Search Results (164)

Spiritual care is summoned by suffering—by ‘wounds’ that are psychological, relational, spiritual, embodied, and political at once. As disciplines continue to be entrenched and siloed amidst the growing sociopolitical tensions and global crises in a decolonial age, what is at stake is the ability to care for each suffering Other in their complexity. This article offers a selective genealogy and relational integration of psychoanalysis and spiritual care (in a decolonial age). Against both clinical reductionisms and theological certainty, we argue for renewed dialogue between psychoanalysis and spiritual care through a relational integration framework, both as an ethical stance and hermeneutic framework. We first trace how pastoral and practical theology have approached each ‘wound’ in spiritual care through clinical pastoral education, psychoanalytic pastoral care, practical–theological hermeneutics, and liberationist, intercultural, postcolonial, and decolonial turns. We then consider how psychoanalysis itself has undergone significant transformations through object relations, relational–intersubjective theories, existential–phenomenological approaches, and feminist, intercultural, liberationist, and decolonial critiques. Finally, we propose embodied, hermeneutical, developmental, and intercultural commitments for relational integration, further clarified through spiritual dwelling, seeking, and crucibles of transformation. These commitments orient practitioners toward more accountable forms of interdisciplinary formation, witness, healing, justice, and liberation with the suffering Other. Full article

Black liberation theology as an academic discipline in the late 1960s was initially conceived, interpreted, and articulated as Christian theology that characterized material and spiritual liberation from oppression as the primary aim, task, and meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Black theology determined to interpret the gospel message in light of black experience in a system of white racism in the United States. This article raises the question: What is a more holistic, comprehensive, inclusive and nuanced depiction of African American experience as a theological source for doing contemporary Black theology in the North American context? To avoid representing the black experience in the US as one-dimensional, overly racialized, and monolithic, this work resists androcentrism, outdated racial reasoning and logic, reductionism, and stereotypical social constructions that falsely circumscribe, essentialize, and totalize the theological representation of black experience. Rooted in the diversity, difference, and otherness found within the African American community, this contemporary Black theology of liberation reframes black experience in terms of the inclusive justice and subjective freedom of the gospel message. It seeks to graciously affirm, honor, and uplift the inherent dignity, integrity, and worth of Blackness, all Black lives, and each Black life. Full article

This article will offer a comparative analysis between Latin American Liberation Theology (LALT) and Islamic Coalition Theology in the broader literature on liberation theology. The purpose of this comparison is to highlight a fundamental structural divergence in their political and theological orientations. The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran is elaborated in this conceptual context to situate the debate in a recent practical example of the Islamic Coalition Theology that led to a political revolution. Whereas LALT developed as an autonomous Christian critique of structural injustice and Western capitalist domination, Islamic Coalition Theology, as also reverberated in the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran evolved through a coalitional paradigm—what was contemporaneously described as the ‘red and the black reaction’ (ertejāʿ-e sorkh o siyāh in Persian)—in which Islamic, non-religious, and even irreligious ideologies temporarily converged to confront a shared adversary: Western imperialism and its domestic expansionism worldwide. Under the broader intellectual influence of twentieth-century global leftist movements, Iran’s revolutionary Islamism absorbed and adapted elements of Marxist and anti-capitalist discourse, and indeed merged with them without relinquishing its theological core. This study argues that such ideological hybridity reveals a distinctive pragmatism within Islamic political philosophy, wherein the pursuit of liberation is not confined to doctrinal purity but is instrumentally open to external alliances and ‘coalitions’ that lead to a common political goal. Through a comparative theological and political hermeneutic, the article will situate Islamic Coalition Theology within the global genealogy of liberationist thought, demonstrating how its strategic inclusiveness contrasts with LALT’s predominantly intra-Christian reformism. The article will build on the argument that Islam primarily encompasses a comprehensive normative and political and jurisprudential order grounded in the Quran; therefore, its coalition theology is charged with its political openness to be chaperoned with any political agenda that too pursues the common political goal. Full article

