Liberating Planet Earth
by Gary DeMar by Gary DeMar
The Liberation of tb Individual 67 and then these revolutions are overturned. But I am not here to discuss the failures of Marxist theory, which are legion. I have done that job elsewhere.1 This book is about liberation theology. Marxist liberation theology teaches that man’s nature is cha”nged us a result of the resolution. The change in man’s nature is outside-in. This is the essence of Satanism. This is pure environmental determinism, right out of the mouth of Adam after his rebellion. The Satanists want to create a new humanity through social engineering and the transformation of the social, political, and economic environment. The creation of a new humanity is a religious impulse, mimickhg the Bible. The Bible preaches ethical reconciliation — a new humanity born by God’s imputation of Christ’s perfect humanity (though not His divinity) to individual sinners. This is to lead to evangelism: inside-out ethical renovation that produces the spread of reconciliation. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Outside-in Compare Paul’s vision of personal regeneration, voluntarism, evangelism, and world service as ambassadors of a risen Christ with the outsidein remakiig of mankind that is recommended by Mamist liberation theologian Jos& Miranda: Our revolution is directed toward the creation of the new . human being. But unlike the attackers, we seek to posit the necessary means for the formation of this new human being. And the in- 1. Gary North, Marx? Religion of Revolution: The Doctrine of Creative Destnutwn (Nutley, New Jersey: Craig Press, 1968).
68 Liberating Planet Earth dispensable means is a new social structure. Is it not perfectly obvious that an existing social system has more efficacy for education or miseducation than the exhortations of classroom or temple? How far can you get with the idea that a person should not place his or her heart in money and material things (the central idea of the Sermon on the Mount) if the existing social system inculcates just the contrary under pain of blows and death? Perhaps an insignificant minority can heroically resist the peremptory mandates of such a system. But Christianity cares about all human beings. It cannot content itself with saving a tiny minority. The majority cannot even assign a sense of realism to the Christian message of brotherhood and solidarity with neighbor, when the social structure imposes on it, under pain of annihilation, the task of seeking its proper interest and letting the chips fall where they may, without preoccupying itself with other people. Structural change will be a mere means for personal change-but a means so obviously necessary, that those who fail to give it first priority demonstrate by that very fact that their vaunted desire to transform persons is just empty rhetoric. z Not to put too fine a point to it, but how does this prophet for Communism think that the message and work of Jesus and the disciples led to the transformation of the Roman Empire? What means of comprehensive “structural alterations” of Meditemanean society did that tiny band of disciples possess? All they had was the truth, the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and a long-term vision of the kingdom of God. What small groups of dedicated Christians need today, Miranda might say in a moment of candor, is a cadre of trained revolutionaries supported with weapons from the Soviet Union, by way of Cuba. As it is, he devoted Chapter 3 of his three-chapter book to the topic, “Politics and Violence in Jesus of Nazareth.” This view of man leads to the creation of a massive central planning system, run by an elite, and imposed by force in a top- 2. Miranda, Commumkm in the Bible (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, [1981] 1982), p. 6.
- Page 24 and 25: 1 CHRIST AND LIBERATION All things
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- Page 28 and 29: Christ and Liberation 21 ever there
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- Page 32 and 33: Christ and Liberation 25 by 117%; B
- Page 34 and 35: Christ andLib~ation 27 How can we g
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- Page 38 and 39: The God of Liberation 31 systems of
- Page 40 and 41: The God of Liberation 33 God as Lib
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- Page 44 and 45: T/w God of Liberation 37 theology -
- Page 46 and 47: 3 THE ENEMIES OF LIBERATION “No m
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- Page 52 and 53: The Enemies of Liberation 45 for Go
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- Page 56 and 57: The Enemies of Liberation 49 or God
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68 <strong>Liberating</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> <strong>Earth</strong><br />
dispensable means is a new social structure. Is it not perfectly obvious<br />
that an existing social system has more efficacy for education<br />
or miseducation than the exhortations of classroom or temple?<br />
How far can you get with the idea that a person should not place<br />
his or her heart in money and material things (the central idea of<br />
the Sermon on the Mount) if the existing social system inculcates<br />
just the contrary under pain of blows and death? Perhaps an insignificant<br />
minority can heroically resist the peremptory mandates of<br />
such a system. But Christianity cares about all human beings. It<br />
cannot content itself with saving a tiny minority. The majority<br />
cannot even assign a sense of realism to the Christian message of<br />
brotherhood and solidarity with neighbor, when the social structure<br />
imposes on it, under pain of annihilation, the task of seeking<br />
its proper interest and letting the chips fall where they may, without<br />
preoccupying itself with other people. Structural change will<br />
be a mere means for personal change-but a means so obviously<br />
necessary, that those who fail to give it first priority demonstrate by<br />
that very fact that their vaunted desire to transform persons is just<br />
empty rhetoric. z<br />
Not to put too fine a point to it, but how does this prophet for<br />
Communism think that the message and work of Jesus and the<br />
disciples led to the transformation of the Roman Empire? What<br />
means of comprehensive “structural alterations” of Meditemanean<br />
society did that tiny band of disciples possess? All they had was<br />
the truth, the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and a long-term vision<br />
of the kingdom of God.<br />
What small groups of dedicated Christians need today,<br />
Miranda might say in a moment of candor, is a cadre of trained<br />
revolutionaries supported with weapons from the Soviet Union,<br />
by way of Cuba. As it is, he devoted Chapter 3 of his three-chapter<br />
book to the topic, “Politics and Violence in Jesus of Nazareth.”<br />
This view of man leads to the creation of a massive central<br />
planning system, run by an elite, and imposed by force in a top-<br />
2. Miranda, Commumkm in the Bible (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, [1981]<br />
1982), p. 6.
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