society, and to arousing the consciousness of oppressed group and helping them become agents of their own development.' This amounted to an option for the poor, though
the term itself was not used in the Medellin conference documents.
At their 1979 conference at Puebla, the Latin American bishops reaffirmed their commitment
to justice for the poor, despite determined opposition by some strong church leaders. One
chapter of the final document of Puebla was entitled "A preferential option for the poor.'
There was concern in the Vatican that, an option for the poor would be understood either
as an exclusion of the rich, or worse still as a "class option" in the Marxist sense. Because
of this Pope John Paul II insisted that "no one must be excluded" and that "preferential
option for the poor. . . is not an ideological option; neither is it a matter of letting oneself
be trapped by a false theory of class struggle.' With this radical call to opt for the poor,
many church leaders in Third World countries, various religious congregations, and
individuals began to confront injustice done to the poor. Africa needs this confrontation.
I never knew how much poverty exists in Africa, and the magnitude of the people who
suffer from it, until I came to Nairobi seven years age for my priestly studies. I visited the
city and was slammed with countless street children roaming about, amid all the sky -
scrapers. Back at home it is the same, but nobody questions them; and so they become
dogmatic will of God. The opportunity to work with youths form the slums opened my eyes
more to the reality. Then I start pondering, what use are my studies of theology? What is
my credibility as a religious and a future minister to these poor people? Consequently I
came to a conclusion that the whole situation need more reflection and evaluation. So this
essay is a theological reflection born first of experience in the field, then studies and
researches. I aim at letting ourselves be radically challenged by the word of God.
The essay is divided into three parts, corresponding to SEE => JUDGE => ACT pastoral
method. The first part context, is a description of the reality of poverty. The second part is
devoted to the analysis of scripture and the church; leading to the third and last part which
has pastoral recommendations. As we progress, a short introduction at the beginning, and
a summary at the end will be given at each chapter. I appeal to the reader not to just enjoy
the essay, but to feel free to let it challenge and motivate you into action.
Description
Keywords
Pastoral Implications, God, option for the poor, poverty in Africa, God in the Old Testament