2.”We are living in dangerous times”. I LOVE when people say this. We are living in one of the safest points in human history. Sure, we’ve got a zillion problems. But they aren’t the same problems our ancestors faced 1,000,000 years ago, or even 100 years ago. We are better equipped to deal with our problems than we ever have been. 

3.”We start with James Cone. He’s one of the founding fathers of liberation theology.” WRONG. How can you write an article on something you don’t even know the basics about? Seems like bad philosophy to me. Liberation Theology has its roots in South America since… oh…the 1400s w/ Bartholome de las Casas. With the institution of slavery.

4. “It gets worse from here. So how does a white person get salvation in that system?”. True, Cone is a bit extreme. Some Liberation Theologians are strongly against the use of violence (no matter what the situation), while some see violence as a necessary means to not, i.e., be destroyed. There is no coherence here, just like the Democratic & Republican parties are incoherent. Individuals believe different things.  What Cone is describing relates to the idea of “structural sin”. That means, social structures can be sinful, like slavery is a sinful institution. Cone would likely make the same case if it were whites who had been subject to slavery & social injustices that Blacks have had to suffer for years. P.S. I’m white. And even I can read through the lines. 

5. “Step down from that job you “took” from someone else. Give back that money you “took” from someone else.” You know, I had the same public school education that many of my Black peers had. I grew up in a Black neighborhood b/c my parents had no money. We were one of about 4 white families. I graduated HS, went to college, got a BA and an MA. And YET, my Black friends growing up– WITH THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES– aren’t able to cut it in the world. Why? Ask yourself: Why? Societal prejudice. Institutionalized prejudice. Given the choice to hire a receptionist/assistant/publicist white girl Vs. a black girl with the same qualifications, people will choose me. What industries are Black women working in? They are Nannies (not to black children), Nurses, basically….care givers. Yes, ladies & gentlemen. The ugly “mammy” stereotype rears its head again. Why are they still (by and large) in subordinate jobs in subordinate fields? Certainly, it’s a choice they make on an individual level. But it’s like any other situation where one chooses the path of least resistance.
It’s not fair. And its this “culture of unfairness” on a massive level that has created James Cone.

 6. “For example, Cone himself has argued that the Bible is insufficient to
know what social justice is and that you need Marxism to understand what
Christianity means” Here I agree with Glenn Beck (w/ qualification). The Bible is insufficient to deal with social justice in the same way that its insufficient to double as an encyclopedia. You don’t go to the Bible to learn about the engineering it requires to put a man on the moon. However, Marxism is insufficient (and outdated as many revolutions have occurred since the publication of ‘Capital’) to explain current social/economic conditions. YOU WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND A MARXIST WHO BELIEVES EVERYTHING MARX SAYS BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE DOGMA. Also, he insists on viewing everything from its Historical context. Aaaaaanndddd, a lot has happened since Marx. 
7. “According to liberation theology, it means that salvation and redemption
bought by Jesus comes in the form of political and social “liberation”
for minorities from white oppression”. Again, the “white oppression” Cone refers to is the current social restrictions placed on Blacks. Also, there is not one “unified” liberation theology. There are, in fact, MANY. What they have in common is that they are not satisfied with the myth of “work hard & you’ll have everything you need and/or want”. The queer community & Women’s Liberation Theology are just two to start. And YES there is obviously a lot we can learn from them (and from using Marxist praxis to arrive at–perhaps– a not-Marxist alternative). See also, Lily Ledbetter. 

8.”That’s quite different than the gospels and their message of being saved by grace. It actually sounds a little more like Marxism”. Liberation Theologians are not CONFUSED by what salvation is. They are not saying “there is no heaven nor hell, nor need for salvation outside of life on Earth”, which is something Marx would say. They are trying to bring the focus to people’s earthly needs. Hunger is real, Excess is real. Why are there more obese people in the world now than are starving? THIS is a sin.

Whites (and I include myself) should be scared. Because we have ruled the world for centuries, and people who got the short end of the stick are finally equipped to make their demands known.  And worse, the privileged even distance themselves from the fray. Why shouldn’t people be jealous & angry? To see a middle-class lifestyle on TV, be told that’s “the norm”, and know in your heart you’ll probably never achieve it. We need to understand that personal, individual sin is real. But we should also accept that there are social institutions that are inherently evil because they divide God’s children against themselves.

It would be to the “rich, white honky” ‘s advantage to not insulate him/herself from inequalities, and to instead engage with people less fortunate.
Now that my parents are middle class, I have a 13 yr old brother who has NO black friends and is in ALL WHITE suburb. Do you think he knows or cares about the problems facing the Black community?

And THAT is the idea of Liberation Theology: compromiso. Standing in solidarity with people who are not like you.

I realize this article was written in 2010, but it’s still relevant, and
I’d hope that Mr. Beck has not changed his position on any these points
which he’s mentioned. Since then, we’ve seen numerous broadcasts and
articles about “class warfare” (especially now in 2012), which is really
just an oversimplification, and another way to talk around the problem.

Re:  “And more than a conqueror of death (which was how post-Easter Christian
see it, and it’s not wrong…), he was a victim of the first century
Jewish and Roman political system.”

Funny thing–my Bible has Jesus putting it this way:

“17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

He was a victim of nothing.  If He was, then He was not Who He said He was.So, you have a basic decision to make…either Jesus was the Lamb or the Marxist social reformer.

And more than a conqueror of death (which was how post-Easter Christian see it, and it’s not wrong…), he was a victim of the first century Jewish and Roman political system. He was a radical teacher, a revolutionary (in a non-violent way), and a man of the people. He would never patronize power, and even was against political overtones of his era, seeing that the Kingdom must first come from the transformation of society from within. He wouldn’t do the Temple thing nor call Herod Antipas a fox if he agreed with what was happening in his context. More than spiritual he was also real living the ideals that were counter to the socio-political culture of his time.

Which prompts me to say this: America in your eyes has lofty ideals and I admire many people who stand for it.  But for some of us in the Third World, most of your Americans betray these same principles in the name of these same ideals found in religion, democracy and freedom just because they say they are right, and that WE ARE WRONG.  And often, we suffer for your myopic vision of these good ideals.  Have you ever stayed long, lived in and tried to understand the shoes of the poor, the oppressed and the victims of the Third World countries in Asia and Africa?  It’s easy to say who Jesus is according to your lens, but have you considered looking for Jesus using our lenses.

It’s not always about debate Glenn, it’s also about open-mindedness, dialogue and being aware to know where humanity ends and where God begins. And frankly, right-wing Americans are not like that especially to us Third-Worlders and to ecology which God has given us. You may feel not agreeing with me, but we live worlds apart. And there’s a big difference.

I rest my case…