Peoples’
Experiences and Indian Christian Theologies
What is the relation between
people’s experience and ICT?
The place and
role of experience in the book of Exodus paved the way for ICT to empathized more on peoples' experiences.
The
liberationist would refer back to the time of Exodus, the people being
oppressed physical, psychologically, emotionally, culturally. In that
situation, God deliver the people from all aspects. Exodus experience is very
clear, what is black and white. Often this is not so clear in other situation.
This is why liberation theology has its limitations where it is no longer
applicable. This exodus experience cannot be compared in other situations.
In the time of
Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we find different experience. German was in
a situation where the church was dying, was blind, church couldn’t see the
people’s experience, during time of Hitler’s power. The church was silent to
the oppression by the Hitler. The Lutheran thought Church has nothing to do
with State. It was in this time where Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer reacted
very strongly.
Karl Barth
theology was, God is totally different we are not part of God in the sense that
we cannot do anything without God. We experience God and possess some goodness
so that we can also do something good as human.
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer talks about cheap grace and costly grace. in his book “Costly
Discipleship.” Both of them responded to people’s experience. Dietrich
Bonhoeffer says, if a mad man driving a bull dozer in a street filled with
people and killing the people, it is not the responsibility only to care for
the people who are in danger or being killed, but also to check on the person
who is driving the bull dozer. It this when Dietrich Bonhoeffer decided to kill
Hitler. He radically follow Christ. He says, Christ called to die for him.
Radical discipleship.
[If our
spirituality is just believing and praying from afar without actually going to
the situation and matter, there is something which we don’t fully understand
who Christ is. Jesus do not only sit and pray but he goes and response/address
the issue]
Latin America.
Liberation theology in the situation of economy, rich become richer and richer
become poorer. {Black Theology- focuses on Africans in general and
African-Americans in particular being liberated from all forms of bondage and
injustice, whether real or perceived, whether social, political, economic, or
religious}. All these experiences shapes and enrich ICT to
emphasize more on peoples experiences.
The earlier
church understanding in India was very Brahmanic. The theology at that time
response to only brahmanic people.
1. Theology emerges from people
experience.
2. People’s experience design or
shape the nature and tone of theology. You cannot to theology by borrowing from
other experience.
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