In Reply to: Re: Saint Francis posted by CB on January 14, 2006 at 09:09:22:
The issue of liberation is critical in Christian theology and pragmatics therefore one must be certain that it can be examined within the parameters of Scripture. Liberation from self is a critical part of the path, and it is spiritual, right?
So, I don't reject the idea you advance: "I see the call to repentance for our collective and personal sins of greed, violence, and exploitation of the weak as the true nature prophetic ministry." Because you say that there is a call [Christian or not], the inference is that there must exist methods to accomplish it.
The methods, when executed, become part of the actions taking place in that community. I question the idea that liberation, as it is presented in the Christian Gospel, which is an individual and spiritual experience, could be extended to the physical realm without involvement in politics.
In my view, ideological foundations of relious movements as well as other types, are one thing, they are spiritual for the most part, particularly within Christianity. The praxis of the ideologies in organized manners within communities are physical realities and subjected to methods, therefore become political.
As Christians (or anything else), each one of us can talk to another fellow human and let the fellow human make up a decision. When we organized with others to advance an ideology, we curtail the very liberation we are promoting; that is, if liberation means being unbounded from any systems other than God's (or The Universe).