Abstract: "Theology today may be understood as a discipline which seeks to understand and determine the underlying truth of all reality. Christian theology does not merely talk about God. Rather, theology attempts to construe all things, the world, human existence, human history and society as well as God from within the vision that is mediated to the Christian community through its religious symbols." The article discusses this understanding with reference to transcendental, political and liberation theologies.
In the film, “Tuesdays with Morrie” [1] , professor and sage, Morrie Schwartz is dying and through the dying has become reconnected with a former student, journalist, Mitch. As the film reaches its climax, Mitch expresses his frustration at Morrie’s impending death, revealing a poignant moment in his personal search for his transcendental self. Mitch is attempting to confront the meaning of life and transcend his limitations [2] .
M: “We learn to love somebody and they die, or we die…What’s the point? What do we learn from all that suffering?”
MS: “Death ends a life not a relationship.”
MS: “When I’m dead, you talk and I’ll listen.”
M: “What if all this has been wasted on me?”
MS: “You think that could happen? You learn how to die. You learn how to live.”
M: “What if we can’t learn because we aren’t like you?”
MS: “But everyone’s like me.”
M: “No one is like you.”
Christian Theology is much like that; certainly it is about God, about learning, about death and suffering, about the search for truth, but principally about relationship. Relationships with self, with others, with God, with our physical world. Theologians, in developing understanding about the nature of their relationship with God, seek truth and the means of explaining their evolving understanding of truth through symbol, through metaphor. It is disciplined, critical reflection in a process of evolution. A process or journey where it is possible to begin with the self or with others and the structural evils created by humanity.
Theology is dynamic, incorporating
the physical world, local church community and culture, the individual’s
sense of faith and the cultural context and searching for new
ways of understanding the mystery of revelation.
Donnelly reviews the work of Martinez who believes that Karl Rahner’s theology was the ‘turning point’ in modern theology. Rahner’s ideas are able to be traced in political (eg Metz) and liberation theology (eg Gutierrez), with each using differing social and cultural contexts but extending Rahner’s ideas to “…more historical and social paths, returning to the ultimate question and mystery of God, with emphasis on mysticism and spirituality….”. [3]
Theology is contextual and symbols are mediated through that context. It is bound in history and culture [4] “…as a rainbow reflects all the colours of the spectrum, so theology should reflect all aspects of life….” [5] The theologies of transcendence, politics and liberation each reflect part of the ‘colour spectrum’, all three have freedom as their goal, ultimately the difference is in the way that is achieved and the emphases they create.
TRANSCENDENTAL – God of presence
October 6 2000, dusk. Voodoo Point, Kurnell NSW. It seemed like the last remaining piece of land. The turquoise surf broiled below. Eyes stinging from bushfire smoke, the smell of tea tree and eucalyptus oil; the roar of fire crackling, devouring vegetation, sucking my insides out; the heat scorching my skin; the awareness of cold white sand under my boots; the black smoke swirling hundreds of feet above me in tornado-like motion. The awesome power of fire. The colours of the setting sun reminding me of Central Australia. And there was the sense of the fragility of life, of mystery, of the power of God. Here was dadirri [6] .
