Yvette Daniel
1 April 2025
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18)
Theological college taught me so much.
Prior to embarking on two years of residential study as an ordinand, I always thought (quite naively) there was just one theology!
However, within my first academic year terminologies such as Feminist Theology, Queer Theology, Theology of Disability and Womanist Theology were becoming second nature as I began to read the bible through the imagined lenses of my sisters and brothers in Christ.
Scripture suddenly spoke into the now, revealing God afresh, forming new understandings and challenging old ones.
As enlightening as this was and still is, it was the studying of Black Liberation Theology and Latin American Liberation Theology that enabled me to reflect more deeply on the “sure and certain hope” we have in our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
Read more: Hope is the gift of grace
Liberation theologies (crude definition to follow for which I apologise!) attempt to interpret the gospel of Jesus Christ through the lived experiences of those who are deemed on the edge of society, those who are poor and those who are oppressed in any way. In enacting liberation theologies there is a willingness to call out and name those failing structures and processes that lead to expressions of injustices, inequalities and poverties on communities and nations – locally, nationally and globally.
These theologies conceive of the God revealed in Jesus Christ as a God of liberation, who identifies with those who are oppressed and marginalised.
Jesus is described as the liberator to many people, especially the unseen, the undervalued and the exploited – people identifying with Jesus through the injustices and pains he endured, with his own death and resurrection offering hope.
The gospels are full of examples of Jesus being alongside such peoples and communities – those living with leprosy, those whose lifestyles and professions were shunned.
Even while dying on the cross Jesus offers hope to one of the criminals hanging alongside him:
“‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” (Luke 23:42-43)
Theologian Michael Prior reflects, “The Christian gospel, clearly, is about liberation, so, too should the Church be, if it persists in presenting itself as a sign of the Kingdom which Jesus ushered in”.
As disciples of Jesus Christ we are a liberated people – let us therefore awaken that realisation and hope in others.
The Reverend Yvette Daniel is vicar of St Margaret’s Anglican Church, Eltham
This article is part of a series of reflections under Hope25, a national evangelism initiative that equips Anglicans to share their hope in Jesus. They aim to encourage us to have a sure and certain hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We encourage you to look out for these weekly reflections and share them in your parishes.
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