Theology based on liberation praxis

a review of José Comblin and Hugo Assmann

Abstract

The Latin American context has been marked for centuries by the reality of domination and exploitation of the most vulnerable peoples. Today, despite different contours, this problem continues to hurt the dignity of many peoples. The fundamental question that we must ask is: how can Theology help to think critically about this situation and trigger a process of emancipation from it? One of the paths seen is the imminent need to recover the sense and meaning of action and practice as a fundamental mediation of Latin American theologizing, essential to understand what has been designed in the theological universe as the theology of liberation and that can contribute a lot for the experience of the Christian faith in today's reality. Thinking about action and practice, defended respectively by José Comblin and Hugo Assmann, corresponds to a process of formation of conscience that allows to look critically at reality and understand the concrete situation of dominated peoples, as the referential place from which it starts and where it should go. return to the critical thematization of what is often found at a level of semi-expression, or academic theorization, with no impact on the real and concrete life of individuals. The objective of this proposal is, therefore, an expository presentation of the theological-existential meaning of the terms action and practice according to the respective authors José Comblin and Hugo Assmann, based on a bibliographical analysis. It can be said, from now on, that living in action and practice means taking history as the place of God's action, through the Spirit, who acts in each of us and impels us to live a life of conversion and witness.