DalitTheology therefore, has to give expression to this experience of dalitness of the people and respond positively to their need, which is their main concern--how to earn their daily bread, how to overcome their life situations of oppression, poverty, suffering, injustice, illiteracy, and denial of identity; in short a question of survival.
Dalittheology is a systematization of the critical reflection on ortho-praxis which the oppressed generate dialogically in the light of their faith.
Dalit (the term in the Indian context denotes those oppressed on the basis of caste) theology is a theology done by and for the dalits in India.
In a few of these extremely traditional villages, Dalits are still not allowed to let their shadows fall upon Brahmins for fear of ritually contaminating them; and they are still required to sweep the ground where they walk to remove the 'contamination' of their footfalls.
Dalit politician and activist B.R. Ambedkar was influential in encouraging many Dalits to convert to Buddhism in order to escape the inequities of the caste system.
Dalits in poor communities may be the target of the frustration and fear of non-Dalits.
Dalittheology, which is being taken shape in India can be considered as one of the attempts to do a local theology taking seriously the context of struggles of the people who are marginalized and oppressed, reflecting on their struggles for liberation from the structures which marginalize them.
DalitTheology is a "theology from the underside of history" That means, this is based on the discernment that the theological reflection should be done from the perspective of those who are victims of domination and oppression.
Dalittheology as a local theology differs very much from the missionary theology which is evangelistic in nature and aimed at the conversion of Dalits to Christianity from their original religion.
If Dalits are seeking their liberation from casteist oppression, and to identify their religio-cultural energies from a religious and social base for their corporate and individual attempts at liberation, the Bible stands as a dynamic source of energy.
Dalit communities constantly look for a God who suffers with them and that God is grounding hope of their present distress and affliction which will eventually turn their suffering into celebration with full hope and joy.
In spite of the denial of human dignity on par with the co-humans and thus divided and defaced, the Dalits refuse to be intimidated by the high-handed measures of the repression of the caste hierarchy.
Dalittheology is one of the expressions of this emerging Dalit consciousness.
that of the Dalits, therefore a theology of the Dalits, by the Dalits and for the Dalits.
Dalit theologians claim the right, justly, that Dalittheology be done by, for and with the Dalits based on their experiences, sufferings, aspirations and hopes.
Dalittheology is an emerging discipline that is taking shape against much resistance both from both the dominant groups and from some Dalits themselves, who are still conscious of their status as Dalits and the social ramifications of embracing their Dalit identity.
Dalit interpreters have also maintained that it is equally important to discern the historical context of the text and read it with critical suspicion.[24] The Bible is received as a text, a result of human effort, that arises out of a particular context and situation of human life.
Dalit readings of the Bible, which begin with a contextual analysis, identify these caste tensions that exist in society, which enable them to identify similar tensions in the text and the parties that are thereby affected.
[Goanet]Christianity and Caste(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
A: Dalittheology is theological reflection rooted in the understanding that God is struggling with the Dalits for their liberation, that He is on their side.
On the other hand, what Dalittheology says is that for the Dalits to liberate themselves from the shackles of the caste system, they must learn to take pride in their identity, their heroes, their role in the productive process and their history.
Dalit liberation is not possible without a positive affirmation of Dalit pride and identity, and this Sanskritisation seeks completely to deny.
Concludes: Any theology, to be meaningful and relevant, should be a 'contextual theology.' But the danger of several Asian Christian thinkers is their over-enthusiasm in preferring the 'context' to the hard core of Christianity, namely the historical Christ and the Gospel, as seen in the 'text'.
Minjung theology's development in Korea, as an indigenous theology of liberation, is a genuine response to the Holy Spirit in Asia's fastest growing Christian population, though not without its problematic elements and critics.
Minjung theology is not a classroom theology whereby one is leisurely sitting in an ivory tower of the university and engaging in theological speculation or conceptual activity.
Master of Philosophy in Contextual Theology is a specialised programme of two years´ duration for the study of contextual theology, recognised as such through the emphasis on the headlines Church, Religion and Society and Gospel, Faith and Culture.
The Seminary of Practical Theology is an institution of the Church of Norway, closely connected with the Faculty of Theology and located in the same building.
This is a reference to the english homepage of The Faculty of Theology at The University of Oslo, Norway.
Dalittheology affirms the identity of the Dalits before God as people among whom God is working for struggling against oppression.
Today, many Dalit communities are beginning to feel empowered by claiming their Dalit-ness and using that as a means of protesting against iniquitous Church structures as well as a means for expressing their identities and their special relationship with God.
Dalittheology has another important role--that of empowering Dalit communities to reclaim their positionality in a way that could lead them to bring out their own experiences and express them in their own symbolic modes.
Indian theology is "faith seeking dialogue" (fides quaerens dialogum) modifying St. Anselm's classical definition of theology being "faith seeking understanding." Dialogue is threefold: with cultures, with religions, with diverse disciplines.
In contrast, "Indian contextual theology partly draws its very content or substance from the context in which it is born," explains Jesuit Leonard Fernando, Dean of Studies at Vidyajyoti.
Theology often recognizes the "Big Tradition" but overlooks "little traditions." "Feminist theology is largely confined to issues of the so-called high-caste women or the educated urban women," says Presentation Sr.
Dalittheology is a stem of Christiantheology that surfaced among the Dalitcaste in India in the 1980s.
The etymology of the term "Dalit" can be traced back to the 19th century when a Marathi social reformer and revolutionary Mahatma Jyotirao Phule used this term to describe the "outcastes" and "untouchables" as the "oppressed and crushed victims of the Indian caste system".
Dalits who represent roughly 20% of the Indian population (200 million), were considered untouchables as a result of the Hindu concept of "ritual pollution and purity".
Dalits who constitute almost 20% of the Indian population (200 million), were considered untouchables as a result of the Hindu understanding of "ritual pollution and purity." Dalits were not included in the four fold varna categories.
Dalit theologians were of the opinion that the theological and cultural domination of Brahmanic traditions within Indian Christianity, ignoring the rich cultural and religious experience of the Dalits had to be ignored, if not rejected completely.
This is an important factor for the’ authenticity of Dalittheology, enabling it to become an instrument of destroying the social and religious structures responsible for the Dalits’ historical captivity.
The Dalits, however, "beat down the doors of the churches" to be allowed in because they believed the church could be a source of liberation.
The Dalits were and are defined by Hinduism but also as outside of Hinduism, Some from these communities had become Buddhist or Muslim and thereby lost the stigma of lack of caste identity, but many had not, instead living on the fringes of Hindu villages, dependent upon the village economy.
Dalit theologians argue that we are in the image of God, all of us, in our bodies, not just in our thinking or our creative capacities or our prejudices.
[No title](Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
Feminist theology is one of the vehicles through which women express a critique of existing theology and religious practices, and contribute creatively towards the unfinished dimension of theology.
Annotation: Contemporary theology is characterized by four basic methodologies: systematic theology with its concern for the dogmatic task; philosophical theology with an emphasis upon the apologetic task; political theology with its stress upon the ethical task; and contextual theology with its focus upon the hermeneutical task.
Although the age of the theological giants is past, contemporary theology possesses a vitality which continues to influence the theological scene of which we are a part.
