The Liberation Theology Podcast

Author Alex Gruber joins David to discuss a new book on Catholic community organizing inspired by liberation theology.The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadershiphttps://www.csplaction.org/"A Catholic Organizer's Field Guide to Discernment"https://www.csplaction.org/shop/p/a-catholic-organizers-field-guide-to-discernmentMusic"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network

John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz join the show to discuss their recently published book "Jesus and Justice: Organizing for God's Reign on Earth Then and Now." Who is Jesus? What characterizes Jesus' way of community organizing? What can one learn about Jesus and the Reign of God movement by looking at Jesus' historical context?The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadershiphttps://www.csplaction.org/"Jesus and Justice"https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Justice-Organizing-Reign-Earth/dp/B0GG5M7XQKMusic"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network

Br. Ken Homan, SJ, joins David to discuss their recently published article, "Community Organizing and the Call of the King."Article:https://www.pdcnet.org/jcathsoc/content/jcathsoc_2024_0021_0002_0307_0324Spiritual Exercise:https://www.academia.edu/126445163/The_Call_of_the_King_Exercise_from_Community_Organizing_and_the_Call_of_the_King_Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network

Faiz Abimanyu Wiguna recounts the life of the philosopher, activist, and mystic Simone Weil. He presents his thesis, which offers a liberationist perspective on the rosary through Simone Weil's practice of attention.

What led Faiz Abimanyu Wiguna to liberationist Catholicism? Faiz tells his story as well as that of politics and religion in Indonesia.Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom JenkinsObtained via subscription to Audio Network

On this bonus episode, the Liberation Theology Podcast partners with the Word in Black and Red Podcast. It's a co-released introduction to liberation theology. We discuss the meaning of liberation theology, its varieties, its methods, some key concepts, and several misconceptions.The Word in Black and Red:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-word-in-black-and-red/id1682991552Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom JenkinsObtained via subscription to Audio Network

To what extent and how was Jesus' message political? David discusses Juan Hernández Pico's response to this question. Then, David interviews the education professor James D. Kirylo, who has written a recent book, The Catholic Teacher, with significant influences from liberation theology and critical pedagogy. Resources:No sea así entre ustedes by Juan Hernández Picohttps://archive.org/details/noseaasientreust0000hernThe Catholic Teacher by James D. Kirylohttps://www.bloomsbury.com/us/catholic-teacher-9781350246188/Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network

Liberation theology constitutes not only a rupture from Church tradition but also a creative development of this tradition. David investigates the ways that Latin American liberation theologians draw support from, and sometimes critique, the Church Fathers.Resources:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlLa foi en Jésus-Christ by Jon Sobrinohttps://www.editionsducerf.fr/librairie/livre/3297/la-foi-en-jesus-christMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network

Pedro Trigo, SJ, helps us answer three key questions about creation and the material world. How to believe in a God of life in a situation marked by death? How to live with God when it is demanded of us to bear the mark of the beast? What is the relationship between humanity and nature?Resources:Mysterium liberationishttps://www.orbisbooks.com/mysterium-liberationis.htmlMusic:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network

Ecumenical theologian and author Stephen D. Morrison joins David to discuss common objections to liberation theology and to present a patristic, anti-capitalist Christianity. Isn’t Christianity about a change of heart and a personal relationship with God? Why turn religion into economics and politics? It’s true that early Christians abolished private property and shared their possessions, but this model did not last long because it was unrealistic. Human beings are fallen and selfish. Capitalism is the best economic model given the reality of original sin. Why repeat a failed, impossible experiment by advocating for common property today? Didn’t key figures in the early Church have a wide array of views on economics? Is there enough consensus among them to claim that their witness gives relatively clear guidelines on religion and economics? Marx was an atheist and a materialist. These starting points are not compatible with a Christian approach. Further, Marxism is responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the 20th Century. Why take Marx seriously given that his first principles are flawed and his views yielded mass murder? What is your “elevator pitch” for Christian socialism? How has liberation theology shaped your life and thought as a Christian socialist?Resource:All Riches Come From Injusticehttps://www.sdmorrison.org/books/Music:"Los molinos" by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins"Azure Sky" by Terry Devine-King and Adam DrakeObtained via subscription to Audio Network