All humanity was created
in the likeness of God (Gen. 1:26). Much of that human
creation, whether they claim to be religious or not, can find
God present within a geographic place. It is the sense of mystery,
of wonder, of awe, of the transcendent within, which creates
this resonance. It is this sense that Karl Rahner focussed
on in developing his transcendental theology. “…God is accessible
to ordinary human experience…”. [7] His ideas were a movement
from the previous God-centred approaches
“…that which orients the human being toward God's self-communication, is a divine gift…human beings are able to hear and respond to God's call. That listening and response is the history of revelation. …God is free to give or not to give the divine self….human beings are free to receive the divine self-communication or to mourn the absence of God's holy mystery. The salvific acts of God are mediated by history, and so are also the salvific acts of humanity…” [8]
God’s call is a summons for humanity to “freedom and responsibility”, which “…takes place in our day-to-day struggle for self-knowledge and self-realisation. But it remains transcendent. We cannot reduce transcendental experience to any one historical moment….” [9]
Experiences like these are important for Australian theology because “…they suggest something that is characteristic of Australian religious experience….” [10] Edwards believes that “…the fact that there are moments when the experience of this land opens out towards transcendence provides the basis for hope that we can learn to relate to the land in a creative way….”. [11] He suggests that it is through connections with the land that Australians in particular can become “…open to the liberating activity of the Spirit of God….” [12]
“…Christian faith can be ‘true’, only if it responds to questions of human existence and authenticity. Such questions deal with the basic structures of human existence included in which is the human search for love, justice, freedom and transcendence….” [13]
POLITICAL - God of promise
Metz considers Rahner’s transcendental theology to be too idealised, personal, private [14] , that it “…flattens out the prophetic call of the Gospel with its apocalyptic symbols of danger and rescue….Rahner fails to take account of the radicality of sin, guilt and evil that “threaten us everywhere”….” [15] Political theology is a reflection on humanity in the context of their historical situation, using philosophy, anthropology and the Social Sciences as its tools. Its specific goals are freedom and self-determination [16] , with the sense that it is not possible to separate the historical and nature. “…It seeks to expose and critique the ideological distortions in the Christian tradition and in current praxis that cause oppression….” [17]
Sin is social distortion, and the only solution is transformation of people, of symbols, of institutions, of structures that cause oppression. Political theology deals directly with problems of evil and theodicy, it links critique, morality, praxis, remembrance [18] and works on the correction of these distortions.
Salvation requires liberation from unjust structures, and this liberation is dependent on the grace of God [19] . The difficulty with this political approach is the possibility that it could reduce salvation to simply human liberation, resulting in both God and revelation becoming “… symbols of critique of present social structures rather than mediators of the divine reality in the present world….” [20] Schilbeeckx develops the idea that all understanding is mediated through culture.
For Metz,
“…story, symbol and metaphor [have the power] to “break open” the present unsatisfactory nature of reality and to reclaim it in the promise of God and the call to Christian discipleship….” [21]
It is this promise which story holds, that provides Aboriginal dreaming and spirituality with the power to transform theology in the Australian context.
ABORIGINAL THEOLOGY - God of presence and promise?
An understanding of elements of Aboriginal spirituality is able to provide a valuable perspective for revitalizing Christian symbols for the Australian church. The theological perspective created is a combination of the transcendental – beginning with individuals, but also recognising existing social and institutional structures that produce sin (evil). Hayes suggests that one of the strengths of the political approach to theology is its focus on reconciliation [22] in combination with what he terms “resolute resistance” in political theological praxis.
Edwards perceives the Aboriginal interpretation of the Land as a “mediating symbol for the experience of the Holy Spirit”. The Aboriginal Dreaming is symbol of the value and purpose of the land, which can be equated to the Euro-centric symbolism of the Kingdom [23] . Aboriginal people revere the land as their “mother” giving them sustenance, protection, enjoyment. [24] The land is part of their identity, of their existence. Land is “…a living entity. It belongs to me. I belong to the land. I rest in it. I come from there…. [The land is] sacred…used for the regeneration of history – the regeneration of Aboriginal people, the continuation of their life….” [25] It is the manifestation of God both as presence and as promise. Seeing the land as mother enables humanity to develop a relationship with it [26] , to recognise commonality with the land, to recognise and belong to it – a contextual ecological theology. “…When the landscape is recognized as symbolic mediation of the healing and liberating presence of the Spirit then it becomes the place for encounter. Without recognition there is no human encounter and the landscape remains alien….” [27]
Jesus himself was led by
the Spirit to a desert location (Luke 4:1), to a deserted place
(Luke 4:42, Mark 6:31), to the mountain to pray (Luke 6:12),
toward the sea (Mark 3:7). Biblically there is strong justification
for developing this connection with the land as symbol of God’s
presence and promise for Australian Christians. A place where
the Spirit speaks. [28] The
recognition of the value of the Aboriginal sense of land values
Aboriginal people who have been marginalised as members of our
community. This recognition of Aboriginal culture is creating
an understanding of the “sin” perpetrated by Euro-Centric
Christians in their treatment of these people. Finally,
a change in the way the land is perceived would be a move towards
“stewardship” rather than exploitation of our resources.
