Opting for the Margins - Postmodernity and Liberation in Christian Theology (Hardcover, New)

The 'preferential option for the poor' - the idea that the poor and helpless have a claim to special consideration from society - has been one of the most significant developments in twentieth-century Christian theology. Arising out of liberation theology, the option for the poor (and other people at the margins of society) has provided major new impulses for biblical studies, systematic theology, church history, ecclesial practice, and the academic study of religion. Recently, however, options for the margins have been challenged by postmodern shifts in intellectual, social, political, and economic realities that often replace preferential options with other emphases, such as general concerns for pluralism, otherness, and difference. The essays in this volume show how some forms of postmodern thought and theology can mask patterns of oppression and provide an excuse for deafness to voices from the margins. The authors, writing from a wide variety of national, ethnic, and theological perspectives, seek to revive the preferential option for the poor for the postmodern world, showing how options for the margins can engage postmodernity in new ways and break new ground in religious, theological, and ethical, as well as social, political, and economic thinking. The essays seek to connect philosophical and theological arguments to the concrete realities of the postmodern world and to uncover new sources of energy in the life and death struggles of people across the globe.