Key Terms
Glossary
- Preferential option for the poor
- The liberation-theology principle that the Church should side with, and do theology from, the perspective of the poor.
- Aggiornamento
- "Updating" — the Church opening itself to the modern world (Vatican II).
- Barmen Declaration (1934)
- A statement (largely by Barth) opposing Nazi control of the Church: Jesus Christ is the one Word of God to be heard.
Key Scholars
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Liberation theology
Emerged in Latin America in the 1960s–70s. Theology done from the perspective of the poor. Emphasis on structural sin (unjust social systems), God's preferential option for the poor, and praxis (action-reflection).
Opposition: The Vatican under John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger (CDF, 1984, 1986) criticised liberation theology for using Marxist class analysis and reducing the gospel to politics. Many liberation theologians were silenced or restricted.
Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962–1965)
Major reforming council called by Pope John XXIII. Key themes:
- Aggiornamento — "updating" — the Church opening to the modern world
- Gaudium et Spes: the Church in the modern world — engagement with culture, science, social issues
- Nostra Aetate: respect for other religions; rejection of collective Jewish guilt for Christ's death
- Sacrosanctum Concilium: liturgical reform — Mass in vernacular languages
- Collegiality — bishops share authority with the Pope
- The Church as "People of God" not just hierarchy
Karl Barth and the Church
The Barmen Declaration (1934)
Written largely by Barth. Opposed the Nazi state's attempt to control the Church. Affirmed: "Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear." The Church must not be subordinated to any ideology or state.
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Key debates
- Liberation theology: a prophetic recovery of the gospel's concern for the poor, or a politicisation that borrows too heavily from Marxism (the Vatican's charge)?
- Vatican II: a necessary updating (aggiornamento), or a dilution of tradition?
- Barth: is a strictly counter-cultural, Word-centred Church the best model for engaging the modern world?
Compare the scholars
A high-level essay does more than name thinkers: it identifies exactly where their assumptions, methods or conclusions diverge.
| Scholar | Core position | AO2 use | Quotation or evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gustavo Gutiérrez | Father of Liberation Theology; the preferential option for the poor. | Central to Church in the Modern World and to the liberationist reading of Jesus. | Use the scholar's argument accurately; a quotation is optional. |
| Karl Barth | Reformed theologian; exclusivism; rejected natural theology; Barmen Declaration. | Key across Knowledge of God, Religious Pluralism (exclusivism) and Church in the Modern World. | Use the scholar's argument accurately; a quotation is optional. |
Key quotations
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Practise Exam questions
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- Assess the significance of Vatican II for the Church in the modern world.
- Evaluate the contribution of liberation theology to Christian social ethics.
- 'Barth's theology is the best model for the Church's relationship with the state.' Discuss.
Recall and self-test
Retrieval cards
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Self-test
Match the term to its definition
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Related and synoptic links
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