Liberation Theology after the End of History: The refusal to cease suffering

by Bell,Daniel

• ISBN13: 9780415243032
• ISBN10: 0415243033
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-10-12
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Liberation Theology after the End of Historyassesses the impact of Christian resistance to capitalism in Latin America, and the implications of the theological debates that have emerged through its evolution. Using the postmodern critical theory of Deleuze and Foucault, Bell investigates the nature of capitalism, its effect upon human desire and the response of the Church to this social phenomenon, resulting in the most thorough account to date of the rise, failure and future prospects of Latin American liberation theology.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: the end of history	1	(8)
The infinite undulations of the snake: capitalism, desire, and the state-form	9	(33)
Savage capitalism	10	(2)
Three theses on contemporary capitalism	10	(2)
Capitalism and desire	12	(7)
Politics and ontology	13	(2)
Desire, capitalism, and the state-form	15	(4)
Governmentality and technologies of the self	19	(13)
Beheading the king: power beyond the state	19	(2)
Technologies of power	21	(1)
Pastoral power	21	(2)
Reason of state	23	(1)
The science of police and the disciplines	24	(2)
Economic government and the rise of liberalism	26	(3)
Civil society and government through freedom	29	(1)
Societies of control	30	(2)
Beyond madness?	32	(10)
The Church of the poor in the wake of capitalism's triumph	42	(43)
The crisis in Latin American liberationist thought	43	(2)
Before the revolution: New Christendom in Latin America	45	(6)
The origins of New Christendom in Latin America	45	(1)
Distinguishing the spiritual and the temporal	46	(2)
Politics and the state	48	(3)
From reform to revolution: the rise of liberation theology	51	(14)
The crisis of New Christendom	51	(4)
A theology of liberation	55	(1)
The autonomy of the temporal	56	(4)
Salvation and politics	60	(2)
Beyond New Christendom and statecraft, or not?	62	(3)
From revolution to civil society: liberationists at the end of history	65	(5)
From liberation to captivity to crisis...	66	(2)
...to civil society	68	(2)
The Church of the poor after the end of history	70	(15)
Christianity, desire, and the terror of justice	85	(59)
Christianity and desire	87	(12)
Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercians	88	(8)
Objections	96	(3)
The desire for justice	99	(24)
What justice?	101	(1)
Catholic social teaching on justice	102	(8)
Justice in Latin American liberation theology	110	(13)
The terror of justice	123	(21)
Practical efficacy?	124	(6)
Theological adequacy?	130	(14)
The refusal to cease suffering: forgiveness and the liberation of desire	144	(61)
The gift of forgiveness	145	(9)
Theological adequacy	146	(3)
Practical efficacy	149	(4)
Forgiveness as surrender?	153	(1)
Latin American liberationists on forgiveness	154	(7)
Beyond justice	154	(2)
The primacy of justice	156	(3)
Reservations concerning forgiveness	159	(2)
The therapy of forgiveness	161	(28)
God, grace, and the Church	162	(3)
The crucified people	165	(6)
The judgment of grace	171	(3)
Honesty about the real	174	(3)
Conversion and the revolution of the forgiven	177	(3)
No salvation without reparations?	180	(4)
Forgiveness in absentia?	184	(2)
The redemption of justice	186	(3)
The refusal to cease suffering: the risk of forgiveness	189	(16)
Disempowerment or a crucified power?	190	(2)
Endorsing suffering or suffering against suffering?	192	(1)
A wager on God	193	(12)
Index	205