This combination of the political and transcendent allows a contextual theology to begin to shine through the receding storm clouds, producing a potential rainbow for Australians.
LIBERATION – God of freedom?
Liberation theology marks a shift from critique to praxis as a reaction to oppression. The Liberation theology of Latin America was a conscious shift from Euro-centric theologies and a further development of political theology in moving from a consideration of sin as social distortion to a theology which attempts to make practical sense of the suffering of the poor. It develops Bonhoeffer’s “…call to redefine religion in a secular context….” [29] Liberation theologies identify a closer relationship between liberation and salvation, between theology, economics and human rights. Liberation theology focuses on the “…root causes of evil in human society…” In the period since 1968, it has been applied to other communities and oppressed groups – eg Blacks, women.
“…Its two basic themes… are poverty and the approach to theologising….we have to make a commitment to the poor, to identify with their life, their suffering, their struggles, their hopes. Theology follows as a reflection that presupposes the earlier act of commitment. The distinction between these two…is the key idea in a lifestyle, a spirituality….” [30]
Gutierrez used Marxist analytical categories from the Social Sciences to develop his theology which is “…”an effort at Christian reflection on the social situation in Latin America.”…” [31] He also utilised biblical sources and points out Jesus’ attitude about the responsibility of humanity to the poor and oppressed:
“…Christ’s strong warning that eternal condemnation awaits those who do not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoners (Matt 25:31-46) shows that the disadvantaged are not merely a peripheral concern of His. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught that anybody in need is our neighbor….” [32]
The growth of “base communities” [33] as church in South America, groups of 20-50 people working for their own social welfare is a practical and liberating result of this way of theology.
IN CONCLUSION
The self as source of understanding of the mystery of God is probably the most relevant starting point for construing all that is part of our world in a historical and cultural context of people who are primarily centred on self. From this egocentric focus, as Metz, Schilbeeckx, Gutierrez and others have shown, it is possible to spiral into new insights and ways of doing theology which grapple more completely with the ultimate mysteries of life, death, suffering and God in specific socio-cultural contexts, in interaction with understanding of the biblical testaments of truth to arrive at a more meaningful answer than Douglas Adams’ satirical response of ‘42’. [34] As Gutierrez writes;
“…theology is in flux; it is a dynamic and ongoing exercise involving contemporary insights into knowledge, humanity and history….” [35]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arraj, A & T., “An interview with Karl Rahner” http://www.innerexplorations.com/chtheomortext/kr.htm
Catholic World News – Vatican Update – 03/22/1996 “Reflections from a Champion of Liberation Theology.” www.cwnews.com/browse/1996/03217.htm
Collins, P., 1986, Mixed Blessings, Penguin, Ringwood, Vic.,
Donnelly, A. M., 2001, “Confronting the Mystery of God: Political, Liberation and Public Theologies", a review. Library Journal; New York; May 1. Vol: 126, No. 8.,pp 94
Dych, W. V., 1999, “A Spirituality of Everyday Faith: A Theological Investigation of the Notion of Spirituality in Karl Rahner”, Theological Studies; Washington; September, Vol 60, No. 3., pp 556-558
Edwards, Denis, 1986, “Apprentices in Faith to the Aboriginal View of the Land”, Compass vol. 21(1), pp. 23-29
Fischer, M., Karl Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith http://www.west.net/~fischer/Rahner500.htm
Goosen, Gideon, 2000, Australian Theologies, St Pauls, Strathfield
Gutierrez, 1988, A Theology of Liberation (excerpt) http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/povlit/povlit2p22.htm
Hall, Gerard, A Course in Christology, http://www.mcauley.acu.edu.au/staff/ghall/