Negation appears across diverse religious traditions and provides a fruitful point of entry for comparative theological reflection. This paper compares St. John of the Cross’s account of the dark night in Christian mysticism with Śaṅkara’s understanding of vairāgya (renunciation or dispassion) in Advaita Vedānta. Rather than classifying Advaita as a form of Christian negative theology, the study uses negation as a limited comparative heuristic for examining how practices of detachment, renunciation, and purification function within two distinct religious and philosophical frameworks. It argues that both thinkers employ disciplined forms of negation, but that these disciplines address different problems within their respective traditions. John of the Cross presents the dark night as a process of sensory and spiritual purification through which the soul is dispossessed of attachment and prepared for a loving and participatory union with God through faith, hope, and charity. Śaṅkara understands vairāgya, together with viveka, as a discipline that weakens attachment to impermanent objects and corrects the false identification of the self with the body, mind, agency, and individuality. These disciplines prepare the aspirant for liberating knowledge of the non-difference of ātman and Brahman. Although these two trajectories share a structurally comparable ascetical pattern, their goals remain fundamentally different: John’s dark night culminates in relational communion with God while preserving the Creator–creature distinction, whereas Śaṅkara’s renunciation prepares the aspirant for non-dual realization through the liberating knowledge that removes ignorance. This comparison clarifies both the structural affinities between the two disciplines and the distinct metaphysical, epistemological, and soteriological frameworks that determine their meaning. Full article

Poverty stigma scapegoats people with direct experience of poverty, blaming and shaming them for being poor. The depiction of poverty as individual moral failure has enabled political leaders to sidestep its systemic causes. In breadline Britain the blaming and shaming of people in poverty as ‘undeserving’ ‘skivers’ has resembled a debilitating form of epistemic violence. Drawing on case studies and interview data from our Life on the Breadline project, this paper breaks new ground by fashioning an austerity-age theology of liberation that provides researchers with the tools to subvert the demeaning damage wrought by poverty stigma. The paper demonstrates the ways in which the power of language enabled policymakers to fashion a powerful political myth that has scapegoated and diminished the agency and the dignity of people in poverty. The use of primary research and the transformative potential of dub hermeneutics enable the paper to demonstrate how a holistic emancipatory engagement with the Biblical concept of shalom and the development of a politics of empathy and spirituality of solidarity can resource a new theology of liberative reversals that subverts poverty stigma. Full article

This article argues that contemporary theological and transnational justice discourse has undergone a structural shift from future-oriented emancipation to retroactive moral accounting. While liberation theology originally understood justice eschatologically, as an opening toward transformed relations and shared future life, contemporary discourse increasingly organizes justice around categorical identity, historical suffering, and immediate verdict. I call this condition “all justice, no peace”: multiple claims to justice remain internally coherent yet become mutually incommensurable, making coexistence harder rather than easier. The article traces three dynamics behind this shift: the global circulation of solidarity frameworks that stabilize rather than pluralize moral categories; the closure of the hermeneutical circle around fixed identities; and digital mediation, which privileges verdict over witness. These dynamics are examined through the Israeli–Palestinian conflict after 7 October 2023, where post-Holocaust Christian theology and Palestinian liberation theology each generate powerful but structurally non-relational claims to suffering and justice. The article concludes by proposing a move from retroactive to prospective justice as the only framework capable of sustaining future-oriented political and theological life. Full article

This article develops a symbolic hermeneutic framework for interpreting contemporary socio-educational phenomena within the horizon of decolonial thought and Liberation Theology. It begins from the assumption that symbols are not merely decorative forms of representation but fundamental structures of meaning that shape both individual experience and collective life, especially through their educational effects. From this perspective, the article examines how the symbols circulating in social communication reveal the ideological underpinnings of imagination, authority, exclusion, and resistance. The essay then places this symbolic analysis in dialog with decolonial theory, arguing that the enduring epistemological legacy of colonialism continues to organize hegemonic forms of knowledge, subjectivity, and power. Particular attention is devoted to the concept of the frontier, first understood as a modern device of exclusion and then reinterpreted as a space of epistemic resistance, ethical encounter, and democratic confrontation among differences. The discussion further engages key authors of Liberation Theology and the philosophy of liberation—especially Gustavo Gutiérrez, Leonardo Boff, Enrique Dussel, and Paulo Freire—in order to show how religious discourse and pedagogical practice intersect in processes of emancipation. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative, interpretative approach grounded in philosophical hermeneutics and critical conceptual analysis. It reconstructs and compares major theoretical positions rather than presenting empirical data. The article argues that the integration of symbolic hermeneutics, decolonial thought, and liberationist theology offers an original framework for rethinking education as a transformative practice grounded in ethical responsibility toward the Other. By bringing the concepts of frontier, sentipensamiento, communality, and pluriverse into a single analytical constellation, the paper contributes to current debates in religious studies, critical pedagogy, and epistemic justice. In the context of contemporary global crises—migration, ecological devastation, social fragmentation, and the weakening of democratic participation—it proposes a renewed role for religion as a critical and generative force capable of opening new educational spaces for dialogue, liberation, and the reconfiguration of knowledge. Full article

