Luis and I spoke of several big topics – Liberation Theology, religion as a complex entity one can be in relationship with, and the importance of focusing on problems rather than identity, among other things. The conversation benefits from Luis’ ability to unpack complex theological ideas and connect them to everyday life. In addition to Christian theology and elements of the New Testament, we drew lines to Jewish concepts.
Highlights:· Luis is comfortable with the various elements of his identity and how they fit together.
· Being part of a religious tradition does not require us to agree with every aspect of it. We don’t demand that in other relationships, so why make that exception?
· Liberation Theology, and other contextual theologies, start from the place of analyzing the immediate reality.
· The Hebrew Bible and New Testament talk about the real implications of God a lot, not about the nature of God in the abstract.
· Religion is a way of living, not a doctrine. It is a complex entity you can be in relationship with.
Quotes:“I think everyone everyone, whether they think about it or not, lives in identities that are conflictual. And that's OK. But I don't see that conflict as stressful, and I don't see that conflict as unproductive. Actually, I see it as very productive.”
“Christianity is not a thing. It's a very complex set of traditions that have familial resemblance [rather] than just being one thing, issuing from one stem.”
“To be faithful is not to believe in something. When you are faithful to someone, you don't believe what they believe. When you're faithful to someone, you have an ethical orientation to that person. You have a commitment, a practical commitment to that person.”
“The current mainstream association [in America] of Christianity with the nuclear family is nowhere to be found in the New Testament and is nowhere to be found in the first two-three centuries of Christianity.”
“When I was primarily an activist, my activism and was very informed by my intellectual work, and now that I'm in academia, much of the stuff that I teach and I write, issues from my activism.”
“The way we talk about the past is deeply informed by our ideas about the present.”
“Liberation theology never talked about personal identities. Never did, and it still doesn't. It talks about the problem of colonization. It talks about our problem of oppression and it talks about ways communities organized against that. In other words, the emphasis is on sociology, not on psychology.”
Follow the podcast!The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Social Media links for Luis:Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/luis.menendez.antuna
Academia – https://luismenendezantuna.academia.edu
Boston University – https://www.bu.edu/sth/profile/luis-menendez-antuna/
Social Media links for Méli:
Email – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project – https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org
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info@talkingwithgodproject.org.