[Bill]

I think it would be good to understand Liberation Theology since it will probably be a dominant influence in America for the next 4+ years. I have found some characteristics of this belief, but not a good definition. The following is what I found.
Liberation Theology (LT) considers sin as a result of oppression, not individual sin nature resulting from the sin in the Garden of Eden. It says that salvation comes through community to individuals. I think that this places community as a mediator between God and Man (1Tim 2:9) in place of Jesus.
LT says salvation is group deliverance from oppression, not individual reconciliation with God.
LT confuses a symptom with the cause. The following is a quote from Ron Rhodes: "The gap between rich and poor is not the cause of man's predicament, it is merely one symptom of it." Both rich and poor are sinners in need of salvation.
This heresy is not detectable by statements of faith, standard questions, creeds, confessions, etc. because of two strategies. By redefining scriptural words it is possible to agree with every statement and answer every question correctly while still holding an unscriptural belief. By using false interpretation methods (hermeneutics) with marxist categories and assumptions, the Bible can be used to teach false doctrine without changing the words.

I heard Jeremiah Wright talking about this in an interview last year. He kept making references to James Cone. To understand Black Liberation Theology, you have to look at the man Jeremiah Wright quotes, the man named James Cone. Here is an article by Rod Dreber on the impact of Cone's horrible and racist material...

The insanity of "black liberation theology"

"The more you know about Jeremiah Wright, the more appalling he is. Spengler today digs up a televised interview between Wright and Sean Hannity in which Wright upbraided Hannity for not having read the black liberation theologian James Cone, with whom Wright identifies. Who is James Cone? He's the theologian who wrote this:

"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."

Wow. Either God wants to destroy white people, or He is not worthy of worship. This is racist idolatry."
full article here:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon...-liberati.html

[Samuel]

Here is the definition of Liberal Christianity, I have on my web-site.


A movement that seeks to retain religious and spiritual values of Christianity while discounting the infallible authority of the Bible. Its origins are in the German Enlightenment, notably in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and the religious views of Friedrich Schleiermacher. Liberals reject the stated authorship and historical accuracy of many books of the Bible. They are skeptical concerning many or all of the biblical miracles, preferring naturalistic explanations or viewing miracle accounts as legend or myth. They often deny or reinterpret in mythical terms such doctrines of orthodox Christianity as the virgin birth, atoning death, and even the resurrection of Jesus. Liberalism has been most influential in mainline Protestant denominations and is rejected in Evangelical, Orthodox, and Fundamentalist Christianity.

[Bill]

The present Pope Benedict, formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, along with Pope John Paul opposed Liberation Theology, which was very prominent among Latin American Priests. In 1984 he wrote a paper called "Preliminary notes on Liberation Theology" which can be found on the internet. He describes how this heresy is extremely difficult to detect. The Churches you mention as being vulnerable to Liberation Theology deception, plus the Catholic Church, depend on Statements of faith, creeds, confessions, etc. to protect their doctrine from heresy and in this case it doesn't work. (If Pope Benedict would use the same honest intelligent reasoning on the issue of Bible versions as he does in examining Liberation Theology, he would rid the Catholic Church of their Alexandrian Bible and use the KJV or another TR version).

[Bill]

One characteristic to note about Liberation Theologians is that they assign surety (see Proverbs 6;1, 11:15, 17:18) status to honest productive people to make them responsible for poverty and oppression resulting from negligence, crime, deliberate mismanagement, corruption, waste, etc. to transfer their honestly earned resources to support scam artist societies (wealth redistribution). The ability to pronounce moral condemnation (economic emminent domain) on financial resources and direct the resources to the recipient of choice is a powerful function which can attract influence peddling, favors, etc. It also makes voluntary giving into an imposed obligation, motivated by fear of arbitrary theological condemnation rather than love for unfortunate people. They consistently oppose economic individual initiative and development in a decentralized economy in order to prolong poverty and continue their power.

[chette777]

Liberation theology is nothing more than rebellion. the people who use it, like the Black liberation or Latin Liberation or any other only use what they can from the Bible and other sources to give them the right to rebel against their ordained governments.

Lucifer was the first Liberation theologists. when he set out to be free from God when he wanted to elevate himself above God. Liberation theology is nothing more than Satanic doctrine of rebellion against anyone's real or imagined oppressors or anyone they feel is holding them back. i.e. Satan used that on Eve when he told her she wouldn't die but that God was holding her back from being like God. Eve was the first human to fall prey to the Liberation Theology lie.

[stephanos]

I wonder what those that hold to this heresy think of this passage:

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6 KJV)

in light of:

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8 KJV)

So, if Job recognized himself as a sinner in need of a redeemer (Job 19:25) then what does that make each and every one of us? Job said that he abhorred HIMSELF, not some sort of sin causing oppression (truly this LT makes no sense to someone who actually reads the Bible).

Truly any one of us Bible believers could wage a thousand attacks against this abhorrent theology.

*sigh* The signs of the times are everywhere...

For Jesus' sake,
Stephen

EDIT: I just finished the book of Job, that's why I used the Scriptures I did. There are others that would have suited my point better, but Job is on the mind, so Job it is. ^_^

[Bill]

A few verses pertinent to this subject: Luke 12:13,14; Jesus is asked to help with a fair division of inheritance by a man whose brother won't share with him. Jesus' response was "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" Jesus didn't get into the wealth redistribution business.
Several verses in Proverbs promise success and political influence to people who use the individual initiative and development despised by the liberation theologians: Proverbs 23:4, 13:4, 12:24, 22:29.