Warning: Don't Try Theology at Home

I have been away, and pretty uninspired to blog by the world around me, but a small news item came to my attention this morning. I am by no means an expert on liberation theology, but I am quite certain something important happened in the last few days. The Roman Catholic Church's inquisitory arm, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has officially admonished Jesuit priest Jon Sobrino. Though of Basque heritage, he lives and teaches in El Salvador where he has been forbidden to lecture on theology.

The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith made clear that Sobrino's teachings were "incorrect." Intriguingly, they focused not only on his emphasis on the humanity of Jesus but also upon his teaching that the "Church of the Poor" is the true setting for understanding who Jesus is. While the Congregation wished to make it clear that they of course share Sobrino's concern with the poor in Latin America, they sought to remind people not only of Jesus' divinity but of the Church hierarchy's own intractable authority in these matters because "it is only the apostolic faith which the Church has transmitted through all generations that constitutes the ecclesial setting of Christology and of theology in general."

I definitely believe that people should seek education in all forms and think critically about the world around the. But in essence, this statement is telling people that they can only think critically about certain things in so far as they accord with what more qualified thinkers believe. For right and for wrong, for better and for worse, the Church wanted to remind those who might follow Sobrino that certain issues of faith are up to the deciders. The Church is not liable for the dangers of engaging in theology in your own home, especially if that home is poverty in Latin America, and that home might lead you to conclude things that differ in small and large ways from what important powerful people tell you. In other words, theologizing is to be done by a chosen professional on a closed course. Don't theologize at home.