With a focus on how both traditions influence identity, memory, and lived spirituality in African contexts, this article examines the theological and cultural interactions between Christianity and African Traditional Religion (ATR). This study highlights the ongoing interaction between ATR and Christianity as two significant systems ingrained in African life, notwithstanding the continent’s religious diversity. In Africa, religion and culture are inextricably linked, influencing social customs, moral standards, and a sense of community but also constantly changing due to personal experience. African spiritual systems were frequently disregarded by missionary Christianity in the past, which led to conflicts that still exist in modern African Christianity. The importance of ancestors, rituals, and supernatural beliefs all of which are still fundamental to the worldviews of many African Christians are areas where these conflicts are especially noticeable. This article makes the case for a positive theological approach that acknowledges ATR as an essential tool for African Christian identity rather than as a rival or subpar system, drawing on the idea of inculturation. The article illustrates how African spirituality serves as a storehouse of collective memory and identity over generations by delving into issues of ancestry, ritual, and spiritual mediation. Additionally, it offers a liberative and dialogical theological concept that promotes understanding between Christianity and ATR. Such an approach not only bridges spiritual divides but also contributes to the development of a contextually grounded liberation theology that affirms indigenous knowledge systems while remaining open to global theological discourse. Full article

This article explores the role of Christian ethics in fostering community development within the South African context. Guided by the central question, how can Christian ethics contribute to sustainable and equitable community development in South Africa? The study examines the ethical principles and theological values that can address pressing societal issues, including poverty, inequality, and social fragmentation. Sub-questions include: What ethical frameworks within Christian thought support transformative social engagement? How can churches and faith-based organisations mobilise communities for collective action and empowerment? The analysis is grounded in a Christian-ethical framework shaped primarily by liberation theology’s emphasis on justice, the preferential option for the poor, and transformative social engagement, complemented by insights from African communitarian ethics and Protestant moral traditions. The study emphasises the importance of integrating Christian ethics into community development strategies, highlighting their potential to inspire moral responsibility, promote social cohesion, and drive holistic well-being. By aligning ethical reflection with practical application, this article offers a critical framework for understanding how faith-based principles can catalyse meaningful societal change. This investigation is significant as it provides actionable insights for religious leaders, policymakers, and development practitioners working to advance community resilience and justice in South Africa. This article contributes to a deeper understanding of how Christian ethics are vital for transforming societies. It offers insights for scholars and practitioners seeking to enhance community development within South Africa. Full article

While Western theology typically locates omniscience in a personal Creator-God, Indian philosophy presents a notable spectrum. This article traces the dialectical arc of omniscience (sarvajñāna) across major Indian philosophical traditions, arguing that what appears as an epistemological question—“who knows everything?”—is ultimately an ontological puzzle about the nature of consciousness itself. Moving from the Vedic oscillation between cosmic personhood (Puruṣa Sūkta) and primordial uncertainty (Nāsadīya Sūkta), through the Upaniṣadic internalization of omniscience as Self-knowledge (ātmajñatā), the article examines how Nyāya-Yoga affirms divine omniscience as a logical and soteriological necessity, how Mīmāṃsā displaces it onto an impersonal authorless text, and how Jainism and Buddhism reappropriate it as a perfected human achievement. The final section demonstrates that both Sāṃkhya’s isolation (kaivalya) and Advaita Vedānta’s non-dual realization ultimately transcend encyclopedic omniscience, revealing that authentic liberation requires not the possession of maximal information but a transformation from representational object-knowledge to non-objectifying awareness. Together, these trajectories constitute Indian philosophy’s most enduring contribution to the global philosophy of religion: the recognition that the “All” cannot be an object of knowledge, because it is the very condition for any knowledge whatever. Full article

