Liberation gospel spreads from inner cities

The theology of liberation is alive and well in urban Britain argues John Vincent, president of the Methodist Conference
I BELIEVE that British liberation theology has started to happen here and there in Britain, and that it is happening especially in the inner city.
There are, of course, various elements here. I have worked with very small, poor congregations in largely poor neighbourhood churches for 19 years. Over the years I have been telling some of their stories. 1 have studied the stories of inner city and urban Christians from elsewhere. My conclusion is that there are certain characterisitics emerging in this phenomenon, which amount to a British liberation theology, alongside a rising of the poor, and of the poor churches, in our time.
The same vital elements which helped create liberation theology in South America and elsewhere are found in inner cities now.
What is happening? Firstly separation. Poor churches have suddenly realised how separate, distinct and different they are from surburban churches. Instead of aping suburban churches, they now celebrate their separateness. The middle class myth that "we are all in it together" is blown.
Secondly there is selfawareness. Poor Christians have become realistic about who they are. For instance, someone recently said to rile: "In some areas I am the oppressed — 1 UM a woman of low class with little money. In some areas I am the oppressor — 1 am white, I have a job and political party membership".
Yet even her oppression, she realises, is relative. Others are more oppressive than she. So a myth of "gospel simplicity" is blown.
Then there is self-expression. Poor churches have begun to affirm themselves as they are, regardless of their oddity and non-conformity within the presently arranged denominations. They are writing their own hymns (as in UTU's Hymns of the City, producing their own preachers, affirming their own styles. The myth of false "catholicity" is blown.
And specialness. From poor churches, individual groups such as unemployed people, or unmarried persons, or blacks or gay people, have banded together as they see they need to act together. There is strength in finding allies. The myth of a unified, non-partisan church, such as the middle class perpetuates, is blown.
Bible identification. The poor in the poor churches suddenly hear things they know from their own experience, reflected back at them in the biblical stories. They discover that, according to the Bible, God is on their side. The myth of a non-political "treat everyone the same" Bible is blown.
And finally there is liberation activity. The poor and the poor churches begin to get themselves together. They organise. They choose leaders. They exclude outsiders. They perceive achievable goals. They find allies. They do battle. They fail and learn from their failures. The myth of the status quo is blown.
So, then, the Christian story is being performed all over again by disciples in our world today. The Christian mystery is being plumbed by men, women and children in street corner congregations, tower-block action groups, inner city black pentecostal churches, lesbian and gay support groups, and the faithful few survivors in neighbourhood communities.
Consequently, the poor people and the poor churches involved in all this discover that they are the people of the Bible, and their activity is remarkably like the activities described in the Bible, and even that the God of the Bible is on their side.
It happens in different ways. For myself, it happened through a 35-year long study of Jesus and discipleship in St
Mark's gospel. About ten years ago, 1 realised that the activity of Jesus in Mark, and the conditions of discipleship described there, were remarkably like the action and the conditions of ourselves as urban Christians on the Flower Estate (an urban "garden village" wilderness), and Grimesthorpe (a terraced inner city area), two places where I minister.
Two results followed. First, that we began to read Mark as if it really was our story. Second, that 1 rewrote the story of Jesus in Mark as an inner city story (in Radical Jesus).
The first part of this — our reading of Mark in the inner city and the housing estate — is still at a flimsy stage. But we are trying to get some of it down and we'll share it by and by.
The second part — my own rewriting of Jesus — I was able to get on with on my own. Jesus' Galilee was the place the rich passed through. Just so, the inner city is. Galilee had large estates, growing abundant produce, while the local people were kept in poverty.
So, in today's inner city, people have to wait for the crumbs from the rich people's tables. Galilee was an enema occupied country with an actise local resistance movement. Some of the inner city is a "no-go" area for police at times, and some people riot out of frustration, alienation and cynicism. And so on.
Theology is needed when an alternative is beginning to appear, and needs helping along, or when things reach such a pitch that the emperor is seen to have no clothes, or when forces which have been quiescent emerge as demonic, or drop their masks and appear as the ogres they are.
Then theology is needed. But there is a problem. Theology has already used itself up to provide,support for the now exposed system. Theology is needed, but theology has to be rediscovereo if it is to meet the needs of the new situation. Christian theology thus has to be reborn.
And it discovers, to its surprise, that there are people, places, histories and happenings in which its hopes, or parts of them, become newly possible. Just such an event is now occuring in Britian, and it is called British liberation theology.
For too long, Christianity in Britain has supported the status quo. Now, through a British
liberation theology, a new version of Christianity is emerging. It is, I believe, the original Christianity. It is the essential message of Christ, which we have overlaid with our traditions. It is the Christianity of human liberation and human fulfilment for all. It calls for and makes possible the liberation of Britain front slavery to industrial, technological and environmental abuse.
We hail liberation from our oppressions. From class distinctions, from economic determinism, from racism, from sexism, from inequalities of provision in health, education, social power and economic opportunity, from victimisation of the disadvantaged, millions in Britain today seek release.
The Christ of a true, rediscovered Christianity comes as the champion of liberation. And He calls for disciples to build with Him the new Jerusalem of wholeness, justice, equality and fruitfulness in Britain's green and pleasant land.
The new Christianity is here. The Saviour and Lord of the whole creation and all its people returns to His own.
Dr Vincent's lull length study A British Liberation Theology is expected in 1990 from Epworth Press. This article is based on his George Jackson Memorial Lecture at Edinburgh Central Hall last week.