__________2001, “Three turns in Modern Theology: Transcendental, Political and Liberation Theologies”,www.acuweb.com.au/courses/THEO631_2001s…/theo631_mod_01_introduction.html
Hayes, M., 1994,”Towards a Revised Framework for Interpreting Domination”, http://www.ucaqld.com.au/uc/sra/HayesHomePages/Thesis/4TableofContents.html
Hillar, M., 2000, “Liberation Theology: Religious Response to Social Problems. A Survey” http://www.socinian.org/liberty.html
McCarraher, E., 2001, “Theology at the barricades,” Commonweal, New York; July 13, vol 128, No 13, pp. 21-24
O’Brien, “Standpoint of the Poor and a ‘New Way’ of doing Theology” http://www.columban.com/obrien.htm
Phan, P. C., 2000, “Method in liberation theologies”, Theological Studies; Washington; March, Vol 61, 1, pp. 40-63
Rhodes, R., 1991, “Christian Revolution in Latin America: The Changing Face of Liberation Theology.” Part one of a three-part Series on Liberation Theology. The Christian Research Journal, Winter, http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Liberation.html
Sweetland, D., 1994, “Liberation Theologies”, in The Modern Catholic Encyclopaedia, Glazier, M., and Hellwig, M. K., http://www.javacasa.com/wts/enc_liberation.htm
Terdre, N., 1986, “Rome Silences the Critics”, New Internationalist, Issue 155, January. www.oneworld.org/ni/issue155/rome.htm
ENDNOTES:
[1] “Tuesdays with Morrie” 1999, starring Jack Lemmon
[2] Hall, G., 2001, “Three turns in Modern Theology: Transcendental, Political and Liberation Theologies”, www.acuweb.com.au/courses/THEO631_2001s…/theo631_mod_01_introduction.html
[3] Donnelly, A. M., 2001, “Confronting the Mystery of God: Political, Liberation and Public Theologies", a review. Library Journal; New York; May 1. Vol: 126, No. 8.,pp 94
[4] Goosen, Gideon, 2000, Australian Theologies, St Pauls, Strathfield, p. 25 citing the International Theological Commission.
[5] Ibid., p. 35
[6] dadirri – the aboriginal sense of inner peace, of stillness, of God awareness
[7] Dych, W. V., 1999, “A Spirituality of Everyday Faith: A Theological Investigation of the Notion of Spirituality in Karl Rahner”, Theological Studies; Washington; September, Vol 60, No. 3., p. 558
[8] Ibid.
[9] Fischer, M., “Karl Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith” http://www.west.net/~fischer/Rahner500.htm
[10] Edwards, Denis, 1986, “Apprentices in Faith to the Aboriginal View of the Land”, Compass vol. 21(1) p. 23
[11] Ibid., p. 24
[12] Ibid.,
[13] Hall, Op cit., p. 4
[14] Ibid.,
[15] Ibid., p 8
[16] Ibid p. 11
[17] Ibid., p. 10
[18] Hayes, M., 1994,”Towards a Revised Framework for Interpreting Domination”, http://www.ucaqld.com.au/uc/sra/HayesHomePages/Thesis/4TableofContents.html
[19] Hall, Op cit.,
[20] Ibid., p. 11
[21] Ibid., p. 8
[22] Hayes, Op cit.,
[23] Goosen, G., 2000, Australian Theologies, St Pauls, Strathfield
[24] Edwards, Op cit., p. 26
[25] Patrick Dodson in Edwards, Op cit.,
[26] Edwards, Op cit.,
[27] Ibid., p. 28
[28] Ibid.,
[29] Rhodes, Op cit.,
[30] Gustavo Gutierrez in Concilium 96, 1974, cited by Collins, P., 1986, Mixed Blessings, Penguin, Ringwood Vic., p. 145
[31] Catholic World News – Vatican Update – 03/22/1996 “Reflections from a Champion of Liberation Theology.” www.cwnews.com/browse/1996/03217.htm
[32] Rhodes, R., 1991, “Christian Revolution in Latin America: The Changing Face of Liberation Theology.” Part one of a three-part Series on Liberation Theology. The Christian Research Journal, Winter, http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Liberation.html
[33] See Terdre, N., 1986, “Rome Silences the Critics”, New Internationalist, Issue 155, January. www.oneworld.org/ni/issue155/rome.htm
[34] Douglas Adams, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – a satirical look at life and its meaning. One large section of the journey of Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect brings them into contact with those who have been searching for the meaning of life. The enormous computer “Deep Thought” has grappled with it for centuries and finally determines the answer as – 42.
[35] Rhodes, Op cit.,
Mary Morrissey has completed her MA (Theology) at McAuley Campus and will graduate in April 2002.