This study traces the metamorphoses of concealment from Hesiod’s observation that “the gods keep the means of life concealed from human beings” to contemporary attention economies. In Hesiod’s pronouncement the event of concealment generates the dialectic of need and surplus, from which anthropological difference emerges, distinguishing the human from the animal and the divine. Divine concealment simultaneously creates humanity as seeker, sustenance as sought, and technics as necessity. Bataille’s “general economy” expands this framework from its theological to secular dimensions and from human labor to terrestrial life through solar energy, showing how technique generates discrete perception. Platonov’s revolutionary writings attempt to overcome nature’s dialectics through a quasi-theology of labor, yet the resulting socialist tragedy reveals a marked disproportion between technical development and subjective formation. Contemporary digital technologies transform concealment fundamentally: attention becomes liberated from searching for the hidden, only to be captured and commodified. Semiotic surplus manifests everywhere while material access remains restricted. The ancient matrix of concealment persists through digital transformations, assuming new forms while preserving its essential structure across radically different economic and technological conditions. Full article

In a context marked by polarization and diminished trust in nonviolent solutions, this article examines whether Christian political discernment can offer a viable response to the apparent inevitability of war. In light of Pope Francis’s critique of the applicability of just war reasoning amid today’s global arm’s race and advanced technology, this study investigates how Ignacio Ellacuría confronted the question of violence in El Salvador and reflects on its transnational relevance for Christian ethics in the face of contemporary conflicts. Through a close reading of Ellacuría’s philosophical and theological writings, informed by Xavier Zubiri’s philosophy, this article reconstructs the ambiguities and multiple meanings of violence that arise in situations of structural injustice and limit situations. Ellacuría’s commitment to the historical reality reveals his critique of the deficiencies of abstract or universal theories, including the appeal to legitimate defense, in favor of a praxis of discernment grounded in the lived experience of the poor. This study finds that Ellacuría locates the epistemic center of political judgment in the suffering of victims. This article concludes that Ellacuría’s provides an important contribution for renewing Christian political ethics in the 21st century by prioritizing the voices of those who suffer as the fundamental criterion for responding ethically to democratic crises and structural oppression. Full article

Theologians have a moral responsibility to attend to the grave disorder in which the language of morality currently suffers. I argue that the healing of this disorder involves a morally prescribable disloyalty to the semblance of the virtue of charity. In this paper, I will review the moral blind spots and ethical inconsistencies in how the semblance of the virtue of charity is confused with the actual virtue of charity and is thus actualized inappropriately in today’s society. I will then investigate the virtue of solidarity as a prescription to help repair the potentiality of what the virtue of charity ought to be and look like. In looking to solidarity, I will turn to Ada María Isasi-Díaz’ epistemological concept of lo cotidiano as a means of practicing accountability in virtue theory and virtue practice. First, I will explore mujerista theology as an approach and why it is important to ethically attend to the voices on the margins; then, I will investigate the concept of lo cotidiano as a methodology that centers a commitment of responsibility to the other; lastly, I will turn to the virtue of solidarity and argue how attending to solidarity enhances our call to charity in an authentic and accountable way (A version of this paper was presented at the 2025 Convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) in Portland, Oregon). Full article

The vision of Albert Maria Weiß on Catholic anti-modernism and his bitter fight against the tendency of adapting Catholic doctrine to the changing world’s expectations was esteemed by Pius X, but his legacy was long forgotten by the Holy See. His rediscovery is due to the 21st-century traditionalist movement, but his vision on modernism is still problematic because of his explication of the corruption that had emerged in Catholic theology. To him, Protestantism is the origine of all heresy, liberalism being its descendant which represents the greatest threat to Catholic doctrine ever: Catholic modernity. His anti-liberal and anti-Protestant visions made him unacceptable to later the mainstream Catholic thought, which supported democratic ideals and oecumenism instead. Full article

This article analyses underground memory and the critique of capitalism in the newspaper A Folha (1972–1981), which was associated with the diocese of Nova Iguaçu under the leadership of Dom Adriano Hypólito. In the midst of the authoritarian context of the military dictatorship and the social vulnerability of the Baixada Fluminense, the newspaper went beyond its liturgical function and took on a counter-hegemonic role by articulating a religious discourse that criticised the prevailing social and economic structures. By analysing selected sources from the journal and Michael Pollak’s theory of social memory, we examine how the newspaper constructed a counter-memory that challenged hegemonic narratives by mobilising critiques of capitalism. We also seek to understand how the diocese, guided by the principles of Liberation Christianity as articulated by Michael Löwy—as a movement emerging through grassroots pastoral practise—adopted a political stance aimed at overcoming inequality and defending human dignity